An ambitious international cooperation project between the Amazon, the Caribbean and Africa has recently taken shape, orchestrated by the University of Guyana.
C he aim of this collaboration is to encourage educational and scientific encounters, focusing on the dimensions of identity, language and heritage. Through exchanges and mobility between students, researchers and administrators, this initiative aims to strengthen cultural and academic links between three regions that are geographically distinct but united by common issues.
The project began with meetings between students and researchers from the universities of Guyana, Amapa (Brazil), Senegal and Benin, as well as from other regions of the Caribbean. Focusing on crucial issues such as identity, linguistics and heritage, these meetings laid the foundations for concerted action and paved the way for cross-border reflection.
Student, teacher and administrative mobility formed the dynamic core of the project. Participants plunged into an in-depth study of the Amazonian, Caribbean and African space, exploring a variety of themes such as Francophone literature, the performing arts, ecosystems, customary rights and intercultural dynamics. These exchanges have helped to broaden intellectual horizons and promote a culture of international relations and cooperation.
A seminar, organised from 06 to 10 November 2023, led to the presentation of a collective work entitled Littérature, décolonialité et transits entre la Guyane et le Suriname. This initiative was made possible thanks to the incoming mobility of Brazilian colleagues Natali COSTA from the Federal University of Amapa in Brazil and Juliana SANTINI from the Universidade Estuadual Paulista de Sao Paulo (UNESP), as part of the Inter-UG Brazil and Latin America grant. Two African colleagues, Charles Dossou LIGAN from Benin and Aminata AIDARA from Senegal, also took part in the seminar, thanks to an application for an 'Other Geographical Areas' grant.
This project is not limited to one-off exchanges, but paves the way for ongoing collaboration. These cross-fertilisations have paved the way for future projects. The exchanges on the drum between Africa and the Antilles-Guyane, orchestrated by a colleague from the Université des Antilles, Apollinaire ANAKESA KULULUKA, are already the precursors of future multidisciplinary cross-border projects.
The triangular cooperation between the Amazon, the Caribbean and Africa embodied in this project transcends geographical boundaries to create a space for learning and mutual understanding. By bringing together creative minds from different regions, this collaboration provides a platform to address common issues, celebrate diversity and build lasting bridges between continents.
