Paris- France (PANA) -- India remains the world’s leading film producer but Niger ia is closing the gap after overtaking the US for second place, according to a g l obal cinema survey conducted by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). Full text...

Cairo- Egypt (PANA) - – The Myers Museum in the United Kingdom has returned 454 an cient Egyptian artifacts, including Pharaohnic pottery and bronze coins, to Egyp t , the country’s top archaeologist Zahi Hawass said on Saturday. Full text...

Paris- France (PANA) -- For the first time, UNESCO will participate this year in the European Night of Museums and open its doors to the public on 16 May. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- The seventh edition of the theatre and laughter festival (Fest'rire) opens in the central Senegalese town of Kaolack on Thursday, a stat e ment from the Comic Actors' Association of the Senegalese Theatre (ARCOTS), orga n izers of the event, said. Full text...

N'Djamena- Chad (PANA) -- Baba Moussa House of Culture (MCBM) of N'Djamena on Mon day began its animated film festival, PANA learnt here. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- At least 180 African masks and other contemporary works of African artists will be exhibited 24 April 2009 to 3 Jan. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- Senegalese and Guinea-Bissau artists will participate in Europ'art09, Geneva's International Art Exhibition, due to open on 22 April, ac c ording to a press release received by PANA on Friday. Full text...

Bamako- Mali (PANA) -- Mali's capital, Bamako, will host from 20 to 22 April, an international peace festival on the initiative of the Universal Peace Federation (FPU), government sources told PANA. Full text...

Cairo- Egypt (PANA) -- In a controversial visit to Egypt, Israeli-Argentinean mus ician Daniel Barenboim conducted his second concert on Thursday at the Cairo Ope r a House. Full text...

Bamako- Mali (PANA) -- Malian Minister of Culture Mohamed El Moctar on Wednesday at the National Museum of Mali, launched a month-long exhibition on the manuscri p ts of Timbuktu, a city in the northern part of Mali, over 900 km from the capita l , Bamako, PANA reported from here. Full text...

Bamako- Mali (PANA) -- An association for the defence of Africa's history, tagged "Association Memoire Afrique", has been established here at the initiative of M a li's former First Lady and historian, Adama Ba Konare, the Association said in a statement made available to PANA here Thursday. Full text...

Cairo- Egypt (PANA) – Israeli musical conductor, D-aniel Barenboim, has confirmed his participation in a show fixed for 16 April in Egypt despite opposition from a number of intellectuals and activists to Israelis performing in Egypt. Full text...

Dakar- Sénégal (PANA) --Senegal will from next week enter the practical stage in the preparation for the Third World Festival for Negro Arts (FESMAN III) expecte d to take place from 1-14 December in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, Abdoulaye Ra c ine Senghor, permanent secretary to the festival's national commission, said on T uesday. Full text...

Brussels- Belgium (PANA) -- Representatives from Africa, the Caribbean and the Pa cific (ACP) as well as Europe rose from their two-day international conference o n culture and development in Brussels, the capital of Belgium, on Friday with a c a ll on the international community to give Culture a priority place in their nati o nal programmes. Full text...

Brussels- Belgium (PANA) -- The Chadian government has made available 7 billion C FA francs for the building, in N'Djamena, the Chadian capital, of a national mus e um and a big library, Djibert Younous, the Chadian Culture Minister, told PANA F r iday in Brussels, at the end of an international conference on culture and devel o pment, attended by a strong Chadian delegation. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- Senegalese artistes, frustrated by their joblessness, Fr iday disrupted the opening ceremony of an International Theatre show in Dakar. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- The third edition of a festival focusing on slavery and the slave trade will take place from 10-17 May in Gorée, an island located about four kilometres off the Senegalese capital, Dakar, Ben Zimet, the promoter and d rama director of the event told PANA on Wednesday. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- The 9th edition of the "Banlieue Rythme" festival will take place 22 April to 3 May in Dakar, Senegal, according to Ousmane Faye, artistic director and organizer of the festival. Full text...

Cotonou- Benin (PANA) -- The second edition of the “Grand Prix d'Afrique du theat re francophone” contest, aimed at boosting the arts in French-speaking countries , will take place 10-12 December in Cotonou, organisers said. Full text...

Cairo- Egypt (PANA) -- Egypt has demanded the return from the United States of a 3,000-year-old Pharaonic era wood coffin that was intercepted by American customs officials, Egypt’s Supreme Council of A ntiquities (SCA) said on Sunday. Full text...

Bamako- Mali (PANA) -- The Malian government is to list Sikasso's Tata, a military fortification dating back to the 17th century, as part of the country's national and cultural heritage. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- A private Academy of Arts to be named after the first Se negalese President will open its doors to the public on the 1 April, according t o a press release in Dakar on Tuesday by Pentagon Productions, organizers of the p roject. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- African films, mainly from Senegal, Algeria and Nigeria, are honoured in the 23rd edition of the Fribourg International Film Festival (F I FF), due in Switzerland 14-21 March, a statement from the organisation committee transmitted to PANA Friday, said. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- Keith Simmonds from Trinidad and Tobago won the first pr ize at the 23rd edition of the "haïku" poetry contest organised yearly in Senega l by the Japan embassy, the organisers said. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- A number of African artists and artists of African origi ns have been invited to the 21st edition of the chorus festival due in France fr o m 14-28 March, a statement from the organisation committee transmitted to PANA o n Wednesday said . Full text...

Cairo- Egypt (PANA) -- At least nine paintings have been stolen from a 19th centu ry palace and museum, formerly the residency of the ruler and founder of modern Egypt, Mohamed Ali Pasha. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- Musician Abou Thiam on Wednesday begins the 7th edition of his annual caravan called 'Initiative Fuuta' meant raise consciousness on dangers of HIV/AIDS and other activities affecting the people. Full text...

Paris- France (PANA) -- The French Secretary of State for Cooperation and Francophony, Alain Joyandet, will this weekend, in Ouagadougou, the Burkinabe capital, present a plan to support the production and distribution of the African cinema, PANA learnt from official sources here. Full text...

Paris - France (PANA) -- UNESCO Thursday launched the electronic version of the new edition of its Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger of Disappearing, according to reports issued in Paris, France, and made available to PANA. Full text...

Addis Ababa- Ethiopia (PANA) -- Algeria is to host a Pan-African Culture Conference in Algiers for the first time in 40 years, aimed at giving Africa a new image as the cradle of humankind and showcasing the creativity of some 5,000 original African artistes, Algerian Culture Minister Khalida Toumi said here Tuesday. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- The Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade and his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao here on Saturday visited the proposed site for the big Na t ional Theatre, to be financed by China to the tune of FCFA 20 billion. Full text...

Paris- France (PANA) -- Why do languages disappear? Which parts of the world are most affected? and, What can be done to save them? The new edition of UNESCO's Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger of Disappea ring, to be presented to the press at UNESCO Headquarters 19 February, on the eve of t he International Mother Language Day (21 February), aims to answer these questio n s. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- Joseph Ndiaye, former curator of Goree House of Slaves, an island located 5 kilometres from Dakar that was used as the point of converge n ce during the slave trade, died on Friday, aged 87, after a long illness. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- The film 'London River' by the Algerian born Rachid Bouchareb is the sole African film among the 18 being featured at the 59th edition of the Berlin film festival, which opened on Thursday in the German capital. Full text...

Paris- France (PANA) -- UNESCO has called for measures to preserve the HMS Victor y, a British man-of-war ship, that sank in the English Channel in 1744, followin g its discovery by a commercial deep-sea exploration company. Full text...

Algiers- Algeria (PANA) -- The Algerian Culture Ministry has launched an Internet site, www. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- The 17th edition of the International Jazz Festival of S aint-Louis (Saint-Louis Jazz) has been scheduled for 28-31 May in the northern S e negalese city of Saint-Louis, PANA learnt Saturday from the organizers. Full text...

Bamako- Mali (PANA) -- The Malian Astrophysicist and President of the African sec tion of Microsoft, Cheick Modibo Diarra, was named godfather of the 21st edition of the PanAfrican Festival of Cinema and Television of Ouagadougou (FESPACO), du e to be held 28 February to 7 March, 2009, in the Burkinabe capital, PANA learnt f rom authoritative sources. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- The British Council will on Wednesday launch the first s ession of cultural events dubbed Words and Pictures (WAPI) in Dakar, a news release issued on Tuesday said. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- Activities leading to the 21st edition of the Panafrican Cinema and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO), scheduled for 28 Febru a ry to 7 March in the Burkinabe capital, began here Thursday, according to a pres s communiqué by the organisers transmitted to PANA. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- Senegalese musician and roving ambassador for peace in the world Oumar Pene on Thursday made a passionate plea for the restoration of peace in Africa and around the world. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- A show of written and oral African literature will be he ld from 5 to 7 February in Brussels, Belgium, organisers told PANA on Tuesday. Full text...

Bamako- Mali (PANA) -- The second edition of "the Voices of Bamako" festival open s Wednesday in the Amadou Hampathé Bâ Palace of Culture in the Malian capital. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- The two-day seminar on the development of immaterial her itage through cultural industries ended Thursday afternoon in Dakar, Senegal. Full text...

Port-Louis- Mauritius (PANA) -- Algerian-born Jewish singer, Enrico Macias, has c ancelled his concert planned for Mauritius on 23 January, in the wake of the gov e rnment's decision last weekend to suspend relations with Israel, following air s t rikes by the Jewish state on Gaza, Palestine, sources close to local organisers o f the cultural event told PANA Wednesday. Full text...

Brazzaville- Congo (PANA) -- Congolese Minister of Culture and Arts Jean Claude G akosso said Tuesday his country would take part in the second edition of the Alg i ers pan-African cultural festival, slated for 5-20 July 2009 in the Algerian cap i tal. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- The Institute of higher learning for arts and culture (ISAC) of the University of Sheik Anta Diop in Dakar, Senegal, will officially open at the end of this month, according to Aloyse-Raymond Ndiaye, who is in charge of the institute. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- The film "Faro, the Queen of Waters" by Malian director Salif Traoré will be shown on 21 January at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, as part of the festivities marking the opening of the Workd Astronomy Year, according to the UN Agency. Full text...

Douala- Cameroon (PANA) -- The northern Cameroonian town of Maroua, will host the seventh edition of the country's national arts and culture festival (FENAC) fro m 19 to 23 December. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- The 2nd edition of the international cultural festival o f the people in situation of handicap (HandiFestival International), will be hel d Friday and Saturday in Dakar, Senegal. Full text...