Activities in 1998 - 2004
1998
* September: Finnish author Juha Vakkuri finds a suitable location for a Finnish-African cultural centre in Grand-Popo
1999
* March: Les Amis de la Villa Karo registered as NGO in Finland; its task is to administer the future cultural centre
* May: Lease Agreement signed with the community of Grand-Popo
* July: Fund-raising starts in Finland
* July: Renovation work of the Main Building starts in Grand-Popo
2000
* January - May: Finnish artist organisations and Universities become members of Les Amis
* February: First issue of The Newsletter of Les Amis de la Villa Karo comes out
* May: The Main Building of Villa Karo inaugurated (The Government of Benin represented by Mr Eric F Totah; Grand-Popo represented by Mr Alain Bogler, Les Amis de la Villa Karo represented by Chairman Juha Vakkuri)
* September - December: first 15 Finnish scholarship-holders (artists and cultural scholars) work at Villa Karo
* September: A group of 15 Finnish sponsors arrive at Grand-Popo
* September: First edition of guide-book 'ABC Book of Villa Karo' comes out
* November: Opening Party of the International Seminar on the Protection of Sea-Turtles held at Villa Karo
* December: House Built of Dreams, One-hour TV-documentary about Villa Karo and Benin by Matti-Juhani Karila shown on MTV3-channel in Finland
2001
* January-May: second group of 15 Finnish scholarship-holders (artists and scholars) work at Villa Karo
* February: Monthly concerts (free of charge) started at Villa Karo
* February: Sculpture competition for African artists
* February: 16 architect-students from the Helsinki University of Technology work with their professors at Grand-Popo
* April: Training-course for African carpenters is started in Grand-Popo
* April: Film-shows (free of charge) for the people of Grand-Popo started at Villa Karo
* April: Renovation work of the second building (Le Petit muse de la Villa Karo) is started
* M Alain Bogler, Sous-préfet of Grand-Popo visits Finland at the invitation of Les Amis
* July: large (100 square-meters) mosaic-work by Finnish Artist Tapani Mikkonen on the terrace of Villa Karo is completed
* September: Third group of 15 Finnish scholarship-holders work at Villa Karo
* September: The sculpture Togetherness by Finnish sculptor Pertti Kukkonen unveiled in the garden of Villa Karo
* September: Book about Benin and Grand-Popo called This Meeting by Vivi- Ann Sjögren comes out in Finland
* November: Le petit musée de la Villa Karo is inaugurated
2002
* January-May: Fourth group of 15 Finnish scholarship-holders work at Villa Karo
* January: Finnish-African writers meeting is arranged at Villa Karo
* February: Miia Haavisto's documentary film Man called Tuesday about a 68- year-old voodoo priest Akpaka in Grand-Popo was shown on a Finnish film- festival and thereafter on many international film festivals.
* February: Second group of architecture students works in Grand-Popo
* April: Les amis de la Villa Karo invites 3 African writers (Ama Ata Aidoo, Achmat Dangor, Yvonne Vera) to Finland
* April: Finland-Benin Friendship Society was established by former Villa Karo scholarship-holders
* April: Afternoon, a drama written in Grand-Popo by Susann Ringell was staged in Helsinki
* May: Eira Stenberg's poetry-book featuring Benin and Grand-Popo was published
* September-December: Fifth group of 15 Finnish scholarship-holders work at Villa Karo
* September: First rowing competition organised for the fishing community of Grand-Popo
* October: A group of 10 students of photography visits Grand-Popo with their professor
* November: Beninese sculptor Gerard Quenum invited to work and exhibit in Finland
* Benin's national television's New Year Programme is produced and aired from Villa Karo
2003
* January-May: Sixth group of 15 Finnish scholarship-holders work at Villa Karo
* January-May: composer Herman Rechberger wrote and compiled the first ever grammar-book and dictionary of the Mina language
* February: Brass-band of Villa Karo is started by a Finnish music teacher
* February: Third group of architecture students works at Grand-Popo
* February: Mami Wata Exhibition in Helsinki organised by 2 scholars of Villa Karo
* March: Everything Unfinished - Everything Well, a book of poetry about Benin by Juha Vakkuri was published
* March: Years on Water, by Anni Sumari, featuring poems about Benin was published
* April: Art Exhibition Benin Passion Vol I and II by painter Alvar Gullichsen who worked at Villa Karo
* April: Construction work of the Conference Centre at Villa Karo started
* April: Record audience (some 3 000 people) at the monthly concert at Villa Karo
* July-August: Alfa Kaza & Africa Biya Band from Grand-Popo were on tour in Finland
* August: M Eugène Kpade, Mayor of Grand-Popo visits Finland at the invitation of Les Amis
* September- December: Seventh group of 15 Finnish scholarship-holders work at Villa Karo
* September: The Brass-band of Villa Karo performed for the first time in front of audience
* October: Finnish School Norsen donates 4 pirogues for school-transport of the Hakoe school in Grand-Popo
* October: Dancer-choreographer Dorou-Dilayth and drummer-singer Akim Color visited Finland at the invitation of Villa Karo
* November: Art Exhibition 'Same Sea - Same Passion' at the Kerava Art- Museum in Finland presenting works by 8 Beninese artists
* November: Delegation from the Hämeenlinna School of Art visited Grand- Popo
* November: Conference Centre Lissa Gbassa inaugurated at Villa Karo
* December: TV-documentary Africa as A Passion by Matti-Juhani Karila aired on MTV3
* POPO-infos, the first ever local magazine was published in Grand-Popo by Heli Suominen and a group of school-children
2004
* January: Group of cultural history students from Turku University visits Grand-Popo
* January-May: several local, national and international seminar and meetings were held at Villa Karo's conference centre Lissa Gbassa.
* February: Fourth group of architecture students visits Grand-Popo
* February: The Helsinki office of Villa Karo moves to the new premises
* March: Photographer Tuula Heinilä has in Turku an exhibition of her photos of Benin and Togo
* March: a group of religion scientists from Åbo Akademi visits Grand-Popo
* April: Rehabilitation work of the Jardin des arts et de la nature is started in Grand-Popo
* June: Hako Hankson and Ignace Sidi Kameni, 2 artists from Cameroon are awarded scholarship for working and exhibiting their works in Grand-Popo
* September: My African Diary, a travel-book about Benin by Mika Terho published in Finland
* September: a sculpture called Katiska by Merja Ranki and Marja Junnikkala unveiled in the garden of Villa Karo
* September: Tropic of Joy and Pain, An Anthology of African short-stories, ed. by Lauri Otonkoski is published
* October: Sculpture exhibition by Pertti Kukkonen
* Finnish school Norsen donates 200 school-shirts for the pupils of the school in Hakoe
* Group of other Finnish schools donates school-materials (exercise-books, pens, indian-rubbers etc) to other local schools in Grand-Popo
* November: Ms Tanja Karpela, Minister of Culture of Finland inaugurates the children's play-ground that is the first phase of the Jardin des arts et de la nature.
2005
* January: The Finnish Assocation of Non-Fiction Writers join Villa Karo
* January - December: 30 scholars and artists from Finland shall work at Grand-Popo
* Janury: Work of Jardin des arts et de la nature continued
* February: Multinational group of architecture students worked at Villa Karo
* Course on Cultural heritage for 150 school-children begins at Villa Karo's Conference Centre
* April-May: Workshop of 5 Finnish artists at Villa Karo
* April: Water Colour and Textile Art exhibition by Tini Sauvo in Helsinki
* January - December: 52 film-shows
* January - December: 12 concerts
* 14 May: Jubilee Concert for Villa Karo's 5th Anniversary
* May: Photo exhibition at Villa Karo by Stefan Bremer
* May: Children's Day of Culture in Grand-Popo
* May: African Artisans' Market at Villa Karo
* July: Les Amis de la Villa Karo registered as a non-governmental organisation in Benin
* August: Art-exhibition 5 years - 5 artists at Galleria G in Helsinki
* August: Art-exhibition Afrikan Kosketuksia / Touches of Africa by Aino-Kaarina Pajari and Kapa in Jyväskylä
* Photo exhibition Africa - There and back by Stefan Bremer in Helsinki
* September: Sponsors visit Villa Karo
* September: Finnish school-children donate money for the renovation of the library roof of College of Grand-Popo
* November: Delegates from Radio and TV Journalists' Union of Finland visit Villa Karo
* November: Professors of Finnish Art Universities visit Villa Karo
* Grammar and Dictionary of Mina language by Herman Rechberger published and distributed to the School in Benin and Togo
* January - December: Several local, national, and international meetings and seminars at Villa Karo's Conference Centre
Summary:
* Villa Karo has published seven revised and expanded editions of its guide-book of Benin
* Villa Karo has got 11 different artists' organisations and 5 arts universities interested to work and study in Benin
* in 2000-2005 some 650 cultural personalities from Finland have visited Benin because of Villa Karo
* in the library of Villa Karo there are some 1000 books about Africa in Finnish, Swedish, English and French
* some 10 student-groups with professors have visited Benin
* some 300 films have been shown free of charge at Villa Karo
* some 40 concerts have been given at Villa Karo free of charge
* several books about Benin - fiction, non-fiction and poetry - have been published in Finland
* several art-exhibitions have been organized by Villa Karo's artists both in Grand-Popo and in Finland
* Villa Karo has awarded four cultural prizes Bronze Panthers to Finnish individuals for their work against racism and for promotion of co-operation between different cultures
* some 200 articles about Benin have been published in Finnish newspapers
* some 10 TV-programmes about Villa Karo and Benin on Finnish TV-channels
* Villa Karo has employed some 30 construction workers in 3 years
* in its permanent personnel Villa Karo has currently 15 people
* Villa Karo has made a financial injection of some 500 million CFA to the economies of Grand-Popo and Mono province during its existence