Mozambique: Chapo vows to appoint a Secretary of State for Arts and Culture
Mozambique: Echoes of a Youth Forum on Sustainable Fashion, Cultural and Creative Industries
8:52 CAT | 16 Apr 2025
Photo: Ambassade de France au Mozambique
- Closing of the 3rd Edition of the Youth Forum: Focus on Sustainable Fashion and Cultural and Creative Industries in Mozambique
The French Ambassador to Mozambique Yann Pradeau, had the honour of announcing the closing of the third edition of the Youth Forum, a highly relevant initiative whose purpose is to promote and support the immense creative and entrepreneurial potential of Mozambican youth. Launched in 2021, the Forum has established itself as an essential space for inspiration and reflection, with the aim of shaping a prosperous future for Mozambique, addressing topics of undeniable social and economic importance.
In this edition, the Youth Forum focused on the cultural and creative industries, with special attention to sustainable fashion, a sector that stands out for its relevance in the economic, social and cultural development of Mozambique and, simultaneously, in the global context.
Sustainable fashion emerges as a field where innovation, creativity and responsibility converge, essential aspects to face the challenges of sustainable development that the world faces.
After previous editions that focused on high-impact themes such as agriculture (Quelimane, 2021) and the social and solidarity economy (Beira, 2022), this Youth Forum highlighted the growing importance of the cultural and creative industries, highlighting, in particular, sustainable fashion. This choice reflects the growing influence of this sector in creating new professional opportunities and strengthening social cohesion, while also driving wealth generation in Mozambique.
Launched in September 2024, the Forum had the registration of more than 100 young designers from different regions of the country, aged between 18 and 30, who entered the sustainable fashion competition. These young people presented innovative ideas and projects, highlighting the vast creative potential of Mozambican youth, whose proposals are a true source of inspiration and represent concrete opportunities for the future of the country.
Talent and Innovation Competition: Diversity and Quality
Throughout the various phases of the competition, the participants demonstrated remarkable diversity and quality, by combining creativity, entrepreneurship and sustainability in their projects.
Each of the competitors, with their work, revealed the immense potential of Mozambican youth in the cultural and creative industries sector.
The energy, determination and ambition demonstrated were sources of inspiration for everyone involved in the process. We would like to highlight the diligent work of the jury members and facilitators, whose commitment was essential to the excellence of the selection process, which included 35 hours of training between the semi-finals and the final.
Awards and Opportunities for Growth
The two most outstanding projects, presented by Lino Neves and Yona do Rosario, were awarded 125,000 meticais each, in addition to a professional stay in France, scheduled for May 2025, and intensive training in the same year.
More than the awards themselves, the Forum provided participants with an enriching experience, broadening their horizons of knowledge and offering a network of contacts that is essential for their growth and success in the creative industries and sustainable fashion.
Strategic Partnerships and Support for Project Development
We would like to express our deepest gratitude to our esteemed partners, whose collaboration was fundamental to the success of this edition of the Forum: Mozambique Fashion Week (MFW), National Institute of Cultural and Creative Industries (INICC), Karingana Textiles, Woogui and IdeaLab. The support of these partners made it possible to provide young creators with the necessary resources to enhance their projects and carry out their initiatives successfully.
About the Youth Forum
The Youth Forum is not a simple competition, but a long-term initiative. The French Embassy in Mozambique reaffirms its commitment to continue supporting Mozambican youth in realizing their aspirations and building a future where culture and creativity play a central role.
We invite everyone to stay connected and follow the upcoming initiatives and projects that we will promote in partnership with all those involved.
Source: Ambassade de France au Mozambique et en Eswatini / Press Release
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