PROG2017-2021_OS8_Zimbabwe_Cultural_Cooperation_Programme_Africalia_2017- 2021 : the cultural services and products of Africalia's partners promote human development and sustainable growth. Africalia's program contributes to the common strategic objectives of the Belgian Common Strategic Framework ZIMBABWE, one relating to gender ("Contributions to gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls"); the other relating to education, culture and research ("inclusive and quality education for all, promotion of lifelong learning and of cultural opportunities, promotion of research and innovation to enhance sustainable development.") (SDG 4 SDG8 & SDG 9). Africalia’s program focuses on the development and strengthening of the country's human capital (in addition to the work carried by Red Cross Flanders and FOS), reflected by those common goals. All of our program activities are inherently educational (or "professional" if you prefer) and result in the development of confident young people with professional creative skills, which can feed the democratic debate and make a positive contribution to a tolerant and inclusive society. The entire program is devoted to creativity. Africalia’s vision has two main dimensions: a social and an economic one. As far as the social dimension is concerned, we believe that a rich and varied cultural production is the source of social innovation and political renewal. Cultural Sites (real or virtual) are spaces of citizenship, laboratories that can create new political discourse and practices. Regarding the economic dimension, the cultural and creative industries represent an underutilized lever for job creation. They are the carriers of a non-polluting and sustainable growth that provides an alternative to the development of models based on extractive economies. Africalia’s Specific Objective (SO),"the cultural services and products of Africalia's partners promote human development and sustainable growth"; makes Africalia's vision operational and highlights the role of creativity in the social and economic development of the partner’s country. Four major results underpin the realization of the SO. They contribute to (a) the optimal functioning of the creative structures where Africalia cooperates, (b) the crucial role of education in a largely informal sector, which is generally little professionalized, (c) the creation of a cultural economy and creative markets, and (d) the rise of a cultural democracy in the countries of intervention. Professionals in the cultural sector and young people with ambitions in this sector are the intended beneficiaries of the Africalia programs. They receive training and coaching in their professional skills (individual 'micro' level). The organizations are strengthened in their capacities (organizational 'meso' level), and the entire program has a lasting impact in the longer term (Community 'macro' level of the community). The ZIMBABWE program is based on a partnership with a few main partner organizations and focuses on the performing arts (dance, theater, music, spoken word, film). Afrikera Arts Trust, Nhimbe Trust, Pamberi Trust , Music Crossroads Academy and Zimbabwe Theatre Association are all specialists in those disciplines. They all provide a thorough training program, workshops or peer-to-peer exchanges. They produce cultural goods and services to stakeholders. They network and advocate for policy makers for a favorable cultural environment. They also work with cultural operators from across the country and in the region with a view to greater decentralization and breaking the cultural isolation of the country and of smaller towns. All partners are particularly sensitive to gender equality and consciously make additional space for women in all aspects of their activities. They show concretely that men and women have equal opportunities to take up key positions in the boards of directors and management staffs. Their programs even include a number of specific activities dealing with gender issues and gender balance approaches in the arts sector in Zimbabwe: WITT (Women in Theatre and Television), Sisters Open Mic, FLAME (Female Literary Arts and Music Enterprise).