Coopération par l’Éducation et la Culture (CEC) is a non-governmental organisation which actively supports development projects in the fields of culture, education and training in southern countries. But that’s not all – CEC is also a library specialised in African and Caribbean literature (looked after at the heart of l’Espace Césaire), educational animations, exhibitions, cultural activites…
Contrary to an idea which is too widely held in the North, culture, in the strict sense of creation and the wider sense of a way of life, is not a luxury but the basic foundations of identity and self-confidence, indispensable to mutual understanding. A better knowledge of the culture of the Other is therefore a necessary condition to all forms of dialogue. Taking into account the cultural dimension in all areas of development, in the North as well as the South, is a prerequisite in the fight against racism, eurocentrism, stereotypes and prejudices, whether that is those of Europeans regarding the countries and populations of the South, or vice-versa with the Africans towards Europe and Europeans.
To fight against the stereotypes and change widely held views on countries of the South, CEC offers:
• A bookshop specialised in African and Caribbean literature (Espace Césaire).
• The animation of a network of cultural figures from the North and the South.
• Meetings-debates with authors and cultural figures.
• Educational exhibitions where artists question our imaginations and our perceptions of the Other.
• Educational workshops denouncing the impact of prejudices in our relations with the Other.
• Publications.
