Goethe-Institut, Grohs family introduce prize for African artists

Grohs, also a former board member of the Music In Africa Foundation (MIAF), died along with 14 people.  

Goethe-Institut secretary-general Johannes Ebert said in a press statement that the Henrike Grohs Prize would honour the lifetime achievements of Grohs.

“The award would like to continue her special cause to support African artists and make a contribution towards international dialogue,” he said. “Henrike Grohs was a colleague who stood for the unifying power of culture. In her work at the Goethe-Institut, she was committed to supporting the contribution that African artists make to their communities, to the continent and to global discourse. We would like to honour this contribution with the Henrike Grohs Prize and reward outstanding African artists.”

The Henrike Grohs Prize will award €20 000 once a year to one or several award recipients in the fields of visual arts, dance, theatre, music or film. It will also be open to those working in interdisciplinary fields.

Requirements

The award recipients will be chosen by a jury made up of recognised African representatives from various cultural sectors as well as a representative from the Goethe-Institut. The award is aimed at artists who meet the following requirements:

• They should not be older than 40 years of age.
• Should live and work in Africa.
• Artistic quality is the most important criteria for the award.
• Collaborative partnership, imparting knowledge to other artists and social engagement will also play a role.

The prize money can be awarded to one artist or split between several artists. Information about the nomination process will be published in greater detail by the Goethe-Institut and Music In Africa.

Grohs, who studied ethnology, co-founded a project called Next – Intercultural Projects at the House of World Cultures in Berlin and was its co-owner until 2009. Between 2002 and 2009 she worked as project manager at the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra’s Education Programme. In 2009, she was appointed advisor on culture and development at the Goethe-Institut in Johannesburg, South Africa.

While in South Africa, Grohs was instrumental in setting up the Music In Africa project in 2011. She served as a board member for the MIAF for two years and stepped down to focus on her responsibilities as director of the Goethe-Institut in Abidjan. Grohs was 51 years old when she died.

For more information about this prize, contact Goethe-Institut South Africa public relations officer Benjamin Keuffel on +27 (0)11 442 3232 or send an email to: Benjamin.Keuffel@goethe.de