At the beginning of 2010, a meeting between the South African Minister of Arts and Culture, Ms Lulu Xingwana and the French Minister of Culture and Communication, Mr Frédéric Mitterand took place in Cannes, France during the annual three-day international music market, MIDEM, where South Africa participated as country of honour, with special recognition given to South African music and artists.
The three year Programme of Co-operation, from 2010 to 20112, will focus on joint projects in the fields of music, protection of heritage, design, publishing, digitization of culture and the translation of books and texts to make them more accessible. The emphasis will be on sharing ideas, information and experiences, skills and technology transfer, capacity building and creating sustainable institution-to-institution links.
A film co-production agreement was also put in place to provide opportunities for the South African film industry to increase production, creating new partnerships and ventures, while recognising the skills and talent of the SA film makers, actors and film technicians.
Minister Xingwana also invited the French Minister and French public to visit South Africa during the 2010 World Cup, especially when South Africa and France play against each other on 22 June.
