The British Council has partnered with the Trust for Indigenous Culture & Health (TICAH) to establish a new fund for arts and culture practitioners across East Africa.
The initiative, which is currently accepting applications for a second round of grants, was unveiled at the Goethe Institute in Nairobi on Thursday 7th March, 2024.
According to a joint report published by the British Council and TICAH, 23 projects from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania received up to Ksh. 700,000 each in funding support to implement various projects in their respective communities between 2023 and 2024.
“In addition to the support by British Council, TICAH is committing internal funds to expand the Braid Fund in 2024, with the hopes of supporting more cultural practitioners and linking up with more potential funding partners to support the growing program and community”, says a section of the report.
Some of the areas earmarked for support under the programme include traditional and
indigenous cultural heritage practitioners, innovative artists and marginalized groups.
Additionally, artists from countries in the region will have an opportunity to participate in
residencies and symposiums which are aimed at building connections between cultural
practitioners and facilitating learning through skills sharing.
“We see the work of the fund being more community-led, growing and adapting to the realities on the ground. We envision that it will be easy to recognize the change and impact that small grants and community support can bring, and we are there open and ready to be a resource for others,” adds the report.
