Goethe-Institut announces MobiArts programme

The aim of the Goethe MobiArts project is to promote cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue, access new audiences and markets for African artists, promote talents from the region, and to develop South-South cooperation.

For the 2024 edition, four artists from a variety of disciplines and from different geographical and linguistic areas of the continent have been selected. They are Checkmate Mido (slam poetry, Kenya), Aneth Silva (dance, Angola), Keenan Meyer (pianist, South Africa), and Skriim (electro music, Cameroon).

Under the coordination of the Goethe-Institut Yaoundé and the Goethe-Institut Abidjan, each artist will hold four performances in four different countries between August and November 2024.

The selection of the artists was done through a jury process, with every participating Goethe-Institut handing in two suggestions from which the final artists for the tour were selected.

“For us it was important to keep gender balance but also suggest artists that are convincing with their innovative ideas and quality of artistry and performance but have yet to tour internationally,” Goethe-Institut Kenya cultural programmes head Susanne Gerhard said. “MobiArts will take place this year and next year, and after careful evaluation it will hopefully continue for a longer timeframe.”

Commenting on his selection, Checkmate Mido said: “My vision has always been to take my work across the Africa continent. Playing in Europe and America is beautiful and fine, but nothing beats the joy of being able to connect with other Africans who come from a diverse culture and speak different languages but are still able to connect with the basic music in its rawest form. It means a lot for me to be able to do this. I’ve always dreamt of doing this, that's why I did the East African tour last year, and hope that I can tour more countries after this.”

Below are the full performance dates:

Aneth Silva (Angola)

Aneth Silva is a graduate in management and production of performing arts from Associação Fórum Dança in Lisbon, Portugal. She is a choreographer, radio host and artistic director and producer of performances and cultural events in different languages. Aneth Silva also focuses on creating innovative and transformative experiences for students, clients, and audiences. Her desire is to provide alternative ways, where spectators and participants can consume art in Angola.

• Lome, Togo – 18 September
• Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso –21 September
• Windhoek, Namibia – 26 September
• Luanda, Angola – 28 September

Checkmate Mido (Kenya)

Checkmate Mido is a household name in the hip hop and spoken word scene in Nairobi fusing rhyme and rhythms to tell compelling stories through music. His work has been featured on the BBC’s Focus on Africa and Music In Africa.

• Johannesburg, South Africa – 31 August
• Luanda, Angola – 7 September
• Yaoundé, Cameroon – 13 September
• Nairobi, Kenya –25 September

Keenan Meyer (South Africa)

Keenan Meyer is a South African pianist and composer renowned for his captivating performances and innovative compositions. Born and raised in Johannesburg, Meyer's musical journey began at a young age, when he showed deep interest in music.

• Johannesburg, South Africa – 6 September
• Abidjan, Ivory Coast – 31 September
• Accra, Ghana – 6 November
• Kigali, Rwanda – 9 November

Skriim (Cameroon)

Skriim is an electronic music composer, a sound artist, DJ and producer whose work essentially revolves around the research, collection, and transformation of organic, unorthodox sounds to create musical novelty in the areas of electronic music and sound art performance.

• Dar es Salaam Tanzania –26 October
• Nairobi, Kenya – 30 October
• Luanda, Angola – 2 November
• Yaoundé, Cameroon – 8 November