Laimi Hawala
The National Arts Council of Namibia (NACN) has recently approved an additional N$342 000 to fund 14 successful applicants from their second cycle of eligible applications. Overall, out of 47 applications reviewed, six individuals, six groups and two organisations were successful.
NACN approved the first round of eligible applicants on 5 August with a total of N$302 300 to fund 10 successful applicants out of 35 eligible applications. The successful applicants are five individuals and five organisations.
The Arts & Culture Covid-19 Relief Fund was created by NACN with the support of the Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture. It is a temporary relief grant fund for artists, cultural groups and Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) organisations in Namibia. The application process started in July and will end in September 2020.
The fund focuses on the provision of grants to arts and culture practitioners and organisations, with their main priority being given to those with special needs such as those living in marginalised communities and from rural or indigenous communities. They have allocated N$100 000 to organisations supporting people living with disabilities in Namibia.
The fund also aims to support arts and culture practitioners and institutions to continue implementing their mandates and sustaining their operations during the Covid-19 pandemic, thereby maintaining their impact in the CCI.
An amount of N$1.1 million was approved to fund Namibian national arts and culture institutions’ programmes. From that money, the NACN has funded a specific approved amount to institutions such as the National Art Gallery of Namibia (NAGN), the Namibia Film Commission (NFC), the National Theatre of Namibia (NTN), the College of Arts (COTA) and other arts and cultural institutions.
The vision of the fund is to unravel the creative potential of the nation, thus contributing to a rich Namibian identity. Moreover, their mission is to build an empowering environment for the identification, support and development of the creative talents of all Namibians to motivate the development of a sustainable arts industry.
The eligible applications were reviewed by the Arts and Culture Covid-19 Relief Fund Committee, which is composed of seven experts from the sectors in the field of art, culture, heritage, craft, music, media and law.
The next successful applicants will be announced on 28 August 2020.
Applications are open until the 30th of September, and people may only apply once.
According to Gretta Gaspar, the administrator of the NACN, said the NACN has checked in with the funded individuals, groups and organisations.
‘’It should be noted that they all have timelines that speak to their projects, meaning the execution will not be immediate. It should be noted that most of the projects will be delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and limitation of 10 pax per gathering.”
She also stated that the timeline for the completion of the projects is within the current financial year ending March 2021.
“Thus, the recipients of the fund have time to complete and report on their projects until then,’’ she ended.
- laimihawala2000@gmail.com