By Khalifa Hemed
Published November 19, 2019
British Council, Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development and Culture Development East Africa (CDEA) are set to introduce their new travel support programme for stakeholders ‘interested in working across sub-Saharan Africa’.
Inviting players in the creative sector to join them in an online meeting dubbed East Africa Arts Mobility Grant Webinar at 3.30 PM East African Time on November 19 and 20, 2019, the organisers say “The Mobility Grant supports mobility for East African artists and facilitates meaningful connections to nurture, inspire and/or catalyse your work,” British Council says in its invitation to players in the arts and lifestyle sector. “Join the East Africa Arts and the Prince Clause Team to learn more about the Grant and the application process.”
RELATED: Nairobi Examines Alternative Beauty Concept as Cape Town Hosts Africa Festival Summit
While the Mobility Fund created in partnership with the Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development, targets practitioners in Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, British Council says the in_Motion grant that is managed by CDEA supports travel between Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Sudan and South Sudan.
British Council, that is touted as being Britain’s ‘international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, says the 60-minute webinar, besides discussing the application process and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) it shall also give practitioners the opportunity to pose their own questions.
Taking place in Cape Town, South Africa, November 18 – 24, 2019 is a public arts festival known as Infecting the City (ITC).
RELATED: Africa’s Premier Critical Arts Medium Marks 17th Year
“From puppetry in the Company’s Garden to hip hop at Hiddingh campus, Infecting the City’s Opening Programme on Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 November promises a perfect lead-in to a week of public art engagement,” the organisers say. “The Infecting the City public arts festival will host the South African première of Boom Zonder Wortels, a dance performance and personal exploration of Ghanaian-born performer, dancer and choreographer Henry O’Tawiah as part of its Opening Programme (Programme 1) next week. A quest for his truth, story and inner strength, the work premièred at the Afro_Vibes Festival in Amsterdam earlier this year. It will be performed in the Arena Theatre, UCT Hiddingh Campus at 8.45pm on Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 November.”
RELATED: Organising Cultural Events and Festivals in East Africa No Easy Task
Running concurrently with Boom Zonder Wortels, on both nights, the organisers say, is Ta. — a live art, documentary-style, pop culture performance that is driven by beats of interruption, dislocation and the vernacular. Ta. is performed by theatre maker, cultural studies scholar, multimedia enthusiast and co-founder of the Noise Inside Collective, Mlondiwethu Dubazane, in collaboration with dramaturg Chiminae Ball.
All Eyes On, a performance by Italian-born Teresa Vittucci in which sheexplores the borders of those publicly private or privately public spaces we call ‘home’ and ‘internet’ by bringing them both into a third space, theatre, is also on the menu.
As a performer on stage, a camgirl online and a host in both spaces, Teresa Vittucci’s audience becomes a witness to the fragile moments in which she encounters strangers online. This production probes questions of power, subjectification and desire while negotiating a changing set of variables in a chatroom. All Eyes On carries a strict age restriction of 18.
As with all ITC events, these performances are presented free of charge and on a first come first serve basis.
RELATED: New Song Calls for Support for Local Music
Coming on November 26 – 30, 2019 at Ndere Cultural Centre and Uganda Museum in the Ugandan capital is the 6th annual Kampala International Theatre Festival (KITF).
The organisers of KITF, Bayimba Foundation and Tebere Arts Foundation,say the “festival brings together renowned playwrights, directors and celebrated actors, costumes and stage designers from all over the world. This year’s edition invites productions and workshop readings from Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Palestine, Germany, and the United Kingdom.”
Tickets cost USh70,000 per adult and USh50,000 per students (full festival passes) and USh20,000 per adult and USh10,000 per student (Daily passes).
RELATED: Annual Contest for African Poets Invites Submissions
