Deadline: 30 October 2019

Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), C4AA (The Center for Artistic Activism) and La Muse (Guinee) is inviting applications from artists, activists and journalists to apply on Art Action Academy.

The Art Action Academy (AAA), from December 17 to 21, 2019 a 5 days workshop in Dakar, Senegal. The AAA is part of the two-year intervention ‘Regional Creative Hubs: Tapping into the Power of Arts and Culture to Embolden Citizen Action against Corruption’ which includes similar activities in Western Balkans.

The AAA is designed to help artists who want to be socially engaged to be more effective in bringing about change. The AAA presents new ways of doing art and activism, drawing upon artists’ perspectives, expertise and understandings. The workshop also helps artists build a community of practice, an extended network of artists in a region and around the world who provide support after the workshop.

The goal of the project is not merely to impart knowledge, but to empower artists, advocates and journalists to be more effective in their efforts to influence people’s engagement on corruption issues and to create opportunities for meaningful synergies across themes and geographies.

The AAA curriculum includes exercises to help applicants see how activism is typically done, and how to do it better by using art and culture to reach people at a level of personal experience, story, emotion and fundamental values. The workshop takes a deep dive into the history of effective artistic activism around the world, drawing out lessons that can be applied locally but also revealing how tactics must be culturally specific in order to resonate. Workshop participants bring their own examples of artistic activist tactics that have worked in their regions and cultures. Together they examine why these are effective and how to draw from them for new and innovative campaign ideas with objectives and goals aimed at fundamental change.

The workshop facilitators talk about how to use cognitive and behavioral science to change people’s minds and behaviors, and exercises help participants examine how applicants might use this science, as well as morality and storytelling, to change culturally-specific narratives. Working like anthropologists, together the group will examine those culturally-specific narratives, use outcome-based design thinking techniques to invent new ones, and collaborate to create an action that puts the workshop’s lessons to the test.

Eligibility Criteria

• The Art Action Academy is open to experienced artists, activists and journalists living and working in Ghana, Guinea and Senegal.
• Participants will be eligible to apply after the workshop for funding to collaboratively or independently produce creative action projects, and will be further eligible for advanced training.
• Applicants must be able to commit to the full workshop for 5 days and evenings plus travel time. Costs (travel ticket, accommodation and meals) will be covered.

How to Apply

Applicants must complete the information on the application form and attach their CV with relevant to this initiative information and submit it on the given website.

For more information, please visit http://www.osiwa.org/newsroom/announcements/call-for-applications-west-africa-art-action-academy/