Through the International Fund for Cultural Diversity, UNESCO in partnership with Ethiopia Dance Art Association will implement Strengthening Capacities within the Dance Sector in Ethiopia Project.
Dance and dance artists play important roles in preserving and promoting Ethiopia’s diverse cultural heritage and in developing the country’s cultural industry. Currently in Ethiopia, dance is considered an undesirable career, and dancers suffer from low and unstable income, job insecurity, and lack of collective representation. Furthermore, women dance artists face discrimination due to gender, including demands of family responsibilities, and sexual harassment at work. Artists outside of Addis Ababa have even fewer opportunities and resources.
Ethiopian Dance Art Association convenes dancers to foster connectivity, to support infrastructure start-up and to develop a strategic plan. EDAA leadership remains steadfast in its commitment to ensure dance’s inclusion in Ethiopia’s cultural policy.
This IFCD-funded project aims to structurally professionalize and raise the profile of the dance sector in Ethiopia and contribute to better economic and social outcomes for dancers, specifically women. EDAA will achieve this through a two-year implementation plan which will include activities such as outreach, networking and data collection, and through the publication of written and visual data. EDAA will reach a target of 50% women beneficiaries and closely collaborate with professional organizational structures and universities to incorporate outcomes into forums organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
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