Call for applications: Basita Fellowship for North African artists

The 12-month programme aims to equip 20 North African and Middle Eastern performing arts groups with the necessary technical, managerial, marketing and digital capacities. 

At the end of the programme, participants will:

• Embark on their next career level.
• Be financially self-sustainable.
• Navigate and master the digital era.

The structure of the programme is as follows:

• Kick-off Seminar (virtual): Input on strategic planning in light of new technologies and digital and online marketing presence, in addition to an overview on institutional resilience and overview on fundraising. 
• One-on-one mentorship (face-to-face and virtual) with Basita founders and the selected mentors (industry professionals from the region) for six hours per month for 10 months. This is in addition to 10 hours per month of individual work/assignments.
• Monthly Case Clinics: Two monthly group meetings to work on addressing a challenge.
• Monthly virtual check-ins, where participants will meet to share progress, report on individual work/assignments, and share recommendations from the case clinics.
• Closing Seminar (face-to-face in Egypt): Evaluation, feedback, presentation of their strategic plans and outcomes.

Each participant is expected to produce a performance with a host institution in their country. The production will be part of Bab ElBahr Hybrid Festival, performed live and broadcasted on Basita.live for audiences who are not physically in the performance location. 

Eligibility

The following are eligible to apply:

• Performing artists from different disciplines such as music, theatre, dance and all types of spoken word.
• Performing artists with a proven track record.
• Performing artists from Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Palestine and Yemen.

The application deadline is 1 September, after which successful applicants may be contacted for potential interviews. 

The dates for the kick-off seminar, which will take place in November, will be confirmed later. 

Interested artists can access the application form here. 

Basita.live is also looking for mentors to facilitate the training. Interested performing arts experts can apply here.