Scheduled to end in June 2023, the 24-month-long pilot project supported individuals and groups active in all artistic disciplines: from dance and theatre to the visual arts, literature, fashion, architecture and digital media.
The 9 outermost regions and 13 overseas countries and territories which benefited are part of 5 Member States: France, Portugal, Spain, Denmark and the Netherlands.
The new strategy for the outermost regions, adopted in May 2022, included a specific mention to Archipel.eu, as an example on how the Commission supports the cultural sector, ensuring that outermost regions citizens – including artists - benefit from being part of the European Union.
Back in 2021 when the project was launched, the European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, said that, with this project “we are reaching out to artists and culture organisations in the EU’s outermost regions and the overseas countries and territories. With a helping hand to promote their unique and rich cultural heritage, and boost recovery in a sector strongly hit by the COVID crisis.”
The full spectrum of arts
Led by the Institut Français, which promotes French culture worldwide, the consortium running this project included : the Association of the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTA) based in Brussels, Belgium, and, for Macaronesia, the Agency for the Promotion of Atlantic Culture (APCA) based in Madeira, Portugal.
Funding for projects ranged from small amounts of EUR 5 000 to a maximum of EUR 20 000. Archipel.eu launched 4 calls for proposals dedicated to safeguarding and promoting cultural heritage, cultural networking and cooperation, mobility and the publication and dissemination of a catalogue of works from these regions.
Safeguarding and promoting intangible cultural heritage
Archipel.eu supported initiatives that highlight the cultural wealth of these regions. Part of the budget was allocated to the use of digital technologies for organising webinars and conferences, creating podcasts or Open Online Courses, and digitising museum collections and archives.
Projects included restoring and transmitting the knowledge of basket-weaving in French Polynesia, a museum digitisation project on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao, and an educational initiative about medicinal plants in the French outermost region of Mayotte.
On Wallis and Futuna, the Territorial Department of Cultural Affairs was awarded funding to promote the construction of traditional canoes and the playing of traditional sports.
In Martinique, the Trinity Cultural and Radiophonic Association received funding to create podcasts about proverbs from the French outermost regions of Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana.
This strand of the project had a budget of EUR 270 000.
Cultural networking and mobility
The cultural networking and cooperation fund encouraged the organisation of exhibitions, training courses, conferences, and artistic collaboration. Funded projects included cooperation between La Réunion, French Guiana and Belgium to promote hip hop culture and artistic residencies in the Azores.
The fund promoted better communication between the 9 outermost regions, the 13 overseas countries and territories and the EU, encouraged cooperation between artists and the use of digital technology to promote culture and intercultural dialogue.
Thanks to the mobility funding, theatre director Ewlyne Guillaume from French Guiana and writer Alfred Alexandre from Martinique were able to travel to the Haihatus Artist Residency in Joutsa, Finland in February 2023.
The networking and mobility funds had together a total budget of EUR 250 000.
A catalogue of works
Collection – Archipel.eu special edition, supported exhibitions, shows and artistic works that can be shown outside their territory of origin, to promote their cultures internationally. These works were put together in a catalogue that can be distributed among artistic and cultural institutions worldwide.
Projects that were selected for funding included a photographic exhibition entitled ‘Atlantic identities. The heritage perspective’, that toured the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Azores, and Madeira.
Also selected was a contemporary dance performance entitled ‘Cette Terre me murmure à l’oreille’ (This earth whispers in my ear) by choreographer Christiane Emmanuel from Martinique. African and Caribbean dancers and choreographers collaborated on the production of this ‘transatlantic dialogue between Africa and the Caribbean’.
This fund had a total budget of EUR 150 000.
Building bridges and uniting communities
The projects funded by Archipel.eu were chosen based on their originality, capacity to promote the unique culture of a territory, potential to build bridges with other regions or continental Europe, and ability to unite communities.
Many of the projects originated from La Réunion, Guadeloupe, Canary Islands and Martinique. Selected projects also came from Aruba,
Support from associated partner organisations
The project had 10 associated partners, including the EU National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC). Speaking at the start of the project, the organisation’s director Andrew Manning said: ‘We look forward to supporting new connections and opportunities for Archipel.eu participants and beneficiaries within mainland Europe and their neighbouring countries and regions.’
Mr Manning noted that Archipel.eu is a pilot project managed by the Directorate General for Regional and Urban Policy of the European Commission. It adds further momentum to a growing portfolio of projects on cultural relations led by EUNIC and its members.
Marie le Sourd, coordinator for mobility information network On the Move, said their role as an associate partner was to support recommendations and communication of Archipel.eu project calls and opportunities.
Continuing support to culture
The Archipel.eu consortium will consider the lessons learnt from this pilot project and propose a list of recommendations on how existing funding and programmes could be enhanced to support the cultural and creative sector in the 9 outermost regions and 13 overseas countries and territories.
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