Call for applications: Pro Helvetia grant for African musicians

The Confluences call looks to enable shared space for collaboration, creation and documentation of new work between musicians who have an existing creative relationship. It provides an opportunity to breathe new life into fragments, sketches, first ideas and unrealised synergies and possibilities generated through encounters between artists from these very different worlds over the past years. These may have been in the context of Pro Helvetia-supported research trips, residencies and tours or through entirely independent initiative.

Grants of up to 10 000 Swiss francs (about $10 200) are available to support the writing/development process, studio time as well as mobility and associated expenses specific to each submission. Applications can be submitted by individual artists, bands and collectives.

Confluences provides an opportunity to amplify the richness of collaboration between musicians in Switzerland and in the regions (see countries below) addressed by Pro Helvetia Johannesburg, supporting connection, curiosity and innovation.

Countries within the regions supported by Pro Helvetia Johannesburg are as follows:

Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, eSwatini, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Cameroon, Kenya, Comoros, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Zambia, São Tomé and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Chad, Uganda, Central African Republic and Zimbabwe.

Criteria

• A precise and credible history/relationship between the proposed collaborators.
• Strength of concept and artistic rationale/basis for proposed collaboration.
• Professional track record of collaborators.
• Clarity and precision of the proposed budget and plan.

Eligibility

• Applications should involve at least one Swiss artist/musician working with at least one artist/musician from the regions addressed by Pro Helvetia Johannesburg (Southern, East, Central and West Africa); artists included in the application should have an active presence in either the Swiss or regional music scene.
• Applications can be made by artists, bands or artist collectives based in either context.
• Retrospective projects are not eligible for support.
• Projects should be realised between December 2022 and the end of November 2023.
• Costs associated with the writing/composition/development phase of new work, mobility and documentation (recording, studio time, production related costs) would be considered.
• While presentation of work is not excluded, these aspects are not normally covered by this grant.
• Pro Helvetia is not able to cover institutional salaries or the operating costs of organisations. Coordination and administration costs should not exceed 10% of the requested budget.
• Projects that are part of a school or university curriculum/basic training, or continuing education programme (including dissertations, diploma projects, university scholarships, etc.) will not be supported.

Application procedure

• The call is open until midnight on 10 October 2022 (GMT+2).
• Applications should be in English and submitted through the online portal myprohelvetia.ch before 10 October.

The applicant’s online submission should include:

• A concept note, of not more than 4 000 characters, summarising the key dimensions of the project, background to the collaboration, and the anticipated outcome.
• An indicative timeline and budget.
• Use this downloadable applicant budget template. If your application is successful, this template can also be used for reporting.
• Information about the professional track record of the applicant, and any other individual or organisational partners involved.
• A statement of intent should be included for all participating artists, unless the ensemble is an already formed group.

“We are looking for applications from musicians in Switzerland, and the region supported by Pro Helvetia Johannesburg, where there is significant evidence of meaningful and existing collaborative relationship,” Pro Helvetia Johannesburg said. “This call is not seeking to enable new connections and relationships. Established mechanisms through research trips and residency calls which facilitate these possibilities are available through Pro Helvetia and can be accessed here.” 

Email johannesburg@prohelvetia.org.za for inquiries.

View the original call here.