Promoting African performing arts centre/organisation.
Forming a group of musician who wants to promote and make an income from performing and promoting arts with African background. Our aim is to benefit the greater community to have a possibility to revive, or learn from the beginning the African performing arts. This organisation would give us a chance to find several art forms under one roof.
We
have already been in contact with
national arts council for funding. They are positive to accept
requests for funding on what we mentioned on this page. We should also
be able
find other funding organisation and private sponsors. They will all
need proper proposals with estimated or real budgets for our
activities.
A managing board for the organisation is still to be decided and recruited. We might as well need to employ professional administrator, finance manager and fund-raiser. To start with we might need to do some of it on our own.
There is also a need to market our facilities on a bit bigger scale to make more people aware of this chance. People need to now where and when at the same time to create the biggest momentum possible. We shall as well set up websites for our promotional purposes.
We have done a research from personal understanding here in the UK. There are enough people who would like to see our performances and participate in our workshops. For example there are no or very few places at the moment where you can specificly learn African arts, but plenty of western instrument schools.
We know that our aim to present possibilities for people to learn to play instruments from Africa is something unique and there are great needs for this set up here the UK.
We should also set up a members list of supporters for our activities, since that will create positive impact on grants organisations and give us confidence as an organisation.
Activity list
We have enough human resources now to make workshops in following suggested fields, which are mentioned in no particular order;
Dance
One of our tutors is Darlington from Zimbabwe. He specializes in dances from all over southern Africa.
Danni is also one of our dance tutors and he can teach almost any dance style.
Kora
Our tutor is Jali. He will tell us how to set up his lessons.
Song
The tutors for this part of arts are still to be recruited.
Mbira
One of our tutors for mbira is Wembada (Bjorn). He will as well invite other experienced mbira players for different skills and variation. We will teach students to a fundamental understanding of the techniques of playing the Mbira dzavadzimu with nyamaropa tuning. Since this instrument is developed in Zimbabwe we will start with learning some few traditional pieces.
One of the basics of mbira is to understand the beat and playing of hosho (shakers). Sometimes mbira without hosho is “not mbira”. For example when many players are playing, hosho will keep all players tight on beat.
We will encourage the understanding of tuning the instrument. Encourage to play mbira in a more contemporary style after finishing the first steps of the course.
There will be some instruments available for the workshops to be used during the lessons. If there is a desire to get your own we can provide the contact for that.
Marimba
Our suggested tutor in this instrument is Pascal. He will write how to set up his lessons later.
There is as well a suggestion to provide workshop on manufacturing of marimba. Wembada will be the manufacture tutor.
Drumming and other percussion
Our wish is to find a tutor who specialises in drumming from southern Africa.
Since drumming with djembe from West Africa is already established we will incorporate already functioning groups to this art if they would have interest of that.
More topics on the building of our arts organisation
Find locality for workshops office
We have to find a proper place or places for workshop studio and administrative office. We need a central office to keep the scheduling and booking for our workshops.
Make a tour for 2007 summer
All art forms mentioned will be combined to make a final show case and possible national touring. This is an interesting part for our workshops since it gives our students an aim and vision to practise well.
We might as well function as an administrative body for other already established groups to help them with bookings and marketing.
Provide recording possibilities
For performers of art there is always good to be able to record their creations for noticing their own development, for documentation, sales and marketing
Time for this to happen
One suggestion is to make this as a time limited project to start with. The reason for that is that we can adjust any ting which we have learnt during the project to make it better for the future.
For our first project which could start its activities to the public from April to end of September. A bit down the road of this project we can always start looking on how to make up our next project.
For our first project we need to start arranging the administrative parts from today to be able to start of in April.
The importance of properly paying artists and performers
In this money orientated society of today we need to be paid properly that we can concentrate on our skills and paying our cost of living.
There might be some people who are willing to do voluntary activities as well. To those who are doing performing arts as a living there is a need to be properly paid.
Structure
This is only suggestion there to be edited according to consensus from the members of the managing board of the organisation.