Call for participation: LaBa! Arts Festival in Uganda

One of Uganda's oldest art festival and a milestone in the cultural scene of Kampala, the LaBa! Arts Festival is a platform for creative interventions into public spaces by appreciating and working with spaces to inspire new ways of making art.  The one-day event seeks to showcase artistic and musical expressions outside the usual spaces and conditions to reach out to new audiences. LaBa! also seeks to encourage artistic, intellectual and playful encounters between artists and their audiences.

The festival was organized for the first time in 2007 by the Goethe-Zentrum Kampala (GZK)/Ugandan German Cultural Society (UGCS) and the Ugandan Artists Association as the LaBa! Street Art Festival. Since then, the festival has grown into a vital annual event in Kampala’s cultural calendar, recommended as a cultural 'must-see' for Kampala in the Lonely Planet travel guide in 2012.

This year the festival will be held under an 'open' theme to allow for a focus on artistic creation and freedom of expression, but also to recognize the individual approaches and see the diversity of themes and perspectives that are expressed in the arts in Uganda.

How to apply

Artists interested in performing at the festival are encouraged to fill out the application form and submit a full proposal (not more than two A4 pages, typed) along with drawings, videos or other material, as well as a tentative budget including all costs to be expected.

Applications can be submitted via e-mail to laba.artsfestival@gmail.com, with the subject live 'LaBa! 2016 Application', sent in common formats (pdf, jpg, mp3, mpeg, mp4). Alternatively, hard copies should be handed in at the reception of the Goethe-Zentrum Kampala/Ugandan German Cultural Society, Plot 52 Bukoto Street, Kamwokya, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

The deadline for submissions is 31 March 2016. Selected participant will be informed by 15 April.

LaBa!​ Project Coordinator

The LaBa! team is also looking for a Project Coordinator to help organise the 10th edition, to work part-time between 1 March and 30 June 2016.

If you are interested in joining the team, send a formal motivation letter (not more than one A4 page), your CV and a short response to the following questions (not more than 3 sentences per question on an extra sheet).

1. Is art and culture important to you and if so, why?
2. Why should there be arts festivals in Uganda?
3. How is the LaBa! Arts Festival interesting for a Ugandan audience and why should it take place?

Please include all necessary contact information about you (name, phone, email). Application deadline is Sunday 14 February 2016. The application should be sent as a soft copy (pdf or word doc) by e-mail to laba.artsfestival@gmail.com or handed in as hard copy at the reception of GZK. Find more details about the position here.

Watch highlights from the 2015 edition of the festival in the video below.