The Cultural Center for African Art and Cultures ANASA is a Non-Profit and Non-Governmental Organization that works to eliminate racism, exclusion and discrimination, to promote multiculturalism and intercultural dialogue between peoples, and to empower and integrate, through art and culture, young people of African descent who were either born in Greece or came as immigrants or refugees.
The word “anasa” in Swahili means “joy of life”, and this joy of life is offered by the Cultural Center ANASA by promoting African arts (music, dance, singing, literature, storytelling, theater, painting and gastronomy) and implementing educational programs and solidarity actions.
The ANASA Cultural Center began its operation in 2006 and acquired legal form as a Civil Non-Profit Company in 2012 with headquarters in Athens, Greece.
Indicative Activities:
2011 -2013
Creation of an intercultural street theater group ¨Morpheus¨ with Greeks and young people of the Greek Afro-diaspora within the framework of the “Intercultural Activities” highlighting the problems of everyday life and bureaucracy that Black immigrants living in Greece encounter daily.
2013-2014
The cultural center of African art ANASA, in collaboration with the Christian community HPM, organized a one-day festival of Gospel music with the participation of 25 musical groups from 25 churches of African communities. The musical groups are composed of young Africans born in Greece with African descent, as well as legal African immigrants.
2015-2016
The ANASA Cultural Center, the Heinrich Böll Foundation of Greece in collaboration with the Technopolis of the Municipality of Athens and the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub of the Technopolis of the Municipality of Athens – INNOVATHENS, organize the 1st Multicultural Festival “I HAVE A DREAM: UNITED SECOND GENERATION” on Monday, June 1, 2015 at Technopolis. Aiming to create a unifying platform for the second generation, which will strengthen and unite equally the organizations & groups of both young and older immigrants, as well as relevant human rights and solidarity organizations, training with workshops on the social economy and the promotion of cultural collections that empower young people of the second generation through art as well as new musical artists.
Participation in the Public Consultation on the Greek Citizenship Code.
Amendment of the citizenship code that largely satisfies a long-standing request for the children of immigrants to have access to citizenship, justifying the struggles for equal political rights and denouncing racism and the categorization as second-class citizens.
Intercultural Pedagogical Program for the Elimination of Discrimination, Racism and Xenophobia “A CARAVAN WITHOUT BORDERS”
This is a cultural program of a pedagogical, experiential and interactive nature based on the educational program of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees “Peace” – The Story of a Refugee Child for Primary Education. The project is funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway within the framework of the “We Are All Citizens” Program, which is part of the overall EEA Grants Mechanism for Greece, known as EEA Grants, with the Bodossakis Foundation as the Program Grant Administrator. The duration of the project is six months, from September 2015 to February 2016, and will be implemented in the following areas: Attica, Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Kos, Rhodes and Evros.
2021-2023
SOCIAL CIRCUS ATHENS
This is an intercultural initiative based on circus techniques and art that aims to communicate and connect locals and refugees in the areas of Kerameikos and Metaxourgeio, but also more broadly. The action is implemented within the framework of co-Athens and is a product of collaboration between the Anasa Cultural Center and refugees participating in the European integration pilot program of the Municipality of Athens Curing The Limbo.
BLACK THOUGHT RADIO
Podcast series that presents aspects of the philosophy, culture, visions and demands of the Black diaspora. You can listen to the shows at the following link: https://movement.radio/show/Black-Thought-03012021
2022 «EQUAL_GEN
Diotima Centre, Emantes – International Lgbtqia+ Solidarity and Anasa Cultural Center join forces in the new project «EQUAL_GEN: Young people for gender equality», which includes various training, empowerment, awareness-raising and art activities for young people.
2nd Festival “I HAVE A DREAM: UNITED SECOND GENERATION”, in Kypseli on 5 – May 2023.
The Anasa Cultural Center, within the framework of Black History Month in Greece and with the support of the research program Decolonising the City, organizes
