The British Council is aiming to increase connections between the UK creative sectors and young creative professionals in Sub-Saharan Africa. As well as building connections, we aim to expand knowledge of contemporary African art in the UK.
With this in mind, we are seeking expressions of interest from UK based arts organisations, curators or programmers working in any of the following art forms – Visual Arts, Literature, Music, Theatre, Dance, Architecture, Design, Fashion and Film – to travel to Sub-Saharan Africa to connect with the local contemporary art sectors, and undertake their own professional research to be shared with a wider UK sector in their chosen field. The trips should take place between April 2019 and March 2020.
Research may take the form of meeting with potential artists and partners; finding out more about your chosen art form’s ecosystem in a country or countries; gaining an understanding of art trends in Sub-Saharan Africa; meeting arts organisations and/or attending events and festivals with a view to programming or curating work in the UK.
Aims of the programme
This opportunity aims to:
facilitate the UK creative sector’s ambitions to connect with young, African creatives and art professionals who are 18 to 35-year-olds;
increase opportunities for UK arts organisations and individuals to visit African cities and gain further insight into the chosen local art sector;
encourage and support the development of networks that connect the UK and Sub-Saharan African arts sectors for the long term;
widen the opportunities for art professionals in Sub-Saharan Africa to connect with UK arts organisations and arts professionals.
Countries covered
The countries covered under the programme (in which the British Council operates) are: Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The grants
The British Council will award up to nine grants of £2,500 (each) to proposals to undertake research of your chosen artistic sector & travel in the Sub-Saharan Region between April 2019 and March 2020. We will be considering a geographical spread across the continent when assessing applications.
Previous research trips
Andrew Kelly, Director of the Bristol Cultural Development Partnership, received a research grant to travel to the Ake Festival in Nigeria in October 2018. You can read a blog about his experience here.
How to apply
If you are interested in applying, please download and read the full open call here, which includes details of eligibility criteria and how to apply. The application deadline is 18:00 (GMT) on 8 March 2019.
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