UNESCO Regional Director for Southern Africa is calling for expressions of interest for the study of the cultural, social, economic, and environmental impact of a selected number of arts and cultural festivals on their local communities in nine Southern African countries.
Across the region, there is a proliferation of arts and cultural festivals, yet many struggle with important challenges, such as unsustainable management and business models, dwindling funding, declining ticket sales, competing festival schedules, and negative environmental impact, to name a few. These challenges have led to impacting artists’ livelihoods, small to medium enterprises, local economies, and tourism. Precise data is still needed to comprehend the festival ecosystem in the region fully in terms of its impact on the host societies. Beyond the success and longevity of festivals, there is an opportunity to leverage arts and cultural festivals to address intersecting issues such as inclusion, gender equality, employment and economic growth, sustainable cities, and climate action, all within the broader framework of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The project ‘Creating for the Future: Harnessing Southern Africa’s Arts and Cultural Festivals for Sustainable Development’ aims to ensure that Southern African countries recognise and harness the potential of arts and cultural festivals to drive local development, empower communities, promote climate action, and strengthen regional integration. UNESCO will commission a study and produce a report to provide an understanding of the cultural, social, economic, and environmental impact of the arts and cultural festival landscape in Southern Africa.
Activities are expected to be completed over three months from the date of signing the contract with UNESCO. UNESCO and the selected candidate will discuss the budget based on the Financial and Technical proposal of the selected candidate.
