CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR THE SA-UK SEASONS 2014 & 2015

The British Council and the South African Department of Arts and Culture are launching an open call for proposals from artists and institutions to be part of the SA-UK Seasons project, a shared programme of activities, opportunities and communications. Selected proposals will receive a grant to activate existing relationships or create new connections within the arts. The call for submissions will run from 14 October until 23 November 2014.

The SA-UK Seasons project will build on arts initiatives already developed by the British Council Connect ZA programme, which connects the creative communities of the UK and South Africa, and the South African Season in the UK. The Seasons will create a platform for the arts communities in SA and UK to cooperate and collaborate and the awarding of grants to artists and arts institutions aims to strengthen cultural relationships through work in the visual arts, theatre, dance, cinema, literature, music, creative economy and skills development.

Tom Porter, Programme Manager, British Council Connect ZA said: “The SA-UK Seasons 2014 & 2015 is creating further opportunities for new connections and collaborations between the UK and South African creative sectors that have already started to make an impact through the British Council Connect ZA programme. Through the Seasons we aim to provide a platform for artists and arts organisations to present works in both countries; and to establish a shared thinking on arts, culture and creative industry issues, building partnerships and opportunities.”

Bongani Tembe, Commissioner-General of the SA Seasons in the UK, said: “”We aim to positively influence each other and establish a shared thinking on arts, culture and creative industry issues as well as build partnerships around opportunities for both our countries’ artists and arts institutions. We are particularly looking at alleviating the challenges of job creation, promoting innovation and nurturing leadership of the arts for the future.”

There are three funding strands available. The first strand is the application for a partnership support grant where projects must demonstrate a strong delivery partnership between established organisations in UK & SA. Preference will be given to applications from partners with a track record of working internationally. For this option grants are available for a maximum of 50% of the project cost.
The second strand is the application for a creative catalyst grant which supports those projects that need assistance to broker, support and develop new projects and partnerships that will benefit from a small-scale budget for travel and/or scoping. Applications for this endorsement are encouraged to explore new connections, demonstrate innovation and aim to establish deeper collaborations and partnerships in the future. In this category available grants will cover a maximum of 80% of the project cost.
The last strand is for the official endorsement of a project to be included in the Seasons programme schedule. This endorsement does not have a grant attached to it however, endorsed projects will benefit from the overall marketing and publicity of the Seasons.

Interested artists and arts organisations in the fields of the visual arts, theatre, dance, cinema, literature, music, creative economy and skills development in the arts can apply. Entries must be submitted online at http://southafrica-unitedkingdom.com/ before 23 November 2014.

Project proposals will be reviewed by a technical team including Bongani Tembe, Commissioner-General for the SA Seasons in the UK and Tom Porter, Programme Manager, British Council Connect ZA. The final judging and selection will be made by a Joint Organising Committee made up of SA and UK officials and co-chaired by Ms Thandiwe January-McLean (former Ambassador to Portugal) on the South Africa side and Rt Hon Baroness Usha Prasha (Deputy Chair of the British Council) on the UK side.
All projects selected by the joint organising committee will be integrated into the Seasons’ programming and will benefit from the overall marketing and PR campaign of the SA-UK Seasons 2014 & 2015.

–ENDS–

Notes to Editors
For more information about the British Council contact:
Mary Doherty, Press Officer
Mary.doherty@britishcouncil.org // 0207 389 3144

For more information about the SA-UK Seasons contact:
1. info@saseasons.com
2. Nomphelo Ndzimela, Communications Manager Consultant – nomphelo.ndzimela@britishcouncil.org

About the programme
For more information visit:
1. South African Department of Arts and Culture: www.dac.gov.za
2. The British Council: www.britishcouncil.org.za

About British Council Connect ZA
Connect ZA, a British Council South Africa initiative is a series of cultural exchanges between the two countries marking this year’s celebration of 20 Years of Freedom in South Africa. The programme has, since 2013, supported cultural connections between young people in the UK and in South Africa with a series of art projects and use digital platforms to build creative networks through music, film, visual art, creative economy, theatre and design.

As part of the Seasons, the British Council Connect ZA programme aims to reach new and diverse audiences for the arts and stimulate innovation, while forging new collaboration with organisations and individuals on both continents. Highlights of the programme include the Maker Library Network which promotes collaboration and knowledge sharing between the designers and makers in the UK and South Africa; the Royal Court New Writing Programme which is a long-term play development project between the Royal Court Theatre and Connect ZA and ‘The Young Creative Entrepreneur’ (YCE) Awards are a global British Council initiative that identify creative leaders of the future. The programme supports and connects the most exciting entrepreneurs who are innovating in the creative and cultural industries.

For more on the British Council Connect ZA programme visit: http://connectza.tumblr.com/ and https://twitter.com/Connect_ZA

About the British Council
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We create international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and build trust between them worldwide. We work in more than 100 countries and our 7,000 staff – including 2,000 teachers – work with thousands of professionals and policy makers and millions of young people every year by teaching English, sharing the arts and delivering education and society programmes.

We are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter. A core publically-funded grant provides less than 25 per cent of our turnover which last year was £781 million. The rest of our revenues are earned from services which customers around the world pay for, through education and development contracts and from partnerships with public and private organisations. All our work is in pursuit of our charitable purpose and supports prosperity and security for the UK and globally.

You can keep in touch with the British Council through http://twitter.com/britishcouncil and http://blog.britishcouncil.org/.

About the South African Season in the UK
The South African season in the UK is a programme that is funded by the Department of Arts and Culture, with the following objectives:
• To promote people-to-people contact, institutional collaboration and programmes that will have the potential for long-term impact and sustainability
• To connect new generations of creative professionals and audiences in SA and the UK
• To foster skills transfer and development, sharing expertise and innovation in developing the creative careers of young people
• To promote the growth and sustainability of the sector including a strong emphasis on audience development, economic growth and market access
• To showcase and promote SA and UK arts and culture that will present work that challenges and updates perceptions of contemporary culture and creativity in both countries
• To promote and showcase the inclusion of professionals and emerging artists with disability by building on the rich legacy of working in the performing, visual and creative arts in the UK and SA
The South African Season in the UK worked closely with the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and Edinburgh Festivals. South African artists featured prominently in almost all of Edinburgh Festivals this year, including Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh Art Festival, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, Edinburgh International Book Festival and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
The Edinburgh International Festival presented three major South African works on its programme. The productions were: Inala – a dance piece which will incorporate South Africa’s internationally acclaimed Ladysmith Black Mambazo; Ubu and Truth Commission, a critically applauded theatrical multimedia production by Handspring Puppet Company which highlights the atrocities of apartheid; and Exhibit B, by Brett Bailey of Third World Bunfight, is the second instalment of the Exhibit series. Exhibit B is an infusion of performance and exhibition examining themes of the colonial history of Europe and the UK in Africa.
The Edinburgh Visual Arts Festival featured Thembinkosi Goniwe’s curated exhibition which included artists: Kay Hassan and Mary Sibanda.

About the Department of Arts and Culture
The primary legislative mandate of the Department of Arts and Culture (DAC) is guided by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. The Department of Arts and Culture facilitates equal opportunities for artistic and cultural participation through ensuring a rational policy and institutional framework, and financing appropriate organisations. It continues to conserve and promote the heritage of South Africans, and to promote cultural relations internationally. DAC also guides, sustains and develops the archival, heraldic and information resources of the nation to empower citizens through full and open access to these resources.

The focus has primarily been on promoting and developing the arts through effective service delivery, transformation and job-creation, in addition to using the arts and culture space as an effective vehicle for marketing and branding South Africa. DAC utilises funding institutions to distribute government allocation to practitioners in need of financial assistance, particularly the previously disadvantaged.

DAC continues to commit to the development of public private partnerships, the creation of a coherent and coordinated education and training environment, market development, advocacy projects for the cultural industries, and the utilisation of culture as a tool for urban, rural regeneration and social cohesion. DAC collaborates with other government departments and institutions in carrying out its mandate.

Author: Theo Boshoff from Tinta Negra.
More Info link: http://southafrica-unitedkingdom.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Connect_ZA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZAConnect
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