Atelier for Young Festival Managers
21 – 27 March

The Atelier for Young Festival Managers is a 7-day training programme addressed at young artistic festival managers or those who are ambitious to become involved in programming or in programming related departments within a festival. Through the programme, participants broaden their programming skills, widen their horizons, and develop new project ideas under the professional guidance of renowned festival managers from all over the world who share their rich experience. The Atelier focuses on the very essence of festivals: the art and the artist.

In partnership with Bayimba Festival and Foundation, the Festival Academy is inviting 35 emerging festival managers to meet with expert festival leaders, artists and cultural activists for the 18th edition of Atelier for Young Festival Managers that will take place in Kampala/Uganda in March 2022.

The workshop is a partnership between Bayimba and the Festival Academy, an initiative of the European Festivals Association.

The mentors and guest speakers at the workshop are renowned festival directors, cultural activists and artists, as well as individuals operating in different fields of action such as the politics, social work and technology.

�The concept of having young arts and festival managers from around the world in one space – learning, sharing and discussing about their festivals and working jointly on future initiatives – is a great opportunity Bayimba will bring to East Africa in partnership with The Festival Academy.�
Faisal Kiwewa – Artistic Director Bayimba

The program is funded by the Creative Europe program of the European Union.

The workshop program will look at the following areas:

Different models of curating, focusing on building audiences or communities, innovation, the impact of festivals, fundraising (beyond subventions) working with new technologies.
How festivals are or can be agents for social change and social cohesion.
How and if festivals can contribute to strengthening (European or even global) identities and values and tackle rising nationalism.
Fair international collaboration (and trade) including the UNESCO 2005 Convention for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
Festivals and migrant/refugee communities.
Sustainable festival-making on all levels.
Freedom of expression and the relevance of artistic boycott.
What are the burning questions and vision that move you in your ambition as a festival maker? What do you urgently want to discuss and share with your peers?