Freemuse Award 2013 goes to Festival in the Desert in Mali

Manny Ansar, festival director and co-founder of Mali’s world famous ‘Festival au Désert’, will receive the Freemuse Award on Monday 3 June 2013 at the Geneva United Nations headquarters in Switzerland.

The award ceremony will take place in connection with a UN session on the right to freedom of artistic expression and creativity featuring artists and human rights advocates. At the session, Manny Ansar and Freemuse will speak on the situation in Mali and artistic freedom in general.

The session is hosted by the UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, Farida Shaheed, who launches her report ‘The right to freedom of artistic expression and creativity’ to the public. Amongst the artists speaking at the event are also Senegalese rapper and producer Didier Awadi and Norwegian filmmaker and producer Deeyah.

More info: http://freemuse.org/archives/5981

European Commission > Culture > new call for proposals (26 April '13)

Pilot Project for a European Platform for Festivals in the field of culture. Deadline: 26 June ' 13

At the end of 2012, the European Parliament voted a new budget line on the 2013 budget of the European Union dedicated to a pilot project aiming at creating a European platform for festivals.

This pilot project will seek to capitalise on the potential of festivals in order to maximise their contribution to various EU policies, including for instance innovation, social inclusion, education and intercultural dialogue. By promoting the visibility of Europe's unique values, the European Platform for festivals also will seek to increase the European dimension of festivals and through them, to reach a large number of citizens across Europe.

One European Platform for Festivals shall be supported under this pilot action.

To this purpose, a call for proposals was published by the European Commission on 26 April 2013.

You will find the specifications for this call and the application forms at the following link:

http://ec.europa.eu/culture/calls-for-proposals/call-eac-s07-2013-pilot-project_en.htm

EFWMF welcomes another new member from the Mediterranean region

FESTIVAL NATIONAL DES ARTS POPULAIRES

The festival showcases Moroccan history and culture particularly through traditional Moroccan music, while also welcoming foreign melodies. The festival seeks to preserve the precious knowledge of traditional Moroccan popular arts which has been marginalised by new artistic trends through performances by traditional artistic troops as well as providing a room for free musical expression by these troops.

The festival takes place in Marrakesh, the centre of popular Arts in Morocco, whose Jamaâ-El-Fna Square gained recognition as the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2001. This Moussem of modern times showcases the best traditional artistic troops of Morocco, who will perform in the Great Parade on the opening day, as well as every night at El Badii Palace and at the Festival Village.

Wanna know more:  http://www.marrakechfestival.com/

New member: Kriol Jazz Festival in Cape Verde!

Based upon the international reference jazz represents, Kriol Jazz Festival project aims at creating a cultural meeting relying on Creolity and to promote the Creole-inspired music from all the islands, whether in the Caribbean, Indian Ocean, Cape Verde, or Africa, the cradle of Creole. Discover a selection of the best artists from the creole world for a program based upon exchanging as much on a musical as on a human level.

More info: www.krioljazzfestival.com / FB: KriolJazzFestival / TWITTER: KriolJazzFest

Next edition will be organised in April 2014. 

Spring 2013: another new member

22 - 29 June 2013 

The Arts Festival of North Norway has been held in Harstad since 1965. What began as a musical event with a particular focus on the meeting between amateurs and professionals, is today a top shelf international event that presents and produces a vast well of musical genres, as well as performance arts, visual arts, literature and cinematic arts. The Arts Festival also has a strong focus on children and young people, and includes people with different disabilities.

More info: www.festspillnn.no