Pro Helvetia Johannesburg announces 2023 residency recipients

The residencies seek to foster creative exchange between artists and cultural practitioners in Switzerland and their counterparts in Southern, East, Central and West Africa. Residencies provide artists with the opportunity to live and work for an extended period of time in a different cultural environment, build international networks, gain inspiration and develop new projects and collaborations.

“Long-form residencies are an important part of our programming, allowing for slower and deeper approaches to engagement and connection between contexts,” Pro Helvetia Johannesburg said. “We are thrilled to announce the artists and cultural practitioners from Switzerland and the region that have been selected for residencies from the 2023 open call. We look forward to getting to know the artists and their work in more detail in the year to come.

“Residencies are a central part of our programming and often provide the foundation for future projects and collaborations to germinate. The diverse group of artists from our regional work across the disciplines of music, visual arts and literature hail from East, Central, West and Southern Africa. From Switzerland, the selected artists work across performing and visual arts.”

Residencies last for up to three months. Pro Helvetia provides accommodation, daily allowances, professional support, travel expenses, a contribution towards production and material costs (on request), and a workplace (on request).

Below is the full list of recipients:

• Faizal Ddamba (Uganda > Switzerland) – Music
• Romy Brauteseth (South Africa > Switzerland) – Music
• Noémi Michel & Cédric DjeDje (Switzerland > South Africa) – Performing Arts
• Annina Machaz (Switzerland > Burkina Faso) – Performing Arts
• Stefanie Koemeda (Switzerland > South Africa) – Visual Arts
• Reto Steiner (Switzerland > Zimbabwe) – Visual Arts
• Joseph Kasau (DR Congo > Switzerland) – Visual Arts
• Ibrahima Aya (Mali > Switzerland) – Literature