Thami Mnyele Foundation would like to bring the following to your attention:

ArtMoves Africa (AMA) is an independent non-profit association aiming to facilitate cultural and artistic exchanges within the African continent. AMA offers travel funds to artists, arts professionals and cultural operators living and working in Africa to travel within and between the five African regions in order to engage in the exchange of information, the enhancement of skills, the development of informal networks and the pursuit of cooperation.



ArtMoves Africa
Mobility of artists and cultural operators within the African continent

Background:

AMA is a project initiated by the Young Arab Theatre Fund (YATF) together with a group of African and Arab organizations to facilitate and encourage the mobility of artists and cultural operators within the African continent. In 2001, YATF participated in meetings in Egypt, Kenya and Zimbabwe, together with different organization and cultural activists from Africa and the Arab world. The meetings aimed at linking organizations and individuals, and creating informal continent-wide networks. The participants agreed that one of the major obstacles for artists and cultural professionals in Africa was the persistent lack of funds specifically allocated to support travel.

Objectives:
- Facilitate cultural exchanges in Africa for individual artists and cultural operators, and cultural organizations
- Encourage artists and cultural operators to exchange experiences, information and ideas towards shared projects and artistic collaborations
- Give artists and cultural operators the opportunity to gain a better knowledge of the context and the cultural environment in the different regions
- Encourage independent initiatives and small projects by giving artists and cultural operators the opportunity to meet with their counterparts and partners
- Give artists and cultural operators the opportunity to attend festivals in order to see each other¹s work to enrich their own creativity
- Give artists and cultural operators the opportunity to enhance their artistic or technical skills in participating in highly professional artistic and arts management workshops, seminars and residencies for artists
- Encourage the mobility of artists and cultural professionals as well as the mobility of information.

More information:
Khadija El Bennaoui: ama@yatfund.org

Young Arab Theatre Fund a.i.s.b.l.
19 Square Sainctelette, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Tel + Fax: +32 2 2031295
Guidelines & application form at: www.yatfund.org