Networking New Opportunities for Artists in East Africa

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This interdisciplinary research project Networking New Opportunities for Visual Artists in East Africa draws together visual artists, arts organisations, funders, policy makers, academics and other stakeholders in the visual arts from Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda. Through hands-on, collaborative workshops and the creation and exhibition of temporary new artworks it will explore how new opportunities and career pathways can be developed for artists working in East Africa. The goal is to help them build sustainable livelihoods, an international development priority, and to build capacity in the creative industries in East Africa. A recent report for the British Council states 'East African countries are set on a path to become middle income countries in the next twenty years.' The creative industries are an area of growth. 'We are getting better at understanding and valuing the impacts of a strong creative industries sector... underpinned by excellence and distinctiveness. The creative economy will play a central role in delivering the next phase of growth, increasing prosperity and enabling a greater diversity of cultural expressions to reach new audiences and for people to make a living from their creativity. Whilst the extraction of poverty remains the No1 priority, there is growing realisation that the creative and cultural aspirations and needs of citizens cannot wait forever to be met'.The Uganda National Culture Policy (2005) asserts that 'Cultural industries have the potential to promote livelihoods...create employment opportunities and produce economic gains at all levels, promoting creativity and expressing messages that foster understanding and peace'. The policy's key interventions include 'promoting and supporting budding creative artists: ...visual arts...have the potential to reduce income poverty if their quality and quantity is deliberately enhanced'. 'Collaboration amongst stakeholders' and 'the setting up of networks in culture' are stated priorities.The East African Community Creative and Cultural Industries Bill (2015) was seen as a boost for artists, but very little has happened since. The proposed Creative and Cultural Industries Development Council that was to lead developments has not been established. There continues to be minimal investment in the creative cultural industries: in Uganda there is still no provision for teaching creative arts subjects in schools. Within this context, the network will address challenges facing artists who want to build sustainable careers and decent livelihoods. It will partner with leading organisations working in the field: the British Council in East Africa, the African Arts Trust, 32 Degrees Ugandan Arts Trust and grassroots organisations. Working in collaboration with these partners it will develop a series of network workshops which will facilitate artists and arts organisations to scope and define tangible new opportunities and career pathways. The make-up of the network and the design of its events has been developed through intensive discussion in Africa with its prospective participants, many of whom will lead workshop events. Each workshop will be given innovative focus through a series of temporary artwork commissions, sited in high profile sites in the public realm close to the workshop venues, each created by an East African artist specially for the event. The network will develop thematic challenges identified by its participants, addressing these from multiple perspectives, sharing the knowledge and experience of East African scholars, artists, art professionals, policy makers and audiences, and the international research team. Working together in three workshops in two cities, each workshop led by a different organisation, bringing new voices and approaches to bear on the problems, participants will devise, debate and concretise opportunities that can achieve real and tangible impacts on artists' lives and on the creative economy in the EAC