Growing the Film and Music Industries in Senegal

A delegation from Senegal's Ministry of Culture participated in a three week IVLP focused on growing their film and music industries. While in the U.S., they learned more about arts and cultural policies in the United States, including the use of federal and local tax incentives to foster private sector investment in the arts and to promote economic development, as well as protections for artists' intellectual property rights. In addition to visiting federal Washington and the cultural capitals of New York and Los Angeles, the group also had a chance to explore the smaller cultural cities of Kansas City, Missouri and Austin, Texas. One of the participants likened the roles of government and civil society in culture to a musical performance where everyone plays their respective instruments to contribute to the score. He said it helped enable people to think in a more autonomous way and promoted a very grassroots approach to the arts.