Panel 1 Le Forum Culturel x Africalia: Gender representations in arts and culture

Every second Saturday of the month, from March to September 2025, from 10am to 11.15am GMT, Africalia and Le Forum Culturel invite three actors from the cultural sector to explore current themes related to the development of the CCIs. The first session is entitled “Gender representations in arts and culture: Challenging the narratives” and will be held in English.

The panel will be broadcast online on Africalia's Facebook page and available to watch on Facebook and YouTube in replay. The audience will be able to ask the experts questions in real time.

More info on Africalia's collaboration with Le Forum Culturel: here.

The theme

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the first panel will spark reflection on how artists and cultural organisations can transform individual and collective perceptions of gender. Art and culture are powerful means to break stereotypes, highlight diverse voices, and create new narratives. The panelists will share their experiences, emphasising how they challenge existing narratives and foster new perspectives through their work.

The panelists

Harold George (Sierra Leone, based in Brussels) est a choreographer and Artistic Director of Dunia Dance Theatre. His piece « Making Men » explores the effects of male stereotypes on men as they interact in society.

Karima Grant (Senegal) is the founder and CEO of Imagination Afrika and Ker Imagination. As self-proclaimed « mompreneur », she reimagines Africa's education system through creativity and innovation.

Nathalie Vairac (France, based in Dakar, of Indian and Guadeloupean descent) is an actress and artistic director. She regularly performs on international stages, both in classical plays and in contemporary productions, and has already won several prestigious awards. Recently, she has developed artistic programs that explore the intergenerational and intercultural transmission of women's stories.

The moderator

Laura Ganza is a socio-cultural worker convinced of the transformative power of art and culture. As a Programme Manager at Africalia, she’s in charge of implementing the Belgian programme, focusing on decolonisation and inclusion in the cultural sector by promoting the qualitative representation of african and Afro-descendant arts and artists and arts in Belgium.