AFAC

Eight Egyptian Entities Supported Under the North Africa Cultural Program

1 / 8 / 2024

Eight Egyptian entities from Cairo, Alexandria and Upper Egypt were selected to receive support under the National Cultural Opportunities Fund of the North Africa Cultural Program’s second cycle.

Active in the fields of performing arts, educational entertainment, spatial design, music and artist management, visual arts and film production, these entities offer capacity building initiatives to local audiences, thereby encouraging engagement and creating avenues for artistic expression.

The NACP Egypt jurors - Bassem Yousri, Marwa Seoudi and Therese Ghobriel - convened in June to review the 57 applications received from Egypt, and make their final selection. At the close of their deliberations, the jurors issued the following jury statement:

“We are thrilled to have had the chance to learn about such an array of cultural and artistic initiatives and institutions applying for the North Africa Cultural Program–Egypt. It underscores the breadth and richness of Egypt's cultural scene despite the economic and political challenges the country is facing. Applicants ranged from well established institutions with a history of achievements, to emerging entities with clear visions to address the needs of the communities they serve and to developing institutions striving to find innovative ways to continue amid funding shortages.

The number of applications from outside the capital and major cities reflects these institutions' desire to advance the cultural scene and promote decentralization. The diversity and volume of the applications also highlights the challenges faced by the cultural sector at various levels, and emphasizes the importance of the provision of long-term support by this program.

The merit and value of the submitted applications made the jury's task challenging, as the majority deserve support given their persistence to make a difference in their communities.

As such, the jury sought to balance support between emerging or developing institutions aiming for growth and transformation and established institutions developing programs that broadly benefit the cultural sector. Attention was also given to supporting diverse artistic disciplines and different geographical areas as much as possible.

While we hoped to support more institutions in this cycle, we had to adhere to the available resources when making our decisions. We affirm that the institutions that did not receive support in this cycle remain an essential part of the cultural scene and we appreciate and respect their determination to carry on and adapt amid the exceptional economic and political conditions we are currently experiencing. We sincerely hope that these institutions continue to maintain their resolve and achieve success in the future.”

The eight selected entities

These entities stand among 81 institutions supported under the second cycle of the NACP (2024-2027). The NACP is carried out by AFAC with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). The first cycle of the program (2019-2023) benefited 54 cultural organizations and over 2,500 practitioners and professionals, through diversified grants, training, events, and encounters that offered opportunities for networking and exchange among participants.