Research/Residency Grant Recipient: POOL (Amy Watson and Mika Conradie)
POOL is an emergent platform for curatorial production, experimentation and research, founded in Johannesburg in 2015 by curators Mika Conradie and Amy Watson. POOL is undertaking a research residency in Madagascar in October visiting both the Madajazzcar Festival, Antananarivo and Festival d’Art Urbain, Mahajanga.

The time in Madagascar will be spent establishing connections with practitioners working in visual arts, music, literature, ecology and with independent arts organisations with the potential to developing a collaborative transnational project. During the residency POOL will also undertake further research pertaining to POOL’s ongoing Ocean Thinking project, alongside research on jazz culture and history.

The Ocean Thinking project furthers POOL’s current research into rhythmanalysis as a curatorial methodology that considers counter-rhythms and arhythmic tempos across organic and mechanised worlds including: jazz, instituent practices, ecosystems. The current cycle of the Ocean Thinking project considers the life of islands, with a focus on Madagascar’s floating relation to the African landmass.
Twitter: @POOL_space
Instagram: @pool_space
Facebook: POOL
More links: www.madajazzcar.mg http://www.teinturerie-isart.com/programme

Project Grant Recipient: John Muafangejo Art Centre (Namibia)
Project Title: John Muafangejo Season 2016
03 – 08 October. Windhoek, Namibia
The John Muafangejo Art Centre is a Namibian creative think tank focused on establishing collaborative methodologies in contemporary arts practice & forging expansive networks. The John Muafangejo Season is aimed at honoring the legacy of John Muafangejo through a series of collaborative arts and cultural activities with local and guest practitioners from the Southern African region. Gabi Ngcobo as guest curator (South Africa) will contribute to the Season Programme.
Twitter: @jmac_art

Project Grant Recipient: Robert Machiri and Memory Biwa
Project Title: Listening to a Listening at Pungwe Nights: A Conversation Between Memory Biwa and Robert Machiri
07 October. John Muafangejo Season. Namibia
Listening at Pungwe Nights explores the relationship between the sound of language and the language of sound. A collaborative experiential sound performance by Memory Biwa and Robert Machiri reimagine the dialectic relationship between recording, translation and the recyclability of transnational phonographic cultures by listening to Memory’s curatorial inputs of Ernst and Ruth Dammann Sound Collection and Robert’s Tribute to the original Lamellas recordings.
07 October: Exhibition/Articulation Session: Performing/ReWriting/Curating the Archive: first reflections on the JMAC needs assessment project.
Tumblr: Pungwe Nights
Facebook: Pungwe Nights

Project Grant Recipient: Videonomad
Project Title: Videonomad.Harare
13 – 15 October. Njelele Art Station. Harare, Zimbabwe
Established in 2013, VIDEONOMAD is an independent venture dedicated to video art in Africa. Its Screening programme has travelled to major cities worldwide to show video art during biennales and other festivals with the aims to shed light on African artists and those of the African diaspora.

Showcasing in Southern Africa for the very first time, VIDEONOMAD will travel to Zimbabwe to hold a 3-day programme at Njelele Art Station from 13th-15th October 2016, which includes screenings, video art workshops and talks with invited artists from South-Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

Participants: Berry Bickle, Bogosi Sekhukhuni, Cosmo Zengeya, Dineo Seshee Bopape, Fransix Tenda, Kitso Lynn Lelliot, Kombo Chapfika, Lerato Shadi, Lucia Nhamo, Mario Macilau, Masimba Hwati, Nontsikelelo Mutiti, Simon Gush, Tabita Rezaire. Artistic Director: Tobi Ayedadjou
Website: www.videonomad.global
Facebook: Videonomad

Project Grant Recipient: University of KwaZulu-Natal, African Music Project
Project Title: Ramokgwebana Crossings – Trans-border Dialogue and Exchange between Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa
14 October. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Centre for Jazz and Popular Music 11th Annual African Cultural Calabash & African Cuisine
The University of KwaZulu-Natal African Music Project will be hosting the 11th Annual African Cultural Calabash hosted by 3rd year African Music Outreach: Community Development students under the theme Soul of Africa in One Voice. The lineup for the event includes Bahubhe (Maskanda), Ubukhipha (Isigekle from Hluhluwe), Sabelo Mvelase & Brian Gwamanda (Izanusi Zosiba Poetry Duo), Nyuswa Home Boys (Isicathamiya national champions), Legon Palmwine Band (Ghana), B’Scent-Shantu Musik (Nigeria) and UKZN African Music and Dance Ensemble.

Refreshments will be served after the Concert, featuring the ever popular African cuisine with enticing African dishes.

Tickets available from UKZN Jazz Centre – 031-2603385 (Thuli) R70 for adults, R35 for students

Research/Residency Grant Recipient: Heal the Hood Project
Project Title: Project Breaking Divides
15 October. African Hip Hop Indaba – Muizenburg High School Hall, Cape Town.
Project “Breaking Divides” is an anti- Xenophobia project utilizing Dance, Music and Visual Arts to break the racial divides which separate SDC countries. The ongoing collaboration between Heal the Hood Project (Cape Town) and Lyfstyle Dance Company (Harare) aims to showcase the similarities as fellow Africans instead of the differences through the production of new work which fuses different traditional dance and music styles with hip hop styles. Workshops between choreographers and dancers from both dance companies have taken place in Harare and Cape Town culminating in a final performance of new work produced at the African Hip Hop Indaba 2016.
Website: www.healthehood.org.za
Facebook: Heal the Hood Project
Twitter: @healthehoodza
YouTube: Heal the Hood TV

Project Grant Recipient: Arterial Network South Africa
Project Title: Arterial Network General Council 2016
26 – 27 October. Zimbabwe
Arterial Network’s General Council will take place from 26 – 27 October 2016 in Harare, Zimbabwe, bringing together delegates from nineteen African countries.

Arterial Network is a dynamic, civil-society network of artists, cultural activists, entrepreneurs, enterprises, NGOs, institutions, and donors active in Africa’s creative and cultural sectors. Established as a member-based, non-profit organisation, Arterial Network operates as a bilingual network with French and English as its official languages.

The Steering Committee meeting will precede the General Council (24 – 25 October 2016) and bring together the ten members of the network’s continental Steering Committee to deliberate on the corporate governance aspects of the network.

For the General Council meeting (AGM), delegates from Arterial Network Chapters and Affiliate organisations will be in attendance, as well as staff members from the Continental Secretariat in Cape Town, South Africa. This meeting is an opportunity for members to share experiences, and offer input and discuss the programme plans for the coming year in light of the Strategic Plan 2016-2018 that emphasises the network’s five core functions, namely Capacity Building, Market Access, Advocacy and Lobbying, Research, and Organisational Development and Sustainability.
Website: www.arterialnetwork.org
Facebook: arterialnetworkhq
Twitter:  @arterialnetwork

Project Grant Recipient: Modzi Arts
b: Modzi Live presents Afro-Luso
21 & 22 October. Modzi Arts, Lusaka, Zambia
From the sweetest acoustic folk to thought-provoking theatre, from blazing hip-hop to stirring films, the monthly Afro Luso series brings together some of the most dynamic talents the southern African region has to offer. Music, poetry, art, photography, theatre and film are brought together under one Afro Luso roof, where ground-breaking artists from Zambia and around the region break bread, create, and inspire. AFRO LUSO is hosted by Modzi Arts, and conceptualised and curated by singer-songwriter Namvula.

Tickets are available at Modzi Arts offices and www.modziarts.com
Website: www.modziarts.com
Facebook: Modziarts
Twitter: @modziarts
Instagram: @modziarts

Project Grant Recipient: Namvula Muntemba Rennie
Project Title: Namvula SADC Tour
13 – 29 October. Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, Malawi
Described as a “true original” by The Guardian (UK), Zambian-Scottish singer-songwriter Namvula embarks on her first five-show SADC tour in October. Backed by a band of world-class southern African musicians including multi-award winning legendary Zambian guitarist Sir Jones, percussionist and mbira player Jacob Mafuleni (Chiwoniso), and Zimbabwean saxophonist Vee Mukarati, Namvula twists Africana with funk, pop and folk to produce an intoxicating and adventurous blend of uplifting global sounds.

14 October: Alliance Francaise, Harare
21 October: The Other Side, Lusaka
28 October: FNCC, Windhoek
29 October: Workshops (circle song, musicianship), 9-11 am, FNCC, Windhoek
19 November: Tristan’s, Zimbabwe
Website: http://www.namvula.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/namvulasings
Twitter: @NamvulaSings
Instagram: @NamvulaSings
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/namvula

Project Grant Recipient: Sibusile Xaba
Project Title: Continental Arts Exchange – CAE
24 October – 10 November. Tanzania
A dedicated ensemble of South African Artists specialising in different art disciplines have committed themselves to going into the continent and develop/create a connecting point for the African community. For 2016 six countries were identified as the starting point of the Continental Arts & Culture Exchange Project; Swaziland, Mozambique, Botswana, Zambia, Tanzania and Malawi. The aim of this project is to promote collaborations between African people, preserve the history & culture of African people and create think tanks that find or develop solutions. This will be achieved by performances, exhibitions, discussions and workshops.

The third and last phase for 2016 takes place in Tanzania (Dar es Saalam & Bogomoya). The project will start in Der es Saalam at the Nafasi Arts Space and later move to Bagamoyo for the annual Karibu Music Festival 2016 where the Sibusile Xaba – Unlearning Ensemble (South African) and Tanzanian artists will perform (the performance will be a multi-disciplinary one; music, dance & photography).

 Website: www.sibusilexaba.com
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/sibusilexaba