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AEPC Engages Cultural Practitioners Across Southern Africa to Turn Creative Ideas into Funding Proposals

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From Bulawayo and Harare to Maun and Gaborone, Lobamba and Maseru, artists and cultural practitioners have been sharpening their funding proposals at a series of Grant Proposal Writing and Application Workshops between 7 and 28 September 2026 run by the Southern Africa Component of the Africa-Europe Partnerships for Culture (AEPC) programme.

Eleven Visual Arts Grants for Artistic Collaboration and Dissemination awarded!

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The AEPC communications team got to talk to some of the recipients about their project, providing a glimpse on what to expect in the upcoming months. The team also spoke to jury members about their evaluation process.

Southern Africa Component Announces Jury and 72 Jury Recipients

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The Southern Africa Component announces jury members and the selected 72 artists and creatives under Work Package 1. The grants give recipients six months to research and develop heritage narratives through their artistic work.

 

WEST AFRICAN FESTIVALS ANSWER THE CALL

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Over the past few months, several activities have marked the launch of the West African component of the programme. Launch ceremonies and information sessions were organized across the six clusters of the project (Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal)...

Who Gets to Tell the Story? Reimagining Heritage Through Art and Exchange

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Rather than treating heritage as a subject belonging only to historians, archives or cultural institutions, the programme brought the conversation into the world of contemporary creative practice. Across the two events, artists and cultural practitioners considered the relationship between heritage, identity, history and representation, and the ways in which stories can shift when approached through different forms of expression.

Mobility grantee film shows at EU Film festival

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‘Inkululeko’, an experimental film created by Jan Seynaeve, an AEPC: Sub-Saharan Africa mobility grantee, screened at this year's European Union Film Festival in Eswatini. Hosted at the Mbabane Theatre Club, from the 13 – 16 May 2026, the festival invited locals and visitors across Eswatini to a curated selection of European and local Eswatini films.

Eleven Additional Heritage Organisations Selected

Read full article here The Southern Africa Component announced its selection of 11 additional organisations that have been awarded grants under the Co-Creation of New Heritage Narratives call.

21.10.2026

West Africa Component

Festivals across West Africa are stepping forward to build lasting networks, first across the region and then with Europe. Through the West Africa component of the Africa-Europe Partnerships for Culture (AEPC) programme, they are strengthening cultural exchange and the mobility of artists and cultural professionals.

Over the past few months, several activities have marked the launch of the West African component of the programme. Launch ceremonies and information sessions were organized across the six clusters of the project (Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal) to present the programme’s objectives, the opportunities available to cultural stakeholders, and the procedures for participating in the various calls for applications.

Festivals, cultural organisations, artists, professional networks and public institutions took part, and the sessions gave them space to put their questions directly to the team.

The calls for applications

The West Africa component opened calls for large and medium-sized festivals to form the festival clusters at the heart of its work.

These calls generated significant interest across the region, with approximately 300 applications received in the large festivals and medium-sized festivals categories.  The response speaks to the strength of West Africa's festival sector and its appetite for working across borders, within the region and with Europe.

The applications span film, performing arts, visual arts, heritage, music and literature, across a wide range of cultural contexts.

Where are we today?

The selection process is currently reaching an important milestone.

Following an initial call that resulted in the selection of only one large festival out of the six envisaged, namely MASA (Abidjan African Performing Arts Market) from Côte d’Ivoire, the results of the complementary call launched to select the remaining five festivals are expected to be announced in the coming days.  Together, the six large festivals will anchor the West Africa festival clusters, each working with seven medium-sized festivals.

At the same time, applications submitted by medium-sized festivals will soon be reviewed by a qualified jury to be established following a dedicated call. The applications will undergo a thorough evaluation based on the criteria set out in the calls for proposals, ensuring a transparent and fair selection process.

What’s next?
Will be announced soon :

• The results for the five remaining large festivals.
• The results for the medium-sized festivals.
• The new opportunities and calls for applications aimed at cultural and creative stakeholders across the region.

 

Contact Us

For any questions regarding the West Africa component of the AEPC programme, please contact :
eup-wa@goethe.de


 

Entanglement workshop: South Africa

Read full article here On the 11 May 2026, the first leg of the entanglement workshops commenced in South Africa under the AEPC: Southern Africa component. These workshops brought together heritage organisations, researchers and custodians of cultural and heritage to explorethe importance and relevance of narratives and cultural through social, philosophical, historical and political frameworks.

Inside the EU Schools Festival in Eswatini with AEPC’s Hands-On Creative Experience

Read full article here The Africa-Europe Partnerships for Culture (AEPC) activation invited learners to engage directly with art materials, giving them space to express themselves while promoting creativity, confidence and cultural exchange.

Where Stories Take Shape: Inside Johannesburg’s August House

Read full article here In the heart of downtown Johannesburg in Doornfontein, an old industrial building has been transformed into something extraordinary. Since 2006, August House has grown into the city's largest artist studio space. More than just a building, it is a vibrant creative community where painters,  sculptors, photographers and multimedia artists work side by side sharing not only studios but ideas, inspiration and lived experiences.
 

Collaboration, Community and Conversation: AEPC at TEDx Joburg Salon

Read full article here The salon, titled “Voices of the Unheard” was a space that confronted repressed narratives, exploring surrealism and decolonisation. The event was structured into three thematic sessions: Becoming visible, Hidden stories and silent archives and lastly, Disruption,rage and reimaging.

Cultural Education: AEPC visits Venda

Read full article here Venda, known for its sub-tropical climate and lush terrains is home to the VhaVenda people, a tribe active in preserving and protecting its language and culture. Known for their distinct and interact footwork in dance and colourful traditional attire, the Venda culture is dynamic and resilient, and to this day, has custodians who share and teach this culture to the younger generation.