Staff

The Arterial Network has a diverse staff compliment. Below are the people who are currently working for the organisation.

  • BELISA RODRIGUES • GENERAL MANAGER

    Belisa Rodrigues is the General Manager of the African Arts Institute based in Cape Town and manages the day to day operations of the Arterial Network. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree, a Post Graduate Diploma in Management and an MBA from UCT. She worked in the private sector for a number of years as Operations Manager for a global beer brand, has been involved in various freelance arts projects and has travelled extensively.

  • ESPERA G. DONOUVOSSI • PROJECTS MANAGER: NATIONAL CHAPTERS

    Espera Donouvossi, a Benin-born arts journalist, is the Projects Manager/Translator for Arterial Network since March 2011. He is a graduate of Linguistics and Communication (French) and International Relations from University of Abomey-Calavi in Benin. He went to South Africa in 2008 to study English Applied Communicative Skills after which he worked as a research assistant and translator for the Consultancy Creativity Arts and Jobs (CAJ) in Johannesburg headed by Avril Joffe-Hunter, an expert in the African Creative Economy and Cultural Policy.

    He undertakes various project management duties, as well as a variety of general functions particularly in support of the development and sustainability of Arterial Network’s national chapters. He is the liaison person between National Chapters and management team and external relations.

  • LASSANA IGO DIARRA • WEST AFRICAN SECRETARIAT

    Igo is a cultural manager and consultant who is involved in many arts and culture initiatives in Mali. He is currently a consultant for the city hall of Bamako, advising towards the implementation of cultural policies in communities and he’s currently working on building the Medina multimedia library and on the Renaissance 2010 project. He is currently the West African Secretariat.

  • MAGGIE OTIENO • EAST AFRICA REGIONAL SECRETARY

    Maggie Otieno has been active in the field of Art and Culture since 1996. Apart form having experience in Arts administration, she also doubles as a  sculptor working with wood, metal and stone and is based in Nairobi, Kenya. She has a background in Art and Design and training in Human Resource Management and Marketing as an additional to refining her skills as a cultural administrator.

    Maggie has been nominated as one of "20 most influential Africans" for her work in art management and promotion of contemporary African art. Maggie is currently the Secretary of Regional Arterial Network in East Africa with a mission to ensure that the vision, objectives and strategies of Arterial Network are in place in 14 countries in East Africa. Before this current position, Maggie was the General Manager at www.africancolours.com.

     

  • MIKE VAN GRAAN • ADVISOR

    Mike van Graan is the Executive Director of the African Arts Institute based in Cape Town.He recently served as the Programme Director of the 4th World Summit on arts and Culture, a project of the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA).

    Elected to leadership positions in a range of arts organisations and lobbies both before and after the demise of apartheid, he was appointed as a special adviser on cultural policy to the new Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology after the country's first democratic elections in 1994, where he helped to facilitate the drafting of  post-apartheid arts and culture policies.

    He is an award-winning columnist, having provided extensive and provocative commentary on arts and culture developments in South Africa. He is considered one of the country's leading contemporary playwrights.

  • NANCY ONYANGO • COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING MANAGER

    Nancy holds a Post Graduate Certificate from the University of Amsterdam in Culture and a Bachelor of Science Degree. She previously worked for arts and culture organisations in Tanzania (Busara Promotions) and Kenya (Ketebul Music, Kwani Trust and Sarakasi Trust). Her work in these organizations has provided her with experience in program management, corporate communications, marketing and fundraising. Nancy is passionate about contributing towards African development and is particularly inspired by the existence of various entreprenual tools in the arts.

  • PETER RORVIK • SECRETARY GENERAL

    Peter Rorvik is the former director of the Centre for Creative Arts (University of KwaZulu-Natal) which is involved in the provision of creative platforms, intercultural exchange, network development, training, audience development and strategic Pan-African and international cooperation in the cultural sectors. Principal activities of the Centre for Creative Arts include the production of four annual festivals - Durban International Film Festival, Time of the Writer, Jomba! Contemporary Dance Experience, and Poetry Africa. Rorvik is also on the Project Steering Committee of the Durban FilmMart.