The Market for African Performing Arts, MASA, is calling on artists from sub-Saharan Africa to apply for the 12th edition of its event in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, from March 5-12, 2022.
The event is set to welcome over 50 music artists, 20 dancers, standup comedians, storytellers, street artists and will also include the exhibition of old and contemporary artworks.
Launched in 1993, the bi-annual event is a cultural development program that is dedicated to the African performing arts sector with the aim of supporting creativity and good production.
According to a statement from the organizers of the event, MASA 2022 will provide a market, festival, and forum for performing arts professionals to network and discuss their work.
“The event will promote the development of Africa artist and their works in both the local and international markets. The festival committees have screened all the groups that will present at the festival, it will feature many social activities.
“Over 200 application has been received from exhibitors that will showcase artworks that have been confirmed from many Africa countries like Algeria, Bahrain, Belgium, Benin, Nigeria, and others,” the statement reads.
The categories in which application is open include music, theatre, humor, slam, and story. Other categories include Contemporary dance, circus and puppet, and Heritage dance.
To be eligible to participate, the show must be less than three years old from the date of production. The application must include a letter to the MASA director, a picture of an onstage performance, a video of an onstage performance, and a list of artistic works of the last three years or a press book.
The deadline for applications is July 31, 2021, while successful applicants will be announced on the 5th of October 2021.
The last edition was held in March and featured 200 shows, which were hosted on eight stages by more than 1700 artists.