The Music in Africa Foundation (MIAF) has partnered with the Goethe-Institut to create a 4-million euro funding programme geared towards supporting Southern African creatives hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the next four years, eligible creative and cultural industry organisations in Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe will receive grants totaling €2 850 000 and a robust capacity building programme to the tune of €570 000 euros. At least 35 grants, ranging from €35 000 to €180 000 will be awarded between 2021 and 2024.
The fund aims to support multiple disciplines, including performing arts, animation, film, gaming, photography, videography and visual arts. “This is an incredibly crucial initiative that will make a huge difference across the creative industries in Southern Africa. We call on all eligible creatives to seize this opportunity and propose sustainable programmes that are aligned to the clear goals of this initiative,” says Eddie Hatitye, the Director of MIAF.
Co-funded by the Goethe-Institut, a cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany, the initiative will also help enhance access to new markets, develop visual literacy especially among underrepresented groups, promote advocacy aimed at protecting the interests of creators and support the existence of sustainable financing structures. The programme receives funding from the ACP-EU Culture programme, which was first implemented by the Secretariat of the ACP Group of States after being funded by the European Union (EU).
“The Goethe-Institut is proud to be a driving partner in this project, together with MIAF. The initiative hopes to reach progressive cultural and creative artists across nine countries in Southern Africa. The joint initiative is more relevant than ever in times when arts and culture are under duress,” explains Klaus Krischok, the Regional Director of the Goethe-Institut in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Krischok adds that the fund seeks to support projects and activities that’ll facilitate the rapid production and distribution of high-quality goods within and outside the SADC region, increase capacity among professionals and support rapid mobility and exchange among creatives. Music in Africa supports the creative sector through promoting knowledge exchange by hosting training programmes, artist mobility programmes, workshops, concerts, lobbying, conferences and other related initiatives.
The call for grant applications closes at midnight on Sunday, 25 July. The second and third calls for grant applications are scheduled for 2022. Successful applicants will be notified annually via the Music in Africa portal. Visit http://www.musicinafrica.net/scf for more information; alternatively, click here http://bit.ly/SCFApplyHere to apply. For more information on the Sound Connects Fund, visit http://www.musicinafrica.net/scf or send an email to scf@musicinafrica.net, or call 010 140 1317.