EU-Funded Programmes Join KINANI Contemporary Dance Festival

Two European Union funded programmes in the cultural sector, PROCULTURA PALOPTL and ACP-EU Culture, will support the participation of five artists in KINANI International Festival of Contemporary Dance, taking place in Maputo, Mozambique, from 20 to 26 November 2023. This year, the festival also hosts the 17th edition of the ‘Biennale de Danse en Afrique’.

Both EU programmes are jointly promoting a panel discussion on the topic “Dancing in Africa: International Mobility, Training, and Partnerships”. Artists Bibiana Figueiredo, Luso-Angolan living in São Tomé and Príncipe, Bruno Amarante (Djam Neguin) from Cape Verde, and Osvaldo Passirivo, Mozambican, grantees of PROCULTURA, plus Khodia Touré, Senegalese, and Taurai Moyo, from Zimbabwe, grantees of the ACP-EU Culture programme, will share their experiences and further the dialogue and reflection on the challenges met by dance and choreography professionals in Africa today. The discussion will be conducted by the Polish expert and curator Julia Asperska. In addition, the participants will have the opportunity to take part in all festival activities, fostering the internationalization of their work while connecting with other artists and institutions in the dance sector.

KINANI is an international biennial created in 2005 in Maputo, Mozambique, which ranks among the major contemporary dance events on the African continent. It consistently innovates to mobilize an increasingly wider audience. This year, it will host the ‘Biennale de Danse en Afrique’, the largest continental dance event that brings together prominent international personalities from the dance sector. These artists represent several countries united by the desire to develop contemporary dance in Africa.

The joint participation of PROCULTURA and ACP-UE Culture in this event represents a unique opportunity to foster international connections among dancers, choreographers, producers, and other dance professionals. It also serves to underscore the relevance of the two EU-funded programmes, their actions, supported projects and artists.

Photo credit: © Unsplash/Zac Ong