Experts

During their participation they not only act as lecturers, but also as true mentors as they engage in one-on-one discussions with the participants. They are present for multiple days, some for the whole period of the training. They allow participants an honest and open insight into their careers, including both success stories and failures.

You can have a look at the list of experts present during one of our previous editions here.

You can find a list of the experts for Atelier Kampala below.

Theatre and opera director, festival director and independent producer – Ireland 

Tom Creed is a theatre and opera director, festival director and independent producer based in Dublin. His productions have been seen all over Ireland and at prestigious theatres, opera houses and festivals in over 30 cities on three continents. He has previously been Festival Director of Cork Midsummer Festival and Theatre and Dance Curator of Kilkenny Arts Festival. 

He is a member of the steering committee of Ireland's National Campaign for the Arts, the Expert Advisory Committee of Culture Ireland, and the boards of GAZE Film Festival and Theatre Forum (Ireland). He has participated as a speaker and moderator in the Atelier for Young Festival Managers Düsseldorf and three editions of Festival Readings for the Festival Academy, and was on the inaugural EFFE jury in 2015.

Playwright, project manager at Sustaining Theatre and Dance (STAND) Festival – South Africa

Mike van Graan, founder of the African Cultural Policy Network, has served in leadership positions in a variety of anti-apartheid cultural organisations such as the Congress of South African Writers and the National Arts Coalition of South Africa. He is also an award-winning playwright, who has written thirty plays to this date. He was appointed as Artscape’s Associate Playwright from 2011-2014 and is considered one of South Africa’s leading contemporary playwrights.

He is the 2018 recipient of the Sweden-based Hiroshima Foundation for Peace and Culture Award in recognition of his contribution to the fight against apartheid, building a post-apartheid society, and the interface of peace and culture both in South Africa and across the African continent.

You can read his full bio here.

Co-founder Ladima Foundation – Nigeria

Edima Otuokon is a Communications / Development / Policy Expert with a specific focus on improving the business environment for micro, small and medium Enterprises in the Creative Sector.  As CEO of OMESS, she has utilised her knowledge and experience to design and implement programmes and projects that facilitate public private dialogue to improve policy and regulations that impede the business environment. As the Strategy and Communication Lead for the DFID-ENABLE2 programme, Edima created the strategy that established the first ever legislative-private sector dialogue platform - the National Assembly Business Environment Roundtable (NASSBER) in collaboration with the Leadership of the National Assembly, Nigerian Bar Association – Section on Business Law and the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, a leading private sector think-tank and advocacy group.  Edima is currently the Programme Director for Afreximbank’s Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) and will programme the CANEX Weekend 2022 and CANEX Summit at the Intra-Africa Trade Fair 2023. 

For over two decades, Edima has worked across Africa in the education, government policy consultation, conference programming and entertainment sectors. Her focus on the African film industry stems from her roles as Workshop and Training Coordinator and Conference & Sidebar Program Manager at the Zanzibar International Film Festival and DISCOP, respectively.  These roles exposed her to the imbalances faced by women in film, TV and media, which led to Edima co-founding the Ladima Foundation with Lara Utian-Preston. 

The Ladima Foundation is a pan-African non-profit company dedicated to the development and promotion of women in film, TV and media across Africa.  Edima leverages her networks, experience, and knowledge to develop design and establish programmes aimed at correcting some of the imbalances faced by Women in film, TV and media in Africa.   

In her current role as Technical Adviser to the Honourable Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Edima advises the Hon Minister on coherently addressing vulnerability in Nigeria to ensure peace and stability.

Founder and Artistic Director of Bayimba Foundation - Uganda

Faisal KIWEWA is the founder and Artistic Director of Bayimba Foundation. Together with a skilful team of he has worked hard to transform the arts scene in Uganda from a rather static state to its current level of vibrancy. During the past years, under his guidance, Bayimba has trained, supported and created numerous platforms to celebrate the arts in Uganda. As such, Bayimba has developed into a house hold name among artists and professionals, not only within Uganda but also within the East African region and other corners around the world.

Through Bayimba, Faisal has organised a range of festivals and events, ranging from the internationally acclaimed Bayimba International Festival of the Arts – this year in its 14th edition – and various festivals across Uganda (between 2010 and 2015). He furthermore was instrumental in introducing the regional forum DOADOA | East African Performing Arts Market (9th editions since 2012) and the specialized Kampala International Theatre Festival (8th editions since 2014) as well as reviving and reinvigorating the Amakula International Film Festival (since 2016). He is a frequently asked programmer/curator, committee or jury member for various festivals and events across the continent, as well as a regularly invited speaker and trainer.

Faisal seats on several boards around the world including; Music in Africa Board (South Africa), Juenesses Musicale International Board, the International Independent Cultural Council (UK/Greece) Board, He is a founding Member of Africa Music Forum (Cape Verde), Country representative, Visa for Music (Morocco), Member of iGODA network (Reunion Island/Sub Saharan Africa), Member of Arterial Network (South Africa) and Member of Culture Connections Africa (US/Africa) among others. He acquired his International Cultural management knowledge base from the DeVos Institute of Arts Management at Kennedy Center (US – 2010 - 2012), Management School of Fundraising (UK – 2010) and the CREARE – Erasmus Centre for Research and Cultural Economics (NL - 2009). 

International speaker, writer, coach and consultant, Artistic Associate of the Charleston Gaillard Center, Former Artistic Director Melbourne and Perth International Arts Festivals, Former Creator and Creative Director Elemental France, Former Director of the Watch This Space Festival – Global

Currently based in Spain, Jonathan Holloway speaks, writes, coaches and consults internationally, is the Artistic Associate of the Charleston Gaillard Center in South Carolina USA, and regularly consults for Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York, the Mayor of London, London’s Royal Docks and Festivals around the world.

From 2011 – 2019 he worked in Australia, first as Artistic Director of the Perth International Arts Festival and then as Artistic Director and Co-Chief Executive of the Melbourne International Arts Festival. He spent the previous seven years as Artistic Director and Chief Executive of the Norfolk & Norwich Festival, and in the seven before that he founded and ran the Royal National Theatre's public events department, where he created and directed the Watch This Space Festival. As a theatre director he has directed over twenty productions and co-written eight, including Elemental (a festival within a festival at Chalon-Dans-La-Rue Festival in France) and Robin Hood (for the National Theatre in London).

He has been presented with a message stick (rare permission to walk on Aboriginal land and share stories) by both the Noongar Nation (WA) and Kulin Nation (Victoria), and was made an Honorary Citizen of Perth (one of just four, including Hillary Clinton).

Arts manager and cultural strategist, global programming & content manager at Shared Studios, Former Artistic Director Advisor at Theatro Municipal de São Paulo – Brazil

Luiz Coradazzi is an Arts manager and Cultural strategist based in Brazil, and in the past 25 years has worked in and with several organizations from large century-old institutions to independent grassroots projects. He holds a BA in Social Communications, an MA in Music Business Management from University of Westminster (London) and is specialised in Cultural Policy Management (Universitat de Girona, Spain). Over the years Luiz performed as a programmer, producer, planner and partner in several initiatives and festivals across all art forms, including the design of learning and participation platforms, and impact evaluation systems. In addition to his work as Global Programming & Content Manager at Shared Studios.

Sponsorship and Business Development Head for Active Imagination, Representative AFROPUNK LTD, CTEMF and the Soweto Wine & Lifestyle Festival – South Africa

Sharon Cooper is a seasoned marketing professional with a 21-year career impacting social cohesion through meaningful partnerships. She heads the Sponsorship and Business Development team for Active Imagination and represents AFROPUNK LTD, CTEMF and the Soweto Wine & Lifestyle Festival amongst her client list.

She is well-known for her sponsorship skills and matching brands to events that work – with measurable results. Along with other accolades in the social conscious marketing space, Sharon’s been a driving force behind one of the country’s celebrated festivals, The Soweto Wine & Lifestyle Festival.

She is the Co-owner and Director of Hot Salsa Media, which was presented with the Best-in-class Full-Service Advertising Agency at the 2018 MEA business Awards, but she is best known for her ground-breaking work in developing South Africa’s creative economy through global partnerships. She brought the prestigious, activist AFROPUNK experience to South Africa from 2019-2021 with year-round events that culminate in a 2-day music festival at Constitution Hill featuring international acts like Solange, Anderson Park, Miguel and other notable local artists.

Over 15 years Sharon built the Soweto Wine Festival into one of the most sought-after wine festivals in the world. The original event multiplied into Gugulethu (Cape Town) and Kwa Mashu (Durban) introducing over 1000 wines to residents and bringing over 10,000 guests into those townships to stay at local hotels and contribute to neighborhood economies. The festival secures in excess of R10 million annually in positive AVEs across media platforms worldwide, whilst many of South Africa’s leading brands have used the festival to launch products and campaigns. The festival also trained 200 Sommeliers from those townships who now work around the world.

As the head of sponsorship sales and opportunities for AFROPUNK she raised over R26 million direct investment in the project which generated over R86 million investment into the Gauteng economy. Her brand network for the project included Constitution Hill, Martell, Standard Bank, South African Tourism, Red Bull, Joburg Tourism, Gauteng Tourism, Hyundai South Africa, Edgars, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Love my Ting, Yfm, Brand South Africa, EDGE, Hunter’s, and Miller Brewing Company.

Her activism has been cutting-edge and constant throughout her career, from being the first female co-chair of Joburg Pride to launching the famed womin-only party [PLAYGROUND]. Sharon has a solid background in Editing and Publishing, launching awardwinning WOMYN Magazine in 2001. In 2003, she was part of the pioneering team behind DVD Magazine “Oblique” producing filmed content in partnership with TBWA/Gavin/Reddy.

Director of Equality Team at the Open Society Foundations – United States of America

Alvin Starks is the Director of Equality Team at the Open Society Foundations – Open Society- United States (OS-US) Programs and manages advocacy efforts focused on racial justice, immigration and refugee rights, economic justice and dignity for Muslim, Arab and South Asian communities. Through litigation, narrative and cultural change, organizing and policy reform, the Equality Team seeks to advance an open society where all communities have the opportunity to thrive and remain free from discrimination.

Alvin is a well-recognized leader in philanthropy and racial justice advocacy and brings extensive experience on race and democracy, anti-discrimination and narrative change. His work has focused within the United States and abroad (with a specific focus in Brazil, France and the Global South), engaging multiple tools, including; social science research, culture, promotion of civil and human rights, leadership building, intersectionality, and cross movement-building.

Alvin completed undergraduate studies at the State University of New York and graduate school at Columbia University in New York City.

Founding Director Visa For Music, Artistic Director Timitar Festival of World Music – Morocco

As a member of the EU/UNESCO Bank of Expertise 2019-2022, and an expert on cultural policy and creative industries at the UNESCO for several years, Brahim El Mazned is also a member of the jury and artistic adviser for numerous cultural events in Morocco and across the world.

After more than twenty years of active participation in the cultural sector, Brahim El Mazned is considered today as an essential reference in the organisation of major artistic events and musical programming in Morocco and around the world. Moreover, he was recently selected in the Guide of Cultural Diversity, "Les Aventuriers de la Culture", among the 100 exemplary actors of sustainable cultural development, and as one of the 100 personalities who make difference in Morocco and promote it, according to “TelQuel.”

Since 2004, Brahim El Mazned has been the artistic director of Timitar Festival, an event mainly dedicated to Amazigh culture, which was made known throughout the world and which has become one of the major events in the world of music. Besides promoting the Amazigh (Berber) culture, the festival welcomes more than 600 artists and receives around half a million audience each year.

In 2009, he was invited to the North Africa and Middle East region to conduct a cultural pre-selection for 6th Francophone Games in Beirut and for the 7th edition in Nice (France) in September 2013 and for the 7th edition in Abidjan (Ivory Coast).

On 22 March 2013, his recognised expertise earned him the election as a member of the Board of Directors of the Forum of Worldwide Music Festivals (FWMF), one of the world's leading music festival networks. 

In 2014, Brahim El Mazned launched Visa For Music (VFM), the first festival/professional market dedicated to singers and musicians from Africa and the Middle East, which now takes place every year in November in Rabat (Morocco).

As a founder of the cultural enterprise, Anya, this tireless cultural entrepreneur has taken part in about a hundred conferences and has initiated dozens of artistic residencies in many countries and regions around the world (Brazil, France, Spain, Australia, United States, Canada, Reunion Island, New Caledonia, Madagascar, South Africa, Mali, Rwanda, Senegal, Norway, Greece, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon...). He has taken part in the recording and publishing of a dozen albums as well as in the organisation of hundreds of concerts in prestigious festivals and venues across the five continents. In addition to this, he participated in a multitude of meetings, training courses and workshops which aim at developing expertise and skills related to various positions in the cultural industry.

Attentive to the most current productions, Brahim El Mazned is also sensitive to the importance of preserving and enhancing Morocco's musical heritage. His commitment to the traditional repertoire has been materialised by the publication of “L'Anthologie de l'Aïta” (A boxed set of 10 CDs and 2 booklets). It is the first work of its kind which is entirely dedicated to this important repertoire of the Moroccan music. This work has indeed received the Prix de l'Académie Charles Cros in 2017 and very good reviews in the press. Brahim El Mazned has also just finished “L'Anthologie des Ṛṛways”, the Amazigh troubadour singers from southern Morocco.

Brahim El Mazned is a cultural entrepreneur, and an associate of the ANYA cultural enterprise.

Former Artistic Director Shubbak – United Kingdom

Eckhard Thiemann is a programmer, specialising in internationalism, festivals and dance. Until October 2021 he was Artistic Director & CEO of Shubbak, London’s largest festival of contemporary Arab culture. He is currently Programming Associate – Dance for The Lowry in Greater Manchester, where he presents an award-winning international dance programme. He is also Producer – International & Touring for Collective Ma’louba, a leading theatre company of Syrian artists based in Germany and France. He is also working as Producer International for LOD in Ghent on the production Woman At Point Zero, and consults for the UK company Thick&Tight. Previous positions include: Associate Artistic Curator for CODA - Oslo International Dance Festival, Creative Producer for Siobhan Davies Dance, producer for the London 2012 Festival and Cultural Olympiad, guest curator for Liverpool Arab Arts Festival (2011), curator of OUTSPOKEN – New Performance From Arab Artists (2010), African Crossroads (2009) and the opening season of Pavilion Dance (2010) He also undertaken consultancies for British Council and Qatar Museums Authority.

Eckhard was awarded the 2019 Outstanding Dance Programming Award  by One Dance UK, and Shubbak received the 2019 UNESCO – Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture.

Program Officer Kuonyesha Arts Fund – Uganda

Elizabeth Mbabazi currently is the Program Associate for the Kuonyesha Art Fund in Uganda; brings to the Art Fund passion and experience in working with artists and in the Arts sector for almost 20 years. Elizabeth thrives in the Arts leadership and administration inspiring positive change and growth of artists’ brands in their communities and the world. Kuonyesha Art Fund is managed by CivFund and CivSource Africa, an independent non-profit advisory organisation that seeks to refine the practice and footprint of philanthropy in Africa for authentic civic engagement, with support from its partners: DOEN Foundation of the Netherlands and Robert Bosch Foundation of Germany. Kuonyesha is a Swahili word that means “show”. The Kuonyesha Art Fund exists to support, nurture and develop art in Uganda; to promote and support artists to improve the quality of arts in a way that enhances their meaningful influence, voice and participation of art and artists in the issues shaping society and public life in Uganda today.

Elizabeth is a professional Fashion designer and Arts & Business Administrator. She is an Alumnus of The Margaret Trowel School of Industrial and Fine Art at Makerere University, currently in her final year of a Master’s degree in Fine Art at the same institution and also pursuing an MBA at Uganda Management Institute. Elizabeth holds a certificate in Cultural Entrepreneurship from the African Arts Institute based in Cape Town. Elizabeth also serves on the Advisory board of Culture Development East Africa (CDEA) and the Kampala Arts Trust board. Elizabeth is fervent about travel, the Arts, adventure and reading.

Program Lead Arts & Culture, Africa No Filter – Ghana

Jessica Hagan is Africa No Filter’s Program Lead on grantmaking within the Arts & Culture space.

Jessica has firm knowledge on Africa's booming creative industries and has developed great understanding of the needs of African artists in the sector. Over the years, she has developed a database of creative practitioners, organizations and funders who contribute to this ecosystem. Through her previous role as Arts Project Manager for British Council Ghana & West Africa, Jessica is able use her on the ground Grant & Funding experience to develop and expand on ANF’s grantmaking strategy to ensure we are supporting and propelling groundbreaking narrative changemakers across the continent. Through Africa No Filter, Jessica has funded over 70 creative individuals and organisations on the continent with project support, operational and capacity-building grants from $500 - $50,000, with special focus on emerging artists.  Jessica is also a multiple award-winning playwright and screenwriter.

Founder and Festival Director of GIFT: Gateshead International Festival of Theatre – United Kingdom

Kate Craddock is Founder and Festival Director of GIFT: Gateshead International Festival of Theatre, an annual artist-led festival celebrating contemporary theatre.  Kate established GIFT in 2011 to provide a platform for international, contemporary, and experimental performance practices in North East England.  Kate works closely with BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and Gateshead Council to deliver GIFT in Gateshead each year. GIFT was one of the first festivals globally to pivot online in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, Kate has spoken on numerous international panels and conferences about her experience of moving a festival online and consulted with other festivals and artists about pivoting their work for online contexts. GIFT 2020 was awarded the Journal Culture Award for Best Event 2020 – 2021. Kate recently published a chapter called ‘Curating Community and Connection in a Crisis’ about her experience of transitioning GIFT online as part of a book called Performance in a Pandemic (Routledge, 2021).

As a theatre maker, Kate has presented her own devised performance work at a range of organisations across the UK and in multiple international festival contexts to critical acclaim.  Kate was recipient of the Theatre Fellowship with the Clore Cultural Leadership Programme 2018/19, and undertook a secondment with HOME, a major arts venue in Manchester. Kate was part of the British Council and Arts Council GENERATE programme (2019/2020) and is currently working alongside national consortium partners at Battersea Arts Centre, Dance4, Fierce Festival, MAYK and Transform to deliver the new Arts Council commissioned England's Performing Arts International Showcase for Edinburgh's Festivals.

Kate has combined working across academic roles and creative projects since 2005 and is currently a Research Associate in the School of English at Newcastle University. In this role, Kate is co-authoring a book with colleague Helen Freshwater about audiences, which is due for publication in 2023. Prior to this, Kate was a Senior Lecturer at Northumbria University (2011 – 2019) where she led on the industry focused MA Theatre and Performance programme. Kate completed her practice led PhD in 2010 with the title: ‘Collaboration in Performance Practice: Trust, Longevity and Challenging Proximity’ which focused on the potential for using readily available online technologies in creative collaborations. Kate is a Trustee for ARC, Stockton Arts Centre and The Paper Birds Theatre Company.

Co-Founder Tebere Arts, Kampala International Theatre Festival – Uganda 

Kenneth Kimuli aka Pablo is a Ugandan playwright, journalist by profession, and a comedian by occupation.  He is a co-founder of Tebere Arts Foundation and doubles as its Operations and Marketing Director (OMD).  He is famously known as Uganda’s premier standup comedian. His crowning at the Stand Up Uganda Mnet reality TV show in 2009 as the nation’s king of comedy confirms that. Pablo cemented this status by providing a high quality comedy show “Pablo Live” that is aired on Dstv's Pearl Magic channel.

 Some of his awards include: Regional Winner, Great Lakes CEO Titan global awards 2018; Country Winner, Great Lakes CEO Titan global awards 2018; Finalist, Great Lakes CEO Titan global awards 2015; Star prominent comedian, Rising Star Awards 2015; Best performing artist, Edutainment Awards 2012; Best Performing Arts, Young Achievers Awards 2011; Best local actor of the year 2010, New Vision publication; Best television personality, Buzz Teeniez awards in 2008 and 2009 consecutively.

Other achievements include: Nominated among the 88 comedians in the world’s funniest person competition 2016 by LaughFactory, Hollywood, USA; Alumni of Sundance Theatre Lab 2007, a prestigious home of theatre in  Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Alumni of the Comedy directors Lab, Lincoln Centre Theatre, New York, USA in 2012.

Some of the plays he has written include: One Night Stand; Madness is Coming; Kiss No More.. Movies feature in include: Last King of Scotland, 2006; Hand in Hand, 2005; They stopped eating Fruits , 2005.

He is married to Karen Hasahya Kimuli and they are blessed with two sons. He has been privileged to perform in several countries in Africa, Europe and America. Pablo holds a bachelor’s degree in Mass media, Journalism and Creative writing.

General Commissioner of the Africa2020 Season – Senegal

N’Goné Fall graduated with distinction from the École Spéciale d'Architecture in Paris with a museum and research center – supervised by Paul Virilio – addressing 500 years of trans-Atlantic history between Africa, Europe and the Americas. She is an independent curator and a consultant in cultural policies. She has been the editorial director of the Paris-based contemporary African art magazine Revue Noire from 1994 to 2001. She is the editor of An Anthology of African Art: The Twentieth Century (Revue Noire / DAP 2002); Photographers from Kinshasa (Revue Noire 2001); Anthology of African and Indian Ocean Photography: a century of African photographers (Revue Noire 1998).

N'Goné Fall is co-founder of the Collectif GawLab based in Dakar, a research and production platform on art in the urban space and digital technologies applied to artistic creation. She curated exhibitions in Africa, Europe and the USA. She was a guest curator of the Bamako and Dakar biennales respectively in 2001 and 2002. Her last major group show in Denmark in 2016, combined with a nine-month public program, was inspired by the landmark novel Things Fall Apart by Nigerian Chinua Achebe.

She is the author of strategic plans and evaluation reports for national and international institutions such as the Prince Claus Foundation and Arts Collaboratory (The Netherlands), the ACP-EU Group (Belgium), the Rockefeller Foundation and the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art (USA), the ministry of Culture of Senegal.

She has been an associate professor at the Senghor University in Alexandria, Egypt; visiting professor at the Michaelis School of Arts in Cape Town South, Africa and at the Abdou Moumouni University of Niamey in Niger.

In 2018, N'Goné Fall has been appointed by the French President Emmanuel Macron General Commissioner of the Africa2020 Season, a series of more than 1,500 cultural, scientific and pedagogical events held all over France from December 2020 to September 2021. 

Founder & CEO, The Art X Company - India

Rashmi Dhanwani leads the Art X Company, a strategic consultancy for the cultural sector focused on strategy, audience development and sector research. Prior to founding Art X, Rashmi has worked with NCPA Mumbai, Breakthrough in Delhi, the newspaper Daily News and Analysis (DNA); Kalaghoda Arts Festival, and The Goa Project. She holds a Masters in Cultural and Creative Industries from King’s College London. She has also been a recipient of the ARThink South Asia Fellowship (2011-12), a participant fellow at ‘The Academy—a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School and the Weill Music Institute’, a scholarship grantee of the JN Tata Trust and Charles Wallace India Trust, and a 2017 Global Fellow of the International Society for Performing Arts (ISPA), New York. Rashmi has also founded Arts Culture Resources India, a network and platform for cultural professionals in India and South Asia.

Director Celebrating Womanhood Festival – Uganda

Sarah Kizza Nsigaye is a Documentary Filmmaker, Journalist and Cultural Manager with over twenty years hands on experience in the Media, Arts and Cultural Sector.

Sarah is the Founding Director of Native Voices International, a nonprofit making Media Arts Organization that among other things provides media training with a view of promoting the local voice and bridging the high unemployment challenge that Uganda currently experiencing. This is done through providing multimedia skills to potential practitioners particularly rural based. The initiative has seen over two hundred aspiring filmmakers, majority of whom are youth from marginalized regions of Karamoja, Rwenzori, Kigezi, West Nile and Kampala acquire multimedia skills.

Sarah is also the founder Celebrating Womanhood Festival an annual five-day event held during the International Women’s Day Celebration week. It is purposed to provide a platform where women’s stories are told from a woman's perspective. This saw her earn the 2019 Women in Film Diamond Honoree from the Nile Diaspora International Film Festival (NDIFF) in recognition of her efforts to amplify women’s voices.

She is also an Irex Community Solutions Fellow among other fellowships including; Arterial Network’s Winter school in Cameroon 2009 and Robert Flaherty Fellowship at Colgate University in 2011.

A strong believer in the power of networks, Sarah is the Board Chairperson Afrika Arts Kollective, Vice Chairperson Alliance for Campaign Finance Monitoring (ACFIM), an umbrella body hosting sixteen member organizations across Uganda and a Board Member Kuoyensha Art Fund an initiative that seeks to enable artists with great initiatives hindered by funding limitations to bring to life their productions. 

Sarah’s collaboration efforts extend to the region and continent where she has represented East Africa to the Africa continent wide Arterial Network Steering Committee 2009 – 2011, as well as Chaired the East African Filmmakers Forum 2007 – 2009. 

Sarah has also served on several Artistic and Cultural initiatives in different portfolios including Bayimba Cultural Foundation’s DOA DOA. 

Sarah studied Democracy and Development at Uganda Martyrs University Nkozi, holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communication, a Diploma in Journalism and many other certifications earned from the different filmmaking, journalism and cultural management trainings.

Senior Culture Officer African Union – Tanzania

Vicensia Shule is a Senior Culture Officer at the Division of Culture, Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, African Union Commission. She is an Adjunct Professor of innovation and creativity at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) and Senior Lecturer at the University of Dar es Salaam. Vicensia has worked as an independent theatre, film and online content producer with over 20 years of active production globally. She has authored over 30 academic publications in the areas of arts, cultures, and creativity. 

Vicensia Shule has worked as a consultant, analyst, campaign initiator and strategist in civil societies, public and private sectors. For nearly 20 years she has conducted capacity enhancement trainings at community, national, regional and international levels in the areas of creative communication, arts and cultures, women, politics, education, agriculture, health and tourism. Coming from a business family, Vicensia has invested in various business ventures in creativity, agriculture and tourism. She has also served in various boards of prominent institutions locally, regionally and internationally.

CEO Busara Promotions, Director Sauti za Busara festival, Chairperson Music in Africa Foundation - Tanzania

Yusuf Mahmoud is the Founder and CEO of Busara Promotions, Director of Sauti za Busara festival and Chairperson of the Music in Africa Foundation.

In UK during the 1980s, whilst engaged with the Anti-Apartheid Movement, he first became inspired by the power of African music to raise awareness, change hearts and minds and promote solidarity across borders. Always featuring diverse African sounds in his pioneering ‘Routes in Rhythm’ DJ sets, he was also among the first UK promoters to promote live monthly concerts featuring African musicians from across the Continent.

In 1998 Mahmoud moved to Zanzibar Tanzania, where he helped set up the ZIFF Festival of the Dhow Countries (1998) and Dhow Countries Music Academy (2001).

In 2003, he founded Busara Promotions; an NGO promoting live African music, building skills and employment opportunities in an East African music industry connected and in exchange with other regions. Its flagship event is the globally-acclaimed Sauti za Busara festival, centred in Stone Town, Zanzibar. Each year in February, the festival brings people together to celebrate African music and cultural diversity. Sauti za Busara is now one of the most respected music festivals on the Continent, attracting thousands of visitors and professionals from across Africa, Europe and beyond.

In 2020, Yusuf Mahmoud was elected as Chairperson of the Music in Africa Foundation [MIAF]. Music In Africa is the leading information and exchange web portal dedicated to African music, hosting artists’ profiles, news, features, reviews, gig guides, teaching resources, research documents, information on funding opportunities and more. The MIAF Foundation also runs offline developmental projects including the annual ACCES music conference, instrument building workshops, mentorship programmes, mobility funding and other initiatives.

Creative Producer, Line Producer of Kampala International Theater Festival and Tebere Arts Foundation – Uganda

Rosette Nteyafas is a Producer, Arts & festival manager and Poet who has coordinated, managed and produced several arts events, festivals and training programs in Uganda for the past 11 years. She is the Line producer for Tebere Arts Foundation and the Kampala International Theatre Festival. Rosette is the Event production Lead at the billionaire bond (business Consortium). She is an Alumni of Atelier Festival Academy Malta (2019). Rosette has worked with the Bayimba Foundation as Director of Bayimba Academy for 8 years. While working with Bayimba, Rosette managed and produced the Bayimba International Festival of the arts and East African Performing Arts Market –DOADOA.

Rosette is passionate about the development of the creative arts sector in Uganda and enjoys mentoring young artists in areas related to production management and arts administration. She also enjoys writing soulful and inspiring poetry. She holds a BA in Tourism from Makerere University.

Associate professor and former head of the Wits School of Arts at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg; former CEO of the Klein Karoo National Arts Festival (Absa KKNK) – South Africa

Brett Pyper is a South African arts, culture and heritage practitioner with over thirty years’ experience advancing and studying the country’s cultural-democratic transition. He grew up between Johannesburg and Pretoria/Tshwane, where his background as a classical musician informed his efforts to open up programming at the former performing arts councils as a young arts organiser. In the early 1990s, he arranged the first post-exile performances in Tshwane by returning jazz icons as well as showcasing the work of an emerging generation of musicians. He also worked with singer-songwriters, choirs, Afrikaans counter-cultural artists and colleagues in related performance disciplines including dance and theatre. Based on this work, as a Fulbright scholar, he earned Master’s degrees from Emory University in Atlanta (in Interdisciplinary Studies) and New York University, where he earned his PhD on contemporary jazz culture in South Africa in 2014. He has taught arts, culture and heritage policy and management as well as ethnomusicology and popular music studies at Wits and Rhodes Universities. From 2008 to 2013 he was CEO of the Klein Karoo National Arts Festival (KKNK), a major festival of art, popular and vernacular culture. He recently completed an 8-year term as Head of the Wits School of Arts, where he pursues ongoing research alongside his leadership responsibilities and supervises postgraduate work in music, theatre, dance, heritage and cultural policy. He regularly serves as a mentor for The Festival Academy, having co-hosted Atelier Johannesburg in 2018 – the first on the African continent.