African Tour Circuit

AFRICAN TOUR CIRCUIT -  Artistic diffusion and development of a sector of activity

Country: initially South Africa, extending to the rest of the continent

Project initiated in: 2006

Presented by: Mimeta – Centre for Culture and Development

Partners: Pamberi Trust and African Synergy Trust

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// Context

African Tour Circuit (ATC), established by African Synergy Trust in Johannesburg and Harare, organises performing arts tours, linking touring African artists with venues and festivals in a “tour circuit”.

This responds to the major challenges that face performing artists in Africa in accessing the African public and developing new audiences: costs of air travel, visa constraints and poor information, promotion and communication between African countries. These constraints hamper the development of the sector to an extent where even major artists are unknown across borders.

// Project objectives

To facilitate intra-African cultural exchange through the first African “tour circuit” of venues, festivals and institutions.

To organise performing arts tours, linking touring African artists with venues and festivals, offering hundreds of artists new exposure to cross-border African audiences.

ATC does not simply fund tour costs; it aims to manage, plan and coordinate, across a wide range of partners, all aspects that lead to a successful tour. It facilitates contracts and agreements, negotiations and professional/technical elements, leading to a reduction of costs and better efficiency. It uses multiple sources of funding to meet the costs of any specific tour, including income from box offices, small scale travel grants, resources available from the host country or venue, artist resources and partnership with festivals and agencies.

ATC is also engaged in many new forms of arts collaboration within Africa (workshops, joint performances), bringing artists together and promoting diversity, especially among young artists.

// Action and impact

A large number of African artists have performed for the first time in other African countries: over 500 artists in 5 years (70% music, 10% poets, 20% other performing arts) have performed in new venues, cities and countries, which were previously logistically and financially out of reach.

In 2010 alone (up to September) over 45 tours have been completed, one study/work experience tour (Denmark, Roskilde), and two network-building activities (Gabon, Mozambique).

Host venues, festivals, institutions and artists are obtaining direct economic benefits from the reduction of costs, economies of scale and the widening artistic opportunities. Tours that were previously not viable now become possible because of the extra dates, venues and partners. Arts festivals, previously isolated from each other, are more actively looking to collaborate in identifying African artists and then sharing costs of tours, technical exchange and other mutual assistance.

The problem of cultural isolation within Africa is being addressed on a more meaningful scale: African audiences have been widely exposed to the diversity of African performing arts and a number of cross-cultural artistic projects (including new tours) have directly resulted from ATC promoted activities. Many of these projects cover all artistic dimensions “from concept to stage”, with a strong impact in the quality of the performances. This enhances the potential of the sector to attract new audiences.

Youth and female artists from different countries/regions are putting together cross-border artistic collaborations as a means of enhancing cultural exchange, strengthening their social clout.

Many new countries have been linked to the network as the project develops.

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