The Abidjan Market for African Performing Arts (MASA) launches as its own mobility fund.

Sanou A.

The announcement was made this Wednesday, April 17, 2024, at a conference hosted by Abdramane Kamaté, MASA’s General Manager, and Valérie Lesbros, Head of the Culture and Solidarity Partnerships Department at the Institut français de Paris. An exceptional situation for a festival that comes as a concrete response to the mobility difficulties faced by artists and their creations.

« Supporting African creation means supporting mobility, » says MASA’s Managing Director. That’s why MASA has decided to do it with the limited means at its disposal. « It’s a modest fund in relation to the needs. A seed fund, because the needs are colossal… There are official traffic fees and unofficial fees. There are the obstacles, the misunderstandings of the police and customs authorities. With a backpack, it’s difficult. Imagine artists moving around with their sets, costumes, instruments… It becomes almost impossible, » he explains. He also encourages bus travel as an alternative to expensive air travel. « If you don’t have the means, you can travel between countries by bus, » he says.

Artists eligible for the fund are those selected at MASA. The fund will come into effect as soon as MASA closes its doors on Saturday April 20. A call for applications will then be launched. Artists will submit their touring projects, reassuring buyers that they are interested. Projects will be submitted by both creators and venues wishing to host them. A committee of experts will be chosen to select the shows. « There will be a transparent process, » he reassured.

Valérie Lesbros recalled the long tradition of the Institut Français in the circulation of creations by African artists. She made a point of emphasizing the structure’s new orientations. « This partnership, which has been strengthened this year, has been made effective through new funding under the Création Africa program, » she noted.

For this project, the Institut Français, as usual, will assess the financial support to be provided according to the scale of the project. In other words, the number of artists, the number of dates, and so on. Support for this kind of project ranges from 5,000 to 20,000 euros in countries other than the creators’ own.