Staff

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

  • AMMAR KESSAB • PROJECT MANAGER: SUSTAINABILITY

    Deeply involved in the cultural debate in Africa, Ammar Kessab is expert in financial management of cultural organizations. He also works on issues of cultural policies and governance of cultural diversity. Winner of the “Young Achievers Award” in 2009, he often collaborates with UNESCO and he teaches cultural management at the Higher School of Economics, Art and Communication in Paris. He is member of the Board of Directors of El Mawred El Thaqafy, the International Association of Research in Public Management (AIRMAP) and member of the technical comity of the Observatory of Cultural Policies in Africa (OCPA). He administers the website of the Algerian Cultural Action: www.alger-culture.com

  • 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.

  • CAROLE KAREMERA • DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL

    Carole is an actress, a theatre practitioner and used to be the Director of the Festival of Panafrican Dance (FESPAD) in Kigali. She now runs the vibrant Ishyo Arts Centre and is very active in the cultural sector in and outside of Rwanda. Carole used to be the Arterial Network country representative in Rwanda and is also a member of the Arterial Network Cultural Policy task team.

  • ESPERA G. DONOUVOSSI • PROJECTS MANAGER / TRANSLATOR

    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) 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 manages some particular  projects and oversees the management of projects of the Arterial Network that are managed by contracted project managers. He is also responsible for translating Arterial Network ‘s websites and all communications including monthly newsletters, news alerts, and significant emails.

    As film critic and journalist, he covered  festivals in Africa and in Europe and attended international film criticism workshops in Holland and Germany. He is part of African Federation of Film Critics www.africine.org  since 2005 and has joined the International Federation of Film Critics www.fipresci.orgsince 2010.

  • FLORENCE MUKANGA • RESEARCHER

    Florence has an Honours in Theatre Arts degree from the University of Zimbabwe and a Masters in Arts and Culture Management degree from the University of Witwatersrand. Upon completing her Master’s degree she joined the Observatory of Cultural Policies in Africa where she worked as a Liaison Officer for local and international networks. In October 2008 she joined the Arterial Network as a researcher. She is the editor of the Arts in Africa website.

  • 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 AFRICAN SECRETARIAT

    Maggie Otieno is a sculptor based in Nairobi, Kenya and works in the various mediums of wood, metal and stone.  Having studied Art and Design she later took up a course in Human Resource and Marketing at Nairobi University in order to advance her skills as an Art Administrator. Voted as the "20 Most Influential Africans" primarily for her work in promoting contemporary African art, Maggie is currently the Arterial Network East African Regional Secretariat tasked to oversee the work and implementation of Arterial Network vision in 14 countries in Eastern Africa. Maggie is also the former General Manager of www.africancolours.com

  • MIKE VAN GRAAN • SECRETARY GENERAL

    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.