Villa Karo is a Finnish-African cultural centre and artist residence situated in the village of Grand-Popo, in Benin, West Africa. It’s purpose is to promote knowledge about Africa and African culture in Finland. 30 Finnish scholarship holders whom are artists, researchers and cultural workers of different sectors are admitted to Villa Karo annually for a period lasting from 5 weeks to 3 months working with and learning from local peers.
Since the center was found in 2000, more than 300 scholarship holders have worked in Villa Karo. The centre has also had more than one thousand visitors ranging from university student groups to Tarja Halonen, the president of Finland, totaling nearly 1 500 Finnish visitors in the small town of Grand-Popo since the year 2000.
Villa Karo also offers different kinds of cultural activities and services to the people of Grand-Popo: monthly concerts, Friday movie nights, a library, a small museum of African art and culture, English classes, art workshops and exhibitions by European and African artists. Please visit VK’s official website for additional information or contact us at akasianews@gmail.com in French, English or Finnish.
Or even better: take a trip to Grand-Popo and visit Villa Karo itself!
Source: Wikipedia
