CKU cooperates with Danish Embassies and representing offices in developing countries to implement the Danish strategy for culture and development.
Since 2005 CKU has been working strategically with culture and arts as part of the Danish development cooperation. Since the first cultural programme was established in Vietnam in 2005, CKU has been expanding the programme portfolio and has to date been working with 11 bilateral culture and development programmes and two regional programmes in the Middle East and Africa. Through the bilateral programmes, CKU is working in the following countries: Bolivia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, Palestine, Afghanistan, Nepal and Vietnam.
The overarching aim of the cultural programmes is to give support to the local cultural environment in the country with the purpose of improving local platforms for diverse artistic expressions and capacity building and training. This is mostly often done through partnership projects that involve Danish cultural institutions and arts practitioners who provide technical support and capacity building to their local counter parts in the recipient country.
The long term culture programmes administered by CKU aim at integrating and promoting art and culture in Danish cooperation programmes.
The culture strategies or culture programmes of each individual country are described in the menu to the left side where they can be downloaded in full.
Regional programmes
CKU supports a regional programme in Africa entitled Cultural Industries. It is not possible to apply for project funding, as the project is aimed solely at partners in the South. The culture programme is described under Development.
CKU also has a regional programme in the Middle East with Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco and Egypt. Read more on the programme website, where there is also information about how to apply for project funding.
Application for project funds
It is only possible to apply for culture cooperation projects by prior agreement with CKU’s Culture and Development programme managers. Application form can be found here.
For Vietnam, support is sought through the Cultural Development and Exchange Fund (CDEF). Regulations and application form are available on the embassy homepage.