The Goethe-Institut South Africa in partnership with Hear My Voice and the Centre For Creative Arts are pleased to announce The Right To Speak Workshop Series. The project aims to assist poets to sharpen their administrative and creative skills and better position themselves for international stages and collaborations.
The free online workshop series will cover six key topics that were reflected in a recent dip-stick study, mounted by the Goethe-Institut in South Africa to determine the urgent skills gaps and development needs amongst young creatives in the South African literary sector. The key topics include Brand Identity, Financial Literacy, Understanding Funding, Proposal Writing, Arts Administration 101 and Tools for Multimedia Production.
The workshops series will be produced and hosted by Hear My Voice NPO and the Centre For Creative Arts and will run virtually every evening from 22 - 27 August at 18:00.
Interested poets must register here: https://bit.ly/R2SWorkshops to reserve their space in the digital classroom as space is limited. More information is available on Right To Speak's social media pages:
- Facebook: Right To Speak
- Twitter: @_RightToSpeak
- Instagram: @RightToSpeak_Poetry
Workshop Schedule
Mon 22 Aug: Brand Identity
Brand identity consists of a brand's values, the brand's positioning and how customers interact with that particular brand, how you communicate your product, and what you want people to feel when they interact with your brand. This workshop will focus broadly on brands within the context of poetry. This session will be facilitated by Shakirah Dramat, Chief Strategist at THAT Network, an artist development agency that bridges the gap between clients and creatives, as well as multi award winning South African poet and Digify Africa alumnus Xabiso Vili.
Tue 23 Aug: Financial Literacy
This workshop will look into the complexities and anxieties of art vs business, pricing of art and the basic understanding of financial literacy as a tool to earn. This session is facilitated by South African poet Lebo Mashile.
Wed 24 Aug: Understanding Funding
What are the kinds of partnerships that grant-makers are looking for? What is the difference between grants, subsidies and sponsorships? How do we match what a grant-makers vision is with the aspirations of artists? Why is the handshake between partners as vitally important as the contract?
Drawing on more than 35 years of experience in cultural leadership, Centre for Creative Arts director Ismail Mahomed will share his insights into proposal writing.
Thu 25 Aug: Proposal Writing
This workshop will take participants through compliance documents that are required by State funding agencies in South Africa. The workshop will discuss why compliance and effective accounting is essential to sustain funding relationships. The workshop will be co-presented by Mahomed together and the Senior Administrator of the Centre for Creative Arts and Poetry Africa curator, Siphindile Hlongwa.
Fri 26 Aug: Arts Administration 101
The Centre for Creative Arts hosts 12 young interns who gain valuable experience in arts administration. This workshop will engage with them on aspects of festival administration and management: Sibahle Khwela (intern curator: Time of the Writer festival), Sizwe Hlophe (intern curator: Artfluence Democracy Dialogues), Bash Siddique (intern designer & communications), Senamile Mabuza(finance administration intern) and Philile Nkikija (intern co-ordinator: projects on tour). The workshop is intended to offer participants an insight into the different roles of arts administration and arts management.
Sat 27 Aug: Tools for Multimedia Production
Karen Ijumba produced the documentary The Poetics of Transformation. She is an established researcher and archivist who has worked together with videographers, soundscape artists and poets to create the production. Featuring at least three South African poets who have produced their own multi-media productions, Karen will facilitate the discussions reflecting on their work and discuss the highlights, challenges and opportunities for poets to work in multimedia projects.
---
About the Right To Speak project
Right To Speak is an international exchange programme by the Goethe-Institut South Africa in partnership with Hear My Voice, the Centre For Creative Arts, the General Representation of Flanders, Wallonie-Bruxelles International and Institut Francais Afrique du Sud. It is a collaborative project that uses spoken word to engage youth voices in Africa and Europe around human rights and social justice issues. The Right To Speak project runs from March to October 2022 and leverages the power of the digital sphere to create spaces that enable young poets across oceans to speak, learn and grow together while supporting and building capacity for local organizations for sustained impact.
Right To Speak is a project funded by European Spaces of Culture, which aims to test and implement innovative models of collaboration in culture between European actors - EUNIC members and EU Delegations - and local partners in non-EU countries, delivering the EU strategic approach to international cultural relations.
About the Goethe-Institut
The Goethe-Institut is the Federal Republic of Germany's cultural institute, active worldwide. The Goethe-Institut promotes the study of German abroad and encourages international cultural exchange. The Goethe-Institut Johannesburg supports local South African projects and regional exchange within Africa and continues to facilitate engagement with Germany. Website
About Hear My Voice
Hear My Voice is a non-profit organization based in the City of Tshwane, South Africa. Their focus is on developing spoken word artists as well as creating open and uncensored platforms for self-expression through spoken word poetry. They achieve this through organizing local and international exchange programs, workshops, live spoken word shows, open mics and other literature programs for schools, private companies, government, libraries, festivals and other cultural institutions.
About the Centre For Creative Arts
The Centre for the Creative Arts (CCA) is an inter-disciplinary hub in the School of the Arts in the College of Humanities at the University of Kwazulu-Natal. The Centre plays host to four festivals which, over many years, have built a strong international profile for artistic excellence and for how the arts are engaged to advance social change and to strengthen South Africa's constitutional democracy
About General Representation of Flanders
The Delegation of Flanders is responsible for all offcial contacts and issues with regard to the Government of Flanders and its competencies in 7 countries in the southern African region (Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland and South Africa). The competencies of the Government of Flanders are very broad and encompass, amongst others: culture, development cooperation, education, science and technology, innovation, youth policy, economy and foreign trade. The Delegation promotes Flanders through various initiatives and actions highlighting some of Flanders' main assets.
About Wallonie-Bruxelles International
Wallonia-Brussels International (WBI) is the organization responsible for the international relations of Wallonia-Brussels. It is the international policy instrument led by Wallonia, the Wallonia-Brussels Federation and the French Community Commission of the Brussels-Capital Region. WBI promotes the
components of Wallonia-Brussels as entities endowed with a capacity for international action and defends the values and interests of each of the parties in a spirit of cooperation and mutual assistance.
About Institut Francais Afrique du Sud
The Cultural and Cooperation Department (SCAC) and the French Institute strive to strengthen the bond between France and South Africa. These two entities are committed to supporting innovative cultural, scientific, audiovisual, academic, educational and linguistic initiatives. They also provide technical support in the health arena and are dedicated to aiding the actions of South Africa and Lesotho's civil societies in the areas of governance, human rights, the fight against inequalities and the prevention of gender-based violence.
Press Contact Zanokuhle Mthembu admin@afriyouthlit.africa
Qhakaza Mohare qhakaza@afriyouthlit.africa
Ends ///