Board of directors
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The members of the Board of Directors are people engaged in the African cultural and creative sector.
They are people who have relevant professional experience. They are artists, cultural and creative industries professionals and members of the business community. The members of the Board of Directors represent the different regions of the continent.
Board members serve an initial term of two years, renewable for an additional two years. They meet twice a year.
Currently the Board of Directors consists of nine (9) members but the objective is to expand the number to allow the entry of other competencies and profiles within the Board.
George Camille is one of the most prolific and well-known visual artist in Seychelles.
In 1987, he established Sunstroke Studio, a design, fashion and screen print space that trained and employed more than 30 artisans and artists. He then established the first art gallery of Seychelles.
Camille has staged numerous group and personal exhibitions in Seychelles, Mauritius, Germany, Italy and Reunion, and more recently in Beijing, China.
He has exhibited in numerous private collections around the world. He recently represented Seychelles at the Venice Biennale and is the winner of the recent Seychelles Biennale in 2017.
Dr. Frannie Léautier is one of the most illustrious African finance and development practitioners of our times.
As a professional, an academic, and an entrepreneur with a long-standing experience at top executive and board of director-levels, she has been in the business of leading and transforming organisations in the private, public and not-for-profit spheres, including in advanced and emerging economies around the globe.
She served as Vice Chair of the Board, first independent Board Director, and Special Advisor of the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank (TDB). Dr. Léautier became TDB’s Chief Operating Officer on September 1st, 2018.
She is the Chair of the Risk and Audit Committee of the African Risk Capacity (ARC Ltd), a company providing market solutions to address the insurance needs of African countries against weather related risks likes floods and drought.
Dr. Léautier has occupied the functions of Senior Vice President at the African Development Bank (AfDB), Vice President at the World Bank Group (WBG) and Head of the World Bank Institute.
She is a well-recognised author and academic, having published numerous books, articles and papers in international development. She is also a graduate of the Harvard University Executive Development Program.
Dr. Léautier received an Honorary Degree in Humane Letters from North Central College in the US, and for her work in infrastructure, she is an Honorary Degree Graduand from Lancaster University in the UK.
In addition to winning various awards, including “Best Manager” and awards for excellence at the World Bank Group, she has been featured several times amongst the New African Magazine list of 100 most influential people in Africa.
Manager of cultural projects, Ghita Khaldi is the founder and current president of the Moroccan association Afrikayna, for intercultural exchange, development and cooperation in Africa.
She was the initiator of the launch of the first Moroccan fund for artistic mobility in Africa – Africa Art Lines – from the same association.
Ghita is also in charge of the coordination and production of the L’boulevard Festival of Casablanca and the Jidar- toiles de rue festival in Rabat on behalf of the EAC L’boulvart association.
Director of the Observatory of Cultural Policy in Africa based in Mozambique.
Previously he was the UNESCO Regional Cultural Advisor for Africa and the Representative in Angola and Mozambique, and the Director of the National Institute of Arts of Zaire.
He has published many books and articles, and is a qualified musician and president of the UNESCO African Music Council.
Abdoulaye Konaté studied visual arts at the National Arts Institute in Bamako and then at the Higher Institute of Art in Havana (Cuba).
Konaté is moving towards a re-appropriation of endogenous plastic resources.
He uses materials such as textiles, eggs, sand. By inserting objects like gray-gray, bullets and used clothes, he endows his paintings with a third dimension: that of depth. Abdoulaye Konaté’s themes are inspired by geopolitical news.
His work questions the problems of racism, political corruption, ethnic and religious conflicts.
The artist has exhibited all over the world and in the world’s biggest biennials, including the current edition of the Venice Biennale.
His works are also shown at “Metropolis Africa Capitals” at the Grand Halles de la Villette (2017). In 2016, Abdoulaye Konaté exhibited at the Arken Museum in Copenhagen, Denmark. Abdoulaye lives and works in Bamako.
Daves Guzha is a prominent Zimbabwean artist with a long and distinguished career both on stage and on screen.
He has 26 years of experience in the theater and film industry, and works as an actor, director, producer, administrator and social justice activist.
He is the founding artistic director of Rooftop Promotions, an arts organization that promotes and develops artistic initiatives.
Daves Guzha is also the Regional Coordinating Director of Artists Trust of Southern Africa.
Since November 2017, he is the Chairperson of Arterial Network.
Pierre Claver Mabiala was born in Pointe Noire in July 1973 (Congo Brazza).
Passionate about theatre, he trained at the age of thirteen with Jean Makosso and Victor Nani. He participates in many workshops with Roselle, Lionel Pouliquen, Abel Sollars in Pointe Noire and also on the African continent. He perfected his training in France with Carlo Brandt, Jacques Perchet and with the JP Blachère association.
He took a few steps at the cinema and participated in about fifteen African festivals.
Aware that one can influence the environment to which one belongs, Pierre Claver also positions himself as a cultural manager: he directs and administers the JOUTHEC festival as well as his own cultural space YARO. He also initiates and organizes about ten tours in Africa.
Since 2005, he has directed the Pointe-Noire N’SANGU NDJI-NDJI International Music and Arts Festival.
He is very present on African cultural networks and in particular on the OCRE Network (Afaa/Afrique en Création). He obtained beautiful distinctions: Best direction (TCHIKUNDA Prize), Visa for the creation of Afaa, best cultural event 2006 / 2007 for the festival N’sangu NDJI NDJI.
Since October 2019 he is the President of Arterial Network.
Ammar Kessab (PhD, CA) is Senior Governance Expert at the African Development Bank (AfDB).
Specialist in public management, he often collaborates with regional and international organizations in the field of governance of cultural diversity, culture & development and cultural policies.
He is member of the Board of Directors of the International Association of Research in Public Management (AIRMAP), member of the Steering Committee of Al Mawred Al Thakafy (Culture Resource, Cairo) and member of “U40 Network for Cultural Diversity”.
Deeply involved in the cultural debate in Africa and in the Arab region, he published several chapters in books and articles.