Zimbabwe: Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA)

The Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) began in 1999 and has received an enthusiastic response from Zimbabwean audiences, participating artists as well as local/regional and international media. The event celebrates the finest Zimbabwean and international music, theatre, spoken word, dance and visual and applied arts. HIFA 2009 featured over 120 international artists from 24 countries, and attracted unprecedented public attention in Zimbabwe; over 50 000 tickets were sold.

HIFA 2010 will run from 27th April to 2nd May and will again feature diverse international programming with participating artists from more than 20 countries, in addition to the huge Zimbabwean arts showcase (www.hifa.co.zw). The theme for this year's Festival is About Face.

ABOUT FACE
The theme for this year's Festival is an invitation to all Zimbabweans to turn things around- to look with hope and optimism for transformation and new beginnings, both artistic and societal. It is a call to artists to consider new vantage points, ideas and inspiration at a time when moving forward is about facing the past and about facing the future. The theme is also a celebration of the resolute face of Zimbabweans, past and present, who continue to stare down seemingly overwhelming challenges with grace, determination and creativity.

HIFA is calling for artists who would like to participate in this year’s edition to please contact [email][email protected] before 31 January 2010.

Rijksakademie Call for Entries
The Rijksakademie Residency in Amsterdam is an international research and production place for emerging, professional artists from all continents. The Rijksakademie is more than a residency. It has extensive technical facilities, a library and an art collection. In addition, the Rijksakademie offers basic facilities such as a studio, assistance by technical specialists, a work budget, and mediation with accommodation and grants.

There are approximately fifty studios where resident artists work for a period of one to two years on research, experiment, projects and production. Confrontation with diverse cultures and advice by internationally active artists, curators and others, promote the deepening, expansion and acceleration of artistic practice.

A period at the Rijksakademie has the greatest effect on an artists' career, three to five years of professional experience before applying. Primary selection criteria are excellence and possibilities for further development. An ability for critical reflection and sufficient focus within the work are important in order to be able to make optimum use of the facilities the Rijksakademie offers.

Resident artists pursue all major contemporary visual art disciplines: painting, drawing, graphics, photography, print-making, sculpture, video, film, sound and digital media. Links with other disciplines such as architecture, music, dance, literature and cinematography are possible.

Application
Each year, out of almost 2000 applicants, around twenty-five artists are invited for a residency period. Artists can apply for the residency January to December 2011 by using the online application form. The deadline for application is 1 February 2010.
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