Creative Civil Society’s National Plan of Action on Arts and Culture
Members of the creative civil society of Zimbabwe are making serious efforts to be actively involved in the implementation of Zimbabwe’s cultural policy adopted in 2007. In that regard, Nhimbe Trust, with technical support from Arterial Network, and funding from MIMETA and the British Council initiated a project called The Creative Civil Society’s National Plan of Action for Arts & Culture (NPAAC) for Zimbabwe. The NPAAC is based on the belief that for the creative sector to work effectively there needs to be results based Roadmap to provide direction and regulation. It seeks to complement Government efforts to implement the Cultural Policy; and UNESCO Conventions that Zimbabwe ratified.
New projects and partners
Abarra
Mimeta/ Norwegian MFA support a program aimed at independent cultural sector during the transitional period in Arab countries. Start up support, incubation, training, legal aid, financial management and fundraising assistance, incubation, and networking and exchange opportunities. In addition, a research, advocacy and publications component is essential in order to position cultural sector actors to advocate for the role of culture in building new social and political structures. http://mawred.org/en/services/abbara-program
ARTwatch
Arterial Network has established a project that monitors the practice and constraints on freedom of creative expression in all African countries, including the various forms of censorship that prevail in each country. While other barometers exist to measure freedom of the media, there is no measure of freedom of creative expression. Their effort is supported by Mimeta/ Norwegian MFA funds. http://www.arterialnetwork.org/
East African Tour Circuit
A growing cluster of arts and music festivals in the East African region has prompted a call for an artist’s touring circuit. Festival directors from Sawa Sawa and Sauti za Busara, as well as organizers from 15 arts organizations in the region, sat down in a hotel in Kampala looking for a way to practically cooperate. They did - and the East African Performing Art Circuit will be their body. A process supported by Mimeta.
http://www.bayimba.org/2840/2011-festival-newsletter-edition-3/
CAB
Mimeta has signed an agreement with Colombo Art Biennale (CAB), Sri Lanka. CAB is an organisation whose main focus is to bring attention to Sri Lankan art within the regional and international art community and to allow Sri Lanka, a country ravaged by 26 year armed conflict to rebuild itself. Sri Lanka is a place where art can be used as a powerful platform for forging meaningful cultural / art collaborations within the country as well as internationally. A major focus of CAB is to bring attention to Sri Lankan contemporary artists and their work that thematically has an intense engagement with the Sri Lanka socio-political and cultural landscape. By doing that CAB hopes to connect their art to a larger discourse of international audience where their art expressions get equal value within the global art community.
Ishyo Arts Centre
ISHYO Arts Centre in Rwanda promotes art and culture within the scope of national competence. One of its main priorities is to develop and support innovative programs, trainings, artists and projects on a national, regional and international level. To achieve this, ISHYO invests in projects which develop new methods of fostering cultural heritage and tap into the cultural and artistic potential of knowledge required for addressing social issues. ISHYO also focuses on cultural exchange, networking and cross-border cooperation by initiating projects of its own and by supporting project proposals in all areas of the arts with no stipulations as to theme or subject.
Events
Mimeta Monologue
Paul Brickhill from Pamberi Trust/African Synergy Trust, Zimbabwe, visited Norway and Sweden 17 – 20 October to do public presentations on the balance between the arts, human rights and entrepreneurship. Brickhill also met with Swedish and Norwegian authorities.
New Board
Mimeta is pleased to present our new board. David Hansen, Annbjørg Lien, Trond M Backer, Anne Tone Hageland, Alfred Solgård. Deputies are Kjell Abildsnes and Kristine Sødal.
Mimeta would like to thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
our owners, Stromme Foundation and Vest Agder County, and all our partners for close and valuable cooperation.
