Sound Connects Conference heading to Mozambique

The three-day conference, to be held at Galeria Porto de Maputo, will be attended by active experts drawn from different creative industry sectors as well as international funders and regional stakeholders.

The event will bring together organisations that have been implementing cultural projects funded by the Sound Connects Fund (SCF) in the past three years. Then SCF is implemented by the Music In Africa Foundation and Goethe-Institut with funding from the ACP-EU Culture Programme, a project implemented by the Organisation of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and funded by the European Union (EU). This year, representatives from the ACP-EU will be present at the conference, giving grantees the opportunity to engage more closely and directly.

The SCF is an initiative designed to support the cultural and creative industries (CCIs) in Southern Africa and the continent at large. In order to accelerate development and increase the capacity of the CCIs on the continent, it is important to professionalise the sector through initiatives like the SCF, given that the arts are one of the top revenue generators in Africa.

It goes without saying that music and sound are significant forces that connect and coexist within a wide range of art forms, in some instances playing a central role in fields such as dance, theatre, video gaming, film, fashion and related industries. Between 2021 and 2023, the SCF awarded more than €2.8m to 36 organisations in Angola, Botswana, eSwatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Funding from the SCF saw the creation and successful implementation of diverse developmental projects in sectors such as music, theatre, visual arts, gaming, animation and fashion, all connected by sound. As part of the project, the SCF also offered a robust capacity-building programme to all grantees and collected useful learnings and information from different countries.

The conference programme will offer an opportunity to learn from the experiences of the SCF beneficiaries while also offering keynote presentations, panel discussions, networking opportunities, and showcases of products of the SCF-funded actions. The event is strategically organised in Maputo during the annual Marrabenta Festival, which is partnering with the Sound Connects Conference. This partnership aims to provide additional networking opportunities for the attendees.

CollaboNation, an SCF-funded musical project implemented by House on Fire in eSwatini, will showcase some of its exciting musical creations during the festival.

“Having all 36 Sound Connects Fund grantees gathered together is a very exciting prospect,” Sound Connects Fund regional coordinator Katlego Taunyane said. “In years past, we put together networking events for each year of cohorts where practical training was provided and peer-engagement fostered, so we anticipate that this gathering of all the grantees and CCI professionals will be a stimulating one for everyone.”

How to participate (virtually)

The conference will be bilingual, taking place in English and Portuguese, with interpretation support. Creative practitioners keen to participate virtually can register their online attendance for Wednesday 31 January and Thursday 1 February using this link.

About the Sound Connects Fund

Implemented by the Music In Africa Foundation (MIAF) in partnership with Goethe-Institut, the SCF is a multifaceted initiative that aims to accelerate development and increase the capacity of the CCIs in Southern Africa by offering financial support in the form of different sized grants and comprehensive capacity-building programmes to eligible creative and cultural industry organisations based in Angola, Botswana, eSwatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The SCF is made possible with funding from the ACP-EU Culture programme, a project implemented by the Organisation of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and the European Union (EU).

About the Music In Africa Foundation

The Music In Africa Foundation is a pan-African, non-profit organisation based in Rosebank, Johannesburg, with satellite offices in East, West and Central Africa. The MIAF’s mission is to support the African music sector through promoting knowledge exchange and creating opportunities and capacity for music professionals. The Foundation does this in two ways: digitally via the Music In Africa website (www.musicinafrica.net) and offline through training programmes, artist mobility programmes, workshops, concerts, lobbying, conferences and other related initiatives.

About Goethe-Institut

Goethe-Institut is the cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany with a global reach. The institute promotes knowledge of the German language abroad and fosters international cultural cooperation. It conveys a comprehensive picture of Germany by providing information on Germany’s cultural, social and political life.

About the ACP-EU Culture Programme

Implemented by the Organisation of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and funded by the European Union, the ‘ACP-EU towards a viable cultural industry’ programme (ACP-EU CULTURE) intends to boost the potential of the cultural and creative sector and its contribution to the social and economic development of the ACP countries.