A group of ten Metis from Nepal received support from the Prince Claus Fund to travel to Mexico to perform at the 17th International AIDS Conference in Mexico City that took place from 3-8 August 2008. read more
Film and Documentary maker Seraphin Zounyekpe from Benin participated in the World One Minute Exhibition in the Beijing Today Art Museum after winning an Award for best documentary film of one minute. The Prince Claus Fund supported his travel to China. He wrote a report on this unique experience. read more
The Prince Claus Fund supports independant art gallery Espacio Aglutinador (roughly translated it means melting pot) in Cuba for an experimental residency program for Art students and self-taught artists. The program is called Laboratorio and takes place in 2008 – 2009. During a year the selected artists carry out a project with particular characteristics, that is determined with the collaborating institution and through the scheme of PERRO residencies of Laboratorio Aglutinador. The given support will be used for 8 artists for residency and scholarship, for photographing the process and the publication of a catalogue with the work that has been made. The group consists of a number of self-taught artists from different age groups and artistic styles and students from the fourth year of arts at the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA). By placing together both groups the intention is to first confront the unfair notion that self-taught artists are of inferior quality. Read more
The Tini Tinou Festival is organised since 2007, now for the second time in 2008, by Phare Ponleu Selpak (PPS), a local Cambodian NGO that has been actively engaged in improving the living conditions of underprivileged children of the Battambang province community. Today, the population of the Battambang province appears among the poorest and most marginalized in Cambodian society. In 1998, a young drawing teacher, decides to open a circus school within PPS so as to work with the children in greatest difficulties whose attention is not captured by the drawing and music activities. The circus school offers professional training with the aim of developing the children’s physical, artistic and human capacities. Today, 130 students are learning circus skills, 4 shows are performing in Europe, Asia and Africa, 5 in Cambodia. During the Festival circus artists from all over the world came to Cambodia to participate in workshops and to exchange experiences and skills. Read More
The Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) took place from 29th April to 4th May 2008. HIFA has grown into one of the most substantial and diverse international arts events in Africa. There was a cultural carnival featuring a huge programme of music of all types, theatre, dance and visual arts.
The theme of the Festival this year was the Art of Determination. Before the festival began, Founder and Artistic Director Manuel Bagorro said: “HIFA 2008 is a celebration of the capacity of people to make amazing creative things happen. Both the Zimbabwean artistic community and the large number of international artists from more than 20 countries will come together in a spirit of inspiration and solidarity".
The Prince Claus Fund supports a media training programme for six Zimbabwean arts and culture journalists drawn from print media, television and radio. The participants will deal with theatre, sculpture, dance, music and spoken word as well as writing on and about arts issues deriving from events during the festival. Read More
Two members of the Bolivian organisation Espacio Danza travelled from La Paz, Bolivia, to Havana, Cuba, to attend two workshops regarding improvisation and composition for alternative spaces for professional dancers. Espacio Danza is a Centre for the Development, Diffusion and Investigation of Contemporary Dance in Bolivia. In Cuba the two members had the opportunity to participate in an exchange-residence to do research regarding the experiences with, and the development of, contemporary dance in Cuba, the education system and different project administrations. They themselves gave three workshops in Havana inclusing very different dance atmospheres. They also used the opportunity of being there to visit the most important dance projects in Havana at this moment. Finally they were able to share their work by participating in public presentations. The Prince Claus Fund provided support for the travel costs. In the report María-José Rivera states that the experience was enriching, also for their own projects in Bolivia, she also found that there was a big difference in the way of working in Cuba because of cultural differences and a different body approach. Read the Report
One of the Metis of the Blue Diamond Society
Espacio Aglutinador in Cuba and a flyer of work within the program Laboratorio
Poster of the Tini Tinou Festival
The theme of the Harare International Festival of the Arts was the 'Art of Determination'. Cartoon by Gado
With the aim of encouraging worldwide cultural debate, the Prince Claus Fund organises and supports events around the world to facilitate intercultural exchange. These events include conferences, lectures, meetings and exhibitions.
The results of these exchange events are presented to a wider, international audience in the form of articles, books and websites.
These exchange events provide a creative environment in which new approaches can be presented and new contributors can become engaged in the debate. The events also serve as a guide to the Prince Claus Fund in its endeavours in the field of culture and development.
