Objectives
- To contribute to economic and social development of Southern Africa.
- To accelerate development and increased capacity of the cultural and creative sectors in Southern Africa.
About the project
The Sound Connects Fund is a multifaceted initiative that aims to accelerate development and increase the capacity of the cultural and creative sectors in Southern Africa by offers financial support in the form of different sized grants and a comprehensive capacity-building programme to eligible creative and cultural industry organisations based in Angola, Botswana, eSwatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Fund will support projects across a wide range of disciplines including, but not limited to, performing arts, visual arts , animation, film, gaming, photography, videography etc.
Focus:
- Improve the capacity of creative professionals, leaders, and organisations;
- Enhance practitioners’ contribution to the social and economic development of the cultural and creative sectors.
- Improve access to financing;
- Support the creation of high quality content, goods and services;
- Increase visibility, exchange and access to key markets.
The Sound Connects Fund supports projects and activities that facilitate the rapid production and distribution of high-quality goods within and outside the region, increase capacities among professionals, support rapid mobility and exchange among creators, enhance access to new markets, develop visual literacy (especially among underrepresented groups), promote advocacy aimed at protecting the interests of creators and support the existence of sustainable financing structures. The Sound Connect Fund is made possible with funding from the ACP-EU Culture Programme, a project implemented by the Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States and funded by the European Union (EU).
Sound connects us
Music and sound exist as the universal language that has connected people and communities globally for centuries. It is clear that in southern Africa’s vibrant cultural sector, sound is a significant force that connects and coexists 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. Proposals for grants will be therefore challenged to look at sound not only in relation to music but also in related sectors such as sound in videogames and animation films, sound in audio-visual arts, sound as a supporting aspect of the fashion industry (e.g. fashion shows) and sound in the digital creative sector.
