The Norad Programme in Arts and Cultural Education. A Review of the First Phase 2002-2004

The Norad Programme in Arts and Cultural Education was established in 2002 and is administered by Centre for International University Co-operation (SIU). The total budget for the programme period (2002-2005) is NOK 15 millions.

The main objectives of the programme are to strengthen the cultural institutions in the partner countries and to contribute to the professionalisation of the artists and the art forms. Norwegian institutions of higher learning collaborate with partners in Africa to achieve these goals through eight projects. Collaborations take the form of scholarships to study dance and music in Norway (Zimbabwe, Tanzania), arrangement of courses and degrees on choral conducting (South Africa), series of workshops providing artists with a diploma in fine arts (Zambia), workshops on music and music education for children (Tanzania), as well as research on the potentials of cultural heritage and tourism (Tanzania).

A review of the results concludes that the great majority of the projects have fulfilled the two major goals of the programme in a satisfactory way. Projects that focus on formal qualifications and are part of larger, long term collaborations in politically stable countries are the most successful.

The report discusses challenges met during the first phase of the programme and provides a number of recommendations for the next phase:

• The programme should have a longer time frame
• Training projects should focus on formal qualifications
• The SIU requirement that partnerships must involve university level institutions should be removed
• "Sandwhich" degrees should be encouraged
• Co-operating partners should develop binding contracts for students
• Project applications should include concrete plans for employment of the students to ensure strengthening of the institutions
• Partners should consider to broaden and consolidate their partnerships with mutual exchange through the Norwegian Peace Corps