Empower Congo's Youth, Help Build A Cultural Center

Byb Bibene organise cette cagnotte.

Don protégé

Hello wonderful friends and family,

I am Baudouin Mouanda, and I am raising $10,000 to help build a cultural center in my home country of the Republic of Congo.

I thank cultural and community organizer Byb Bibene for helping put this fundraiser together.

What will the money collected be used for?

The entire amount collected will be used to:

1. The construction of the workshop room, for an amount of $7,000

2. Carrying out artistic workshops focused on environmental issues for children attending schools in the Massissia district for one year, for an amount of $3,000. That's a total of $10,000.

Here is a little bit about me:

Baudouin is an exciting Congolese photographer who has been the recipient of prominent prizes throughout France and Congo-Brazzaville. Attracted by the play of light and perspective offered by photography, he uses the medium to compose works that provoke reflection. He captures real chronicles of life in the Congolese capital and seeks to offer a different face of Africa as his creative contribution, all the while remaining a privileged witness to its contemporary history. Mouanda ultimately mixes engaged themes with artistic sensitivity, resulting in a body of work full of thoughtfulness, tribute, and technical expertise.

Pitch Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbWqCjKe7U

Origin of the project

The project to create a cultural space was born from a personal initiative of Baudouin Mouanda, professional Congolese photographer. Indeed, in 2017, he started a project that is particularly close to his heart: creating the first photography school in Brazzaville. He created an association under Congolese law 1901, then bought land in Massissia, a peripheral district of Brazzaville.

Then, he starts the foundation work and the construction of a building on the purchased plot. Driven by a deep and powerful desire to share his art with residents of peripheral areas, he achieves all this solely with his personal funds, for more than 100,000 dollars. He managed to mobilize these funds thanks to numerous awards he won thanks to his photographic achievements, as well as the sale of his photographs.

Congo is a country with so much potential and a force of life that resides in its youth. However, this youth needs spaces to get educated and express itself. The youth get their ideas rarely supported, and places to build, dance, and create are the most scarce. To respond to this far cry and need of space, I have invested personal funds, over $100,000 already, to build Class Pro Culture.

Pitch Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbWqCjKe7U

Over the last 7 years, Mr. Mouanda has enjoyed growing success, which does not prevent him from spending time in Massissia, where he creates strong links with the neighborhood's residents and becomes aware of the environmental challenges ( waste management, preservation of fauna and flora, risks linked to flooding) to which its project is subject. Strengthened by this learning and eager to share his growing success with his compatriots, he decided to reorient his photo workshop project into a cultural space, capable of energizing the cultural life of a peripheral district of Brazzaville and raising awareness among the population about the necessary protection of the environment.

Please, contribute whatever amount to this fundraising. Every single dollar makes a huge difference.

Pitch Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbWqCjKe7U

Pro Class is empowered by the KIMIA project. The KIMIA project is part of a larger program to create a Class Pro Culture cultural space in the Massissia district, located on the outskirts of the city of Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo, which will house several services (performance hall, exhibition, photography laboratory, cultural and environmental activities, library).

The KIMIA project is part of this vast program, as being the first stone to lay. Its aim is to create artistic workshops with an environmental impact for children attending Massissia schools. These workshops will therefore be levers to develop the artistic spirit of children and their environmental awareness, in particular by reusing waste.

To achieve this, two results must be achieved:

1. Finalize the construction of the creative workshop room

2. Organize artistic activities with an environmental impact for children in the Massissia district of Brazzaville.

Please, take some time to watch our pitch YouTube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbWqCjKe7U) for more details about this life-changing project.

Much gratitude to you!

Baudouin