Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) – The remains of popular Mauritanian singer, Dimi Mint Sydatt Ould Abba, who died Saturday in Paris, France, were flown home Sunday, official sources revealed. Full text...

Cairo, Egypt (PANA) - Egypt's culture minister, Dr. Emad Abu Ghazi, affirmed here on Saturday that Egypt was seeking to enhance and build strong cultural ties with all African countries. Full text...

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - The chairman of the Pan-African Federation of Film-Directors (FEPACI), Gabonese producer and director, Charles Mensah died Friday in a private hospital in Libreville, the Gabonese capital, at the age of 63, a press release from the country's video and record Institute (IGIS) made available to PANA said. Full text...

Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) - The Mauritanian government is to create a fund to support culture, youth and sports, one per cent of which will come from resources accruing from customs' revenues, the minister of culture, youth and sports, Mrs. Cissé Mint Cheikh El Boidé, announced Thursday. Full text...

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade plans to make English language a compulsory subject in the country’s primary and secondary schools, as well as in vocational institutes. Full text...

Tunis, Tunisia (PANA) - The planned shooting of two movies in Tunisia by world-acclaimed movie star Antonio Banderas is expected to boost the country's image as a tourist and film destination, analysts said. Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) - UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, will designate Chinese opera performer Zhang Jun as the UNESCO Artist for Peace for a period of two years. Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) - Three Brazilians -- businessman Nizan Guanaes, designer Oskar Metsavaht and artist Vik Muniz -- will be named UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors for a period of two years by Director-General Irina Bokova at a ceremony on 27 May at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France. Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) - A film devoted to the fight against discrimination against women in Congo, called the Boulistes, was presented in the Short Film Corner category of the International Film Festival in Cannes, France, PANA learnt Friday from the series producer, David Lawson. Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) - A film devoted to the fight against discrimination against women in Congo, called the Boulistes, was presented in the Short Film Corner category of the International Film Festival in Cannes, France, PANA learnt Friday from the series producer, David Lawson. Full text...

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - The Citizen Media Group of Senegal has been licensed to operate a television channel, to be called "Africa 7", according to a statement issued by the group here. Full text...

Kinshasa, DR Congo (PANA) - Museums can become attractive tourist destinations if they are renovated, the Director General of the National Museum of DR Congo, Joseph Ibongo, declared Tuesday in Kinshasa. Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) - More than 80 remarkable documentary items and collections from all parts of the world will be considered for inscription on the Memory of the World Register during a meeting of experts of the International Advisory Committee (IAC) of UNESCO’S Memory of the World Programme in Manchester, United Kingdom, from 22-25 May. Full text...

Tunis, Tunisia (PANA) - The Tunis Municipal Theater on Saturday hosted the 2011 Albert Londres awards ceremony in tribute to the 14 JanuaryTunisian revolution that toppled the regime of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Full text...

Bamako, Mali (PANA) - Malians are thuis weekend paying tribute to their celebrated writer and researcher, Amadou Hampaté Bâ, as they mark the 20th anniversary of his passing with a series of activities including an artistes' night, a roundtable and exhibition. Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) – Two books written by Amadou Mathar MBow, the former Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), have been published by Harmattan, the publishing house announced on Wednesday in Paris. Full text...

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - The Chadian filmmaker, Mahamat Saleh Haroun is the only African member of the jury of the 64th edition of the Cannes Cinema Festival in France, due to begin Wednesday. Full text...

Bamako, Mali (PANA) - More than 3,000 participants are expected from 1 to 5 June in Kayes, in western Mali, for the fifth International Festival of Rails (FIRKA), PANA learnt from the organizers. Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) - Remarkable natural and cultural properties from 40 countries will be considered for inscription on UNESCO’s World Heritage List during the meeting of the World Heritage Committee in Paris, France, between 19 and 29 June, a news release made available to PANA said Thursday. Full text...

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - An international symposium will be held from 10 to 12 May in Dakar, Senegal, as part of the celebrations marking the 90th birthday anniversary of the former Director General of UNESCO, Amadou-Makhtar Mbow of Senegal, the first Vice-Chairman of the Organising Committee, General Muhammadu Mansour Seck, announced here Wednesday. Full text...

Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital, was agog all day Saturday as Lagosians from all walks of life gathered on the major streets to participate in this year’s carnival, PANA reported from here. Full text...

Lome, Togo (PANA) - Togolese Kanan Maleki, a 25-year-old history student, has won the second annual Griot National Festival held in Pagouda, northern Togo, PANA learned Friday in Lome from cultural sources. Full text...

Ziguinchor, Senegal (PANA) - A major sub-regional Festival for Peace, bringing together young people from Senegal, Gambia and Guinea-Bissau, kicked off Thursday in the town of Sindian, a village in the Casamance (southern Senegal), on the border with Gambia, PANA reported from here. Full text...

Conakry, Guinea (PANA) - World renowned reggae star, Alpha Blondy of Cote d'Ivoire, on Thursday condemned the concept of "Ivorite" or "Ivonianness", which, according to him, has been the source of all ills in his country for over a decade. Full text...

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) – A national development plan for intellectual property (PNDPI), covering the period 2011-2015, will soon be unveiled in Senegal, according to an official of the ministry of Mines, Industry, Food-processing and Small and Medium-seized companies, Emmanuel René Moïse. Full text...

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade said in Dakar on Friday that the newly-inaugurated National Theatre in his country would allow the revisit of the history of Africa and the world. Full text...

Bamako, Mali (PANA) - The Kéba Mbaye Foundation has awarded the Kéba Mbaye Award for Ethics to the Malian President, Amadou Toumani Touré, for making his country an exemplary democracy, according to a communiqué from the Malian presidency on Tuesday. Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) - Sudanese actor and theatre director, Ali Mahdi Nouri, and French professor, Cherif Khaznadar, have been awarded the 2010 UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture, according to a statement from the UN agency in Paris, France. Full text...

Tunis, Tunisia (PANA) - Tunisia and France on Saturday in Tunis signed an agreement, tagged the “Tunis Declaration”, to strengthen cultural cooperation between the two countries. Full text...

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - Senegalese singer Marie Ndiaye Ndèye Gawlo died Thursday morning in Dakar after a brief illness, PANA learnt from sources. Full text...

Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) - Sudanese Minister of Culture, Samaouel Khalifalla, arrived Wednesday in Nouakchott for a visit aimed at strengthening the cultural cooperation between the two countries. Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) - A 2.3-metre high sculpture of the famous Franco-American artist, Armand-Pierre Fernandez, nicknamed Arman, will be offered to Senegal as part of the Léopold Sédar Senghor Museum, the donor of the work, French historian, Gérard Bosio, told PANA here Monday. Full text...

Bamako, Mali (PANA) - Mali is not participating in the Paris Tourism Fair which opened Thursday, at the Porte de Versailles, to protest against the decision by France banning its nationals from traveling to some Malian regions considered as "dangerous", PANA learnt here from the Malian Ministry of Crafts and Tourism. Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) - Authors drawn from countries within the Congo Basin featured prominently at the 2011 edition of the Paris Book Exhibition that ended Monday in the French capital, PANA reported from here. Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) - The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, has welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Environment, Nature Conservation and Tourism of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), José Endundo Bononge, that the government had suspended prospecting for oil at the Virunga National Park, inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1979. Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) - UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, has called for the mobilization of all of the Organization’s partners to ensure the safeguarding of cultural heritage in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Full text...

Cairo, Egypt (PANA) - The Egyptian museum has announced the theft of 54 artifacts by looters on the 28 of January, tagged the Friday of Rage, that saw the withdrawal of police forces from the streets of Cairo and the entire country during the country's revolution. Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) – The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) will on Tuesday hold a conference in Paris to celebrate the 40th anniversary marking the convention on illegal trafficking of cultural goods. Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) - Sudanese businessman Mo Ibrahim Friday in Paris inaugurated the scholarships programme for distinguished young Africans. Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) - UNESCO will organize a seminar in Paris, France, on 15-16 March to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Convention prohibiting and preventing the illicit import, export and transfer of ownership of cultural property, the UN organization said in a press release issued in the French capital Thursday. Full text...

Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - Nigeria’s Mac Kusare has won the ECOWAS prize for integration at the just-concluded 22nd Pan African Film and Television Festival (FESPACO) which ended 5 March in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, ECOWAS said in a press release, received by PANA here Thursday. Full text...

Accra, Ghana (PANA) - Sierra Leonean and South African writers have reached the finals of the 2011 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize competition, after being adjudged top in the African Regional competition. Full text...

Brussels, Belgium (PANA) - The European Union (EU) has launched a new programme to support the cultural sector of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, with a budget of 30 million euros, an official source in Brussels told PANA here Wednesday. Full text...

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - Sub-Saharan Africa has made significant progress towards Education for All (EFA) over the last 10 years, according to the 2011 EFA Global Monitoring Report, released by UNESCO Tuesday. Full text...

Kinshasa, DR Congo (PANA) - The National Tourism Office (ONT) of DR Congo will, between March and April, hold a tour, tagged "Eductour", to support the North-American tourism professionals, the director of studies of ONT, Mbo Nangeli announced Saturday in Matadi. Full text...

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - A Senegalese journalist, Basile Niane and his three compatriot students have been selected among the 20 best bloggers of the Mondoblog competition, organized by Radio France International, a press release from RFI, made available to PANA said. Full text...

Luanda, Angola (PANA) - A total of 45 models, including 15 males, will attend the 2011 edition of the “Moda Luanda” fashion show, which will bring together the best models in Angola. Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) – A conference on the first Senegalese President, Léopold Sédar Senghor, will be organised on 3 March at the Quai Branly Museum in Paris by his compatriot and the philosopher Souleymane Bachir Diagne. Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) – The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation will on 21 February celebrate International Mother Language Day aimed at raising awareness of the importance of cultural and linguistic diversity and multilingual education. Full text...

Bamako, Mali (PANA) - The album "Ali and Toumani" by Malian musicians Ali Farka Toure and Toumani Diabate, won the Grammy award for the best album in traditional music at the 53rd Grammy Awards ceremony held overnight Monday in Los Angeles, US, PANA learned Thursday from Malian musical sources. Full text...