Marrakech Hosts FLAM 2024 Celebrating African Literature with Nobel Laureate Le ClézioSank Money Launches New Money Transfer Agency ‘Sank Suite’ in Ouagadougou

Marrakech, Morocco – The city of Marrakech is set to host the Marrakech African Book Festival (FLAM) in 2024, a significant cultural event created by Mahi Binebine, Fatimata Sagna, Hanane Essaydi, and Younès Ajarraï. Organized by the WE ART AFRICA//NS association, FLAM stands as a pioneering literary festival on the African continent.

According to Africa News Agency, FLAM aims to converge authors, thinkers, and intellectuals from Africa, its diasporas, and descendants. The festival’s agenda includes literary cafés, interviews, book signings, a bookstore, youth programs, educational activities, and outreach in universities and schools. The event’s evenings are filled with music, readings, storytelling, poetry, and cinema. Additionally, FLAM provides an exhibition platform for a visual artist.

The 2023 edition of FLAM was a success in terms of public engagement and media coverage. It featured forty writers and intellectuals from 25 countries, attracting over 8,000 participants and more than 30,000 live and streaming spectators. The festival garnered substantial media attention, with over 40 journalists, around twenty radio and TV programs, and a press review exceeding 300 pages.

From 2024, the festival will be presided over by Nobel Prize for Literature laureate Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio as its honorary President. Le Clézio, with his African heritage, enriches FLAM, emphasizing the festival’s significance in Marrakech and its connection to African identity, referred to as a ‘spirit of oasis’.

Malian artist Abdoulaye Konaté, a prominent figure in African visual arts, will illustrate the FLAM 2024 poster. His work, which blends tapestry, tailoring, painting, and sculpture, symbolizes a fusion of socio-political engagement and aesthetic beauty.

A notable innovation for FLAM 2024 is the introduction of the Giant Dictation, a global first. This initiative involves writing workshops with school participants to select a text for dictation, fostering a connection through writing. Open to all and multilingual (Arabic, French, English), this activity celebrates Morocco’s and the continent’s plurilingualism and multiculturalism. Registrations for this event will be available soon on the FLAM website.

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso – Sank Money, a prominent money transfer company, marked a significant expansion with the inauguration of a new agency named ‘Sank Suite’ in Ouagadougou this Saturday, January 20, 2024. This development represents a notable milestone for the company, establishing its first such facility in the city.

According to Burkina Information Agency, the General Director of Sank Money, ‘Sank Suite’ is a state-of-the-art, secure facility offering the full range of services provided by Sank Money, including deposit and money transfer operations. The opening ceremony of this agency signifies a call to action for potential dealers and agents, indicating that they can now apply to establish a ‘Sank Suite’ agency.

Zougmoré outlined the prerequisites for obtaining a ‘Sank Suite’ agency, emphasizing the need for dealers and agents to be proficient in money transfer techniques, possess a trade register, an IFU number, and maintain good moral standing. He highlighted that a dedicated Sank Money team is responsible for overseeing the application process and assessing the proposed locations for new agencies.

The company has ambitious plans to launch a first wave of 200 ‘Sank Suite’ agencies across Burkina Faso, including in areas facing security challenges. The manager of the new Ouagadougou agency, Ablassé Compaoré, who is also the President of the Association of Promoters of Credit Sales and Money Transfer Agencies (APACTA), expressed his gratitude to Mogho Naaba Baongho and others who contributed to the establishment of this infrastructure. Compaoré encouraged dealers and agents to engage with and receive support from Sank Money for their operations. He also mentioned that the new agency currently employs nine individuals, with plans to expand the workforce.

Compaoré acknowledged the guidance of the President of Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who advocates for supporting youth employment in Burkina Faso. Additionally, the president of the Muslim community and the ceremony’s sponsor, Abdourahamane Sana, called for concerted efforts to develop the country, emphasizing the importance of honesty and sincerity in all endeavors.

Since September 2023, Sank Money has been gaining momentum in its operations, specializing in transfer, deposit, purchase, and payment services, with the goal of expanding its reach throughout the national territory.