New Narratives - Open Call for young African creatives in the UK
© Cynthia MaiWa Sitei
Through the New Narratives programme, the British Council has opened up a future facing dialogue between young creatives and representative organisations in Africa and the UK to build stronger cultural connections between those living in the four UK nations and on the African continent. The programme is looking for fresh perspectives, new insights based on lived experience and which challenge dominant narratives about Africa and the UK, including those relating to the UK’s colonial past and oversimplistic and negative representations of Africa and its diverse peoples and cultures.
https://www.britishcouncil.org/society/new-narratives
As part of the New Narratives programme, we are offering four digital content commissions targeted at young creatives aged 18-35, in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. A parallel programme will be run for young creatives in the African countries participating in the programme.
Each commission will be supported by a £1,500 award to include artist fees and production costs. Content output can include but should not be limited to podcasts, essays, documentaries, short films, creative art, online exhibits, poetry, animation, illustrations etc. The focus should be on amplifying new narratives or demystifying existing myths and stereotypes, and short documentaries presenting new stories about contemporary African experience in the UK.
The application process
The Open Call, selection and oversight of the commissioned projects is being managed by Caerbladon arts consultancy (acting as Executive Producer), in partnership with Afrika Eye, Maona, SSAP (Sub-Sahara Advisory Panel), Deveron Projects, Open Eye and other organisations promoting intercultural dialogue and artistic exchanges between Africa and the UK. Caerbladon will manage the marketing and communications for the programme, and the partnership arrangements for publishing and distribution, ensuring maximum impact and reach for all commissioned content.
Applications should be sent to opencall@caerbladon.co.uk by 5pm on Thurs 16 February 2023 at the latest.
Applicants should send an outline proposal as a pdf (no more than six sides of A4), with a project concept, production schedule, indicative budget, brief bios of the creative contributors/production team and any relevant supporting images, links to websites and video content etc.
The selected projects will be completed by 30 June 2023, ready for sharing and presentation, and the creative participants will need to be available for regular update meetings (virtual) with the Executive Producer to discuss progress and arrangements for publishing and distribution of the creative content. All participants will agree to contribute to platform events (planned for Sept/October 2023), and to attend liaison meetings with representatives in the UK and Africa involved in the programme, including members of the British Council team.
The creative content will be published across multiple platforms (traditional and non-traditional media) including but not limited to radio, television, print, online magazines, podcasts, YouTube, etc.
Who should apply?
We are inviting proposals from UK-based young African creatives (18-35 years old) and young creatives in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland with experience of living and working in Africa and the UK. The quality and originality of the proposal is more important to us than your professional track record, although you will need to demonstrate that you can deliver the finished project to a high standard within available budget. Please make one proposal only as we cannot receive multiple applications.
We’re particularly keen to receive applications from:
vibrant digital natives
creatives and aspiring creatives
storytellers/passionate about storytelling and changing narratives
young changemakers in the UK
We look forward to receiving your proposals, and should you wish to informally discuss your project idea before submitting or need clarification on the above process, please contact David Drake at Caerbladon using the following email address hello@caerbladon.co.uk
