Redsea Cultural Foundation Network Partner

The Redsea Online Cultural Foundation, (RCF) is an organisation based in Somaliland[1] that aims to promote reading and creative writing in Somali-speaking society with a particular focus on youth. The organisation gives young people access to world culture by translating internationally renowned classical literature into the Somali language. It does this through the annual Hargeysa International Book Fair (HIBF) which was established in 2008 and has received support from the Prince Claus Fund on several occasions. This event is considered to be the main cultural event in Somaliland and one of the largest public celebrations of books in East Africa. In 2014, the fair takes place at Hargeysa Cultural Centre (HCC), a recently created space where RCF will host writing courses, theatrical productions, film screenings, lectures, recitals, exhibitions and craft fairs. The centre will serve as a platform for promoting inter-generational dialogue and enhances civic engagement. Somaliland Moving Libraries, a recent development of the Book Fair, brings removed communities who would otherwise not have access to art and literature to Hargeysa. The renowned poet and 2012 Prince Claus Laureate Maxamed Ibraahim Warsame (Hadraawi) is currently part of the Advisory board of the Foundation.

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[1] Somaliland is a self-declared independent state that is internationally recognised as an autonomous region of Somalia.

Film: Ayan Mahamoud on the Redsea Cultural Foundation