The African Culture Fund launches a new call for funding for African artists

The African Culture Fund (ACF) has launched its eleventh call for proposals to cultural operators and practitioners across the continent.

This exercise is part of the organization's ongoing efforts to support professionalism in the creative and cultural sectors in 54 African countries.

Earlier this year, ACF announced its selection of 31 African artists as part of its "Special Covid-19/Individual Artists" grant.

But, this new funding window is primarily for individuals and registered businesses in the performing arts, film, audiovisual and visual arts who have been hit hard by the Covid 19 pandemic.

Hamed Adedeji, a Lagos-based photographer and documentary filmmaker, said support for African artists by African sponsors is key to telling African stories. Mr. Adedeji noted that this was important in building a cultural capital for Africans.

"The international bodies that present themselves always have their agenda, and an artist must play the game a little", added Mr. Adedeji.

Abolore Sobayo, a recent Loeb Fellow at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design, shares similar sentiments with Mr. Adedeji.

"ACF is looking for projects that will tell about positive stories because sometimes a lot of the stories we hear about Africa are not from Africans."

Quoting the analogy of the hunter and the lion, Sobayo casually remarked that the proverbial history of the hunt will always be one-sided if we continue to hear only from the hunter.

He said, "ACF is trying to convey our storytelling through the perspective of Africans to a global audience, which is very interesting."

Mr. Sobayo runs the Jelosinmi Art Center in central Lagos, where he organizes book readings for established Nigerian authors.

It also organizes art exhibitions and organizes creative works.

In solidarity with artists at different stages of their career, the African Culture Fund is interested in original proposals that relate to artistic creation or innovation projects and those that involve the physical or digital dissemination of projects in Africa.

The open call, which ends on September 22, has a maximum budget of €8,000 per project and is available in English and French.

All successful applicants must complete their projects between four and six months after the grant disbursement.

Anne Marie Akplogan (Benin)

Mr Sobayo said he plans to apply for the grant, he says he plans to submit a proposal on "Kolo", the memory bank that is inspired by traditional clay or used for...