At the invitation of the Zanzibar
International Film Festival (ZIFF), Arterial Network co-hosted (with
ZIFF) a two-day symposium on African festivals with a view to launching
a continent-wide network of festivals and major events in all
disciplines. Forty-one delegates representing more than twenty
festivals including FESPACO in Burkina Faso, Harare International
Festival of the Arts, the National Arts Festival of South Africa,
analysed the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing
African festivals and events and agreed on the need for a network that
would help festivals address their challenges and realise their
possibilities.
A Task Team comprising six members was elected to work towards
recruiting other festivals and major events in dance, theatre,
literature, visual arts, film and music into the network which will be
launched formally by the end of 2010. The British Council – a
member of Creative Coalitions (an informal alliance of 17 European
agencies engaged in the African creative sector) – has indicated its
desire to work as a partner of this African Festival Network.
Members of the Task Team are Charity Maruta (Zimbabwe), Brenda Asio
(Uganda), Lina Chaabane (Tunisia), Jean-Michel Kobushi (DRC), Martin
Mhando (Zanzibar) and Ardiouma Soma (Burkina Faso). Arterial
Network’s secretariat will provide logistical and strategic support to
the Task Team.
To become part of this network, write to info@arterialnetwork.org,
with the details of your festival [name of festival director, festival
genre(s), dates of festival].
Participant: Kadidia Sidibe (Association Malienne Cinéma Numérique
Ambulant)