WaPi

WaPi (Words and Pictures) - Enhancing social cohesion and citizenship through the arts

Countries : Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania, Malawi and Sierra Leone

Project initiated in: 2007 and completed in 2009

Presented by: British Council

Partners: Private sponsors

Project budget: EUR 1 250 000

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// Context

WaPi emerged from the need to engage with the vast sector of a very young population in Africa and to provide them with a tool for freedom of expression through artistic showcasing and an introduction to the creative industries.

WaPi is a platform where culture and development meet to support Sub-Saharan African emerging artistic communities. It consists in a series of one-day events where emerging artists in nine countries of Sub-Saharan Africa meet on a monthly basis to entertain and inform their wide audiences. WaPi gathers musicians, fashion designers, performing and visual artists with an interest in social or political activism. WaPi has covered themes linked to human rights, democracy, women's rights, and other educational themes such as HIV and climate change. WaPi events are designed by independent country boards that identify and invite the artists and select the themes to be profiled during the event.

// Project objectives

To provide a space for African youth to:

• be informed about, explore and discuss human rights and social themes through the arts;
• showcase their artistic talents with the aim of creating employment opportunities;
• demonstrate their involvement/concern for social issues;
• enjoy free entertainment and network with other people of their own age;
• learn about the potential of the creative industries.

// Action and impact

WaPi has reached wide and diverse audiences across the region. Some of the key figures are:

• delivery of 120 WaPi events across Sub-Saharan Africa;
• setting up of 6 WaPi boards in countries of Sub-Saharan Africa;
• a total of 1 440 emerging artists performed at WaPi, many of them for the first time: 10% of the artists that performed in WaPi were offered follow-up opportunities to perform at local festivals, TV or live music shows;
• WaPi reached, in 3 years, a total live audience of 370 000 people across the continent and 4 650 000 people via radio and TV;
• WaPi has developed a social network in Sudan with a membership of 2 500 people and contributed to the creation of a dialogue between North and South Sudan.

Concerning the impact on the music sector in these countries, WaPi:

• has created a platform for artists to perform, develop and widen their audiences;
• attracted a new public of young people;
• has provided professional development opportunities and developed networks between artists and the wider creative sector;
• raised the profile of the music sector, attracting significant interest from broadcast companies and major private sector sponsorship (e.g. DAL group in Sudan).

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