Led from Martinique by ZOFI, the Labo des Histoires and the Station Culturelle and supported by the CORÉOM program, the «An Ba Lanmè» project mobilizes artistic creation as a lever for regional cooperation and solidarity between Martinique, Dominica and Saint Lucia, by promoting the cultural heritage and shared knowledge of the Caribbean.
In the Caribbean, regional cooperation is often built at the local level, through working together, meetings, and shared experiences. It is in this spirit that [the project] was conceived. An Ba Lanmè – What binds us, a regional cultural cooperation project led by the association ZOFI, in partnership with The Story Lab – Martinique And The Cultural Station, and supported by the program COREOOM.
Deployed between the Martinique, Dominica and Saint Lucia, The project is part of a clear objective: to make the artistic creation a lever for cooperation, solidarity and structuring of cultural actors on a Caribbean scale, while promoting a shared intangible cultural heritage.
A creative residency as a territorial anchor point
A key moment in the project was held from November 7th to 14th, on the occasion of a creative residency in Saint Lucia. This field immersion brought together artists and cultural professionals from the three partner territories for a collaborative project focused on the sea as a common space, at once a link, a memory and a shared horizon of Caribbean societies.
This residency was not conceived as a simple period of artistic production, but as a space for collective experimentation, blending creation, transmission and exchange of practices. The artists worked together, combined their approaches and shared their know-how, while opening up to local communities through workshops and feedback sessions intended for school groups and residents.
The field mission thus made it possible to concretely materialize the objectives of the project: to create favorable conditions for meeting, cooperation between peers and the emergence of sustainable solidarities between territories.
Photo credit: Nicolas Derné, An ba lanmè project
Strengthening the capacities and structuring the career paths of cultural actors
Beyond the residence, An Ba Lanmè addresses a structural challenge identified in the region: the lack of training, professional development and networking opportunities for Caribbean artists and cultural actors, especially the younger ones.
The project therefore aims to strengthen capacities artists and cultural organizations, supporting them in developing their skills, structuring their career paths, and integrating into regional dynamics. Cooperation here becomes a mutual learning tool, where each territory brings its own practices, references and experiences.
By fostering the creation of lasting connections between artists, An Ba Lanmè contributes to laying the foundations of a regional network of cultural cooperation, capable of enduring beyond the periods of residence and of projecting itself into future joint projects.
Culture as a living heritage and a vehicle for solidarity
At the heart of the approach, the promotion of intangible Caribbean cultural heritage occupies a central place. The creations resulting from the residency explore the stories, languages, memories and knowledge related to the sea, considered as a common good that connects the islands beyond administrative borders.
Culture thus becomes a vector of solidarity, This is a way to strengthen dialogue between generations, to recognize shared heritages, and to foster a collective voice at the regional level. As the project coordinator emphasizes, the aim is to make transmission an act of cooperation, and creation a space for connection.
«"Passing on heritage means making culture a living link between the islands, a bridge between generations."»
Eline Gourgues – The Cultural Station
A project embedded in sustainable regional cooperation
Supported by the program COREOOM, An Ba Lanmè This project is part of a structured regional cooperation dynamic, based on reciprocity, networking, and local integration. The project will unfold over a period of 12 months, with an overall budget of 165 600 €, of which €120,000 funded by CORÉOM, illustrating the importance given to culture as a lever for solidarity and regional development.
By combining fieldwork, capacity building, and the structuring of partnerships, An Ba Lanmè shows how overseas cultural actors are able to design and carry out regional cooperation projects from their territories, making artistic creation a shared space for engagement, solidarity and transformation.