In Africa, music festivals are increasingly struggling to find funding

by time news

Published on :

There are hundreds of music festivals on the African continent. Despite this vitality, they are facing growing funding difficulties, especially since the Covid crisis. Disaffection of certain institutional partners, rising security costs, they have to invent new financing models.

« We are already in February, the festival takes place in April, and as festival president that I am, I am not in a position to tell you “there, the budget is closed” “. Abdoulaye Diallo is the president of Jazz à Ouaga, a festival which celebrated its 30th anniversary last year and which brings together jazz lovers from all over the region in the Burkinabe capital. For several years, Jazz à Ouagasuffered from the situation in Burkina Faso. Private sponsors are less generous and fees are on the rise.

« The security component has become a very important element in our budget, observe Abdoulaye Diallo. Security is expensive and as the festival lasts a week, the security budget has increased a lot, while the turnover of the companies is down. As a result, they relocate because of the security situation. It gets complicated. Expenses increase, while the possibilities of having supports decrease. »

In Casamance, the urban music festival of Bignona, Fesmub, is also facing funding difficulties. But over there, it’s the reputation of rap that scares away the institutions.

« Institutions do not support cultural activities as they could, explains Momar Ndiaye who directs the Fesmub, whose next edition starts this Friday. At home, moreover, they think that everything hip hop is a matter of kids or people against power. They say to themselves:You are going to accompany them, afterwards it is they who are going to overthrow your power, etc.“We are faced with these kinds of difficulties ».

Private funding

Generally speaking, traditional funding institutions do not keep pace with festivals, which makes sponsorship and private patronage essential. The Orange foundation, financed by the French telephone operator, has been launching a call for projects for festivals and musical groups for three years.

« There are the big festivals, very well known, with sponsors, media partners, banks, etc. who are very loyal to them, and that’s great. We, the Orange Foundation, are there to support young festivals and those who need funding, to be helped to be able to welcome artists, and to train them, explains its initiator, Marie-Sophie Calot. Last year, we supported about fifteen festivals, in a dozen countries, with aid between eight and fifteen thousand euros ».

The call for projects Orange Foundation is open for musical groups and festivals until February 20.

On the same subject: African music

You may also like

Leave a Comment