British Council to give more travel grants in East Africa

The fund, which was launched in August this year, will begin a new funding cycle in January 2017 with the aim of providing grants to those who want to participate in arts events in the region.

According to the British Council, “The grant is accessible to artists looking to collaborate on projects or events that have a research or skills-based outcomes. Successful applicants will be expected to share their travel experience in innovative, digital and publically accessible ways.”

Already cultural practitioners and artists from Kenya have been able to attend the Nyege Nyege Festival in Uganda in September 2016 as part of the programme. The call for the next cycle of grants is set to be launched in January 2017.

 Artists looking forward to apply for a travel grant can start working on their applications. To apply applicants should produce a two-minute video or one-minute audio recording as well as submit a written application that answers the following questions: 

• Where do you want to go and what's happening there?
• Why do you need to go now?
• How will you share your journey with others?

In August 2016, the British Council launched the new Art new Audiences (nAnA) an annual open call grant for cultural partners across East Africa and the UK to create new art for new audiences. Throughout 2016 and 2017, the nAnA grant is supporting 11 projects with over 30 partners across East Africa and the UK.

The mobility East Africa is a bi-annual open call, launched in August 2016, for East African artists and cultural practitioners to travel to and participate in cultural events and activities in East Africa. With these travel grants, the British Council aims to support 60 East African artists to travel across East Africa over a nine month period.

Full details on how to apply will be available on the British Council website  on 14 January 2017.