PANAF is seeking writers from The Gambia, Zambia, and Kenya to focus on the following topics:
The Emerging Generation of Socially Conscious Artists: Profiling leading socially conscious artists
Economic Empowerment through Art: Highlight initiatives and artists who are using their creativity to generate income, support local economies, and empower marginalised communities
A talk show hosted by John Sibi Okumu where renowned business personalities, artists and public funders from government and donor world, had an interactive discussion on the opportunities and challenges encountered by investors and creators in the arts and culture field, in attempting "to do business together". For the talk show, business moguls and well known industrialists such as Manu Chandaria and Pete Ondeng engaged with comedians - Churchill and Nyambane; great musicians - Joseph Kamaru, Nameless; and public funders - the Director of Culture in the Ministry of Heritage and Culture and the Swedish Institute, in lively debate, in front of a live audience.
The talk show was followed by a two-day workshop where selected private and public investors and people in the creative industry engage, in-depth exploration to identify practical common tools and strategies between them, for mutual business benefit. A first in the country, the Economy of Creativity initiative was extremely well received; the next steps of the same programme are being plotted :- to hold a separate workshop for the Kenyan business & investment sector; to introduce them to the idea of bridging business and creators and to learn from them where they see the gaps are in forging this relationship and possible solutions; and to continue to develop materials and tools to help ready artists to engage more knowledgeably with the economy.
The Money and Meaning workshop provided 15 participants with tools, techniques and structured reflection that would assist creative individuals in developing their ideas, projects and businesses. The facilitators for this were from N�tverkstan in Sweden, who shared the tools based on experiences made at the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts' Creative Pioneer Programme in the UK. The participants who attended this workshop were mainly visual artists from The GoDown arts studios as well as independent contemporary dancers and writers.
From: http://www.thegodownartscentre.com/recent-progs/e-creativity.html
I work carefully and imperceptibly below the surface when it comes to freedom of artistic expression. Deep down I stand by those who want to break it but remind them of realities above the surface. At the same time, the water becomes shallower. This is my duty as a producer.
(Faisal Kiwewa, Bayimba, Uganda.)
Poster A3 for uploading
Poster A3 for uploading
The short version
Mimetas vision is to give GIVE PEOPLE THEIR RIGHT TO FREE CREATIVE EXPRESSIONS, created on free terms and presented by independent institutions.
Our mission is to support and protect those who want to enhance a culture by aesthetic or intellectual means.
By both our vision and mission Mimeta highlight the impact arts have on developing open societies, including the culture itself and the political spfere.
On the strategic level Mimeta is acheiving results by supporting organisations and individuals who work on behalf of the arts, to improve the sectors´ position on rights issues, in political and legal matters, on professionalism and skills, the distribution of the arts and - in the end - the sustainability of the sector.
We call them the service providers to the arts.
For more information on our priorities and strategic initiatives
Nadia Cherif was given the task of evaluating Mimeta's program for cultural sector development (2020-22. It was finalized in november 2023, and gave good input for next stage. Read here
