By Watipaso Mzungu
Young Malawian creative and cultural industry players have been called to apply for an International Cultural Marketing Workshop, which will be conducted from 14th – 29th November, 2020, in the country’s major cities of Lilongwe, Blantyre and Mzuzu.
The United States (US) Embassy in Malawi is supporting the project through the Public Affairs Office under the Public Diplomacy Small Grants Programme.
Arts and Cultural Specialist Vincent Maluwa, who is also an alumni of the US Department of State Program The International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), said applications are open to all young creative and cultural industry players such as artists, arts managers and administrators, curators, events managers and cultural managers among others.
The deadline for applications is 30th October 2020. Prospective participants can apply for participation through the following link: https://forms.gle/Y1pDRcPZkj5D8D1C9.
Maluwa said the project aims at developing creative skills for young creative and cultural industry players so as to improve and harness their abilities.
“I have also established partnerships with the Department of Arts and Malawi Censorship Board under the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Culture, Government of Malawi as well as; The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Institute (SMEDI) under the Ministry of Trade, Government of Malawi, for these institutions role in facilitating the workshop sessions which would be of mutual benefit in the development of the Creative Sector.
Additionally, the project will provide a platform to which creatives and cultural industry players can benefit from a mentorship experience intended to help them attain self-sustainability while conspicuously growing the Malawi’s creative economy,” he said.
The project will also provide an opportunity for the development of creative partnerships and collaborations within Malawi and the United States of America.
Maluwa, who is the project curator, said successful candidates will undergo an intensive two-day workshop that will cover best practices in various spheres such as: Intellectual Property Rights, Resource Mobilization; Branding and Arts Marketing; Content Creation and Management; Management of Cultural Programs and Events; Artist Management; Partnerships and Collaborations; Public Relations in the Creative Economy among others.
Meanwhile, Maluwa has disclosed that the workshops will run as follows: Lilongwe Workshop from 14th – 15th November 2020 at Madsoc Little Theatre; Blantyre Workshop from 21st -22nd November 2020 at Blantyre Cultural Center and Mzuzu from 28th -29th November 2020 at Mzuzu eHub.
Prospective applications are encouraged to seek more information via email on: creativesmeet@gmail.com.