Incorporating cultural values and practices in decentralization processes boost the rural economy and local Good Governance. Culturally self-confident people get more involved in community efforts to set up priorities and to manage initiatives of local development.

To ensure understanding, exchange, and collaboration between different parties requires respect for the cultural specificities of each group and a spirit of interactive learn-ing for changing the situation. The project “Adult Education and Culture” in Haiti strives for promoting the interaction between the values and practices of the inherited Creole and the imported Western culture as well as between the rural and urban subcultures through concrete information and awareness-raising activities and education events. These are linked to major problems of the groups concerned. In view of poverty reduc-tion, Helvetas promotes cultural activities in order to enhance local knowledge and to strengthen local cultures. That way, the selfesteem, independence, and innovation of economically and socially disadvantaged people should increase in order to contrib-ute to sustainability and creativity in the development process. In that sense, the promotion of cultural diversity and understanding between cultures forms also part of the process of peace-building.

Supporting small artisans’ businesses: Helvetas Haiti supports community planning efforts and initiatives aiming at the building-up of small artisans’ businesses (e.g. the fabrication of cosmetics, preserved food, celebration cakes, handicrafts). Such activi-ties take the local culture into account and generate additional income for the fami-lies. In the long run, local market analysis mechanisms, marketing techniques, and skill development programs will be set up by local actors, according to their own perception, valuing their practices, and benefiting from appropriate external inputs.

Enhancing cultural identity through adult education: Groups get organized around common local interests. The self-help organizations involved in the project, mainly women groups, define their information and training needs according to their interests (management of a small business, handicrafts, woman and child health, nutrition, Aids, etc.). The programs of functional literacy – in Creole as well as in French – are managed by the organizations themselves and supported by Helvetas. The courses are closely related to the daily life and cover topics like agriculture, marketing or protection of the environment. By enhancing a variety of capabilities, these courses increase the ability of participating in the discussion of community development and promote taking on responsibility. Later on, some of the participants may join vocational training programs relevant to the local economic trends. The training events are integrated into community priorities jointly set up, are embedded in the local culture, and take off from the local knowledge and competencies.

Promoting cultural community projects: These projects are jointly initiated by public and private actors and contribute to the promotion of the responsibility of the citizens and communities for political, economic, social, and environmental matters – be it global water and soil management, the development of sustainable economic chains, or the appreciation of the local biological and cultural diversity. The projects are prepared by various actors (schools, religious institutions, cultural groups, radio stations, municipalities), which strengthens the solidarity within the community, around locally selected themes. The activities consist of awareness-raising actions covering radio broadcasting, in-house and outdoor theatre performances, plays with giant marionettes, as well as dance, music, storytelling and poetry events, all of which are strongly influenced by the voodoo culture. More and more, they also take into account the language and per-ception of the rural population as well as its relation with the urban centres. The cultural actions are performed by amateur artists, who underwent numerous training events since 1997 provided by professionals and supported by Helvetas. These jointly initiated cultural events create solidarity, especially among young people, and enhance the value of the local culture.


SELECTED REFERENCE LIST

Where Helvetas is specifically engaged in cultural initiatives:

• Nepal, support to several cultural projects such as exhibitions, movie/documentary filmmaking – Helvetas programs
• Sri Lanka, collaboration with the Centre for Performing Arts (CPA) which contributes to the development of culture and arts with the aim to eliminate discrimination, promote peace and intercultural exchange; support to TRIKONE ARTS CENTRE for contributing to peace-building – Helvetas programs
• Mali, support to the training centre for photography in Bamako including training of trainers and exposure of students, and promotion of the development of theatre, dance, and poetry events to be performed at local level – Helvetas program
• Mozambique, collaboration with the artists’ association ACHUFRE which offers training in painting and ceramics with the aim to promote creativity – Helvetas program
• Tanzania, support to the Tingatinga Arts Cooperative Society (TACS) for operating a painting workshop/centre with art gallery, and for providing administrative and marketing assistance – Helvetas program
• Dominican Republic, promotion of young artists and strengthening of the cultural exchange between the Dominican Republic and Haiti, including a drawing contest aiming at raising the public awareness for environment and resource protection – Helvetas program
• Guatemala, culture promotion for peace covering several cultural institutions and organizations for increasing the mutual respect of different ethnical groups towards each other and contributing to peaceful conflict mitigation – Helvetas program
• Haiti, strengthening of the local culture and intercultural exchange; support of common cultural events in Haiti and the Dominican Republic and cultural exchange between the two states – Helvetas programs