ORGANISERS of Cfor Collaborations, Exchange and Showcases (ACCES) have set November 9 to 11 as the dates for this year’s edition of the event to be held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Organised by the Music In Africa Foundation (MIAF) in different cities across the continent, ACCES offers a platform for performers to showcase their talents to local and international audiences.
The conference organisers are inviting applications from African musicians who wish to showcase at this prestigious event to apply before the April 30 deadline.
At last year’s conference, Zimbabwe was represented by Victoria Falls-based five-member Afro fusion group, Flying Bantu.
The National Arts Merit Award winning group is made up of Tinashe Maoneni, Amkela Moyo, Sam Gulubani, Joshua Alufasi and Bongani Moyo.
Flying Bantu’s rating has soared in different countries which has seen it staging performances at South Africa’s Rocking the Daisies (2016 and 2017) and Toronto Music Week 2019.
The conference organisers said applications could be submitted by the artistes themselves or by the artiste/band’s representatives, managers, publishers, labels, agents or promoters.
“This call is open to African musicians, solo artistes and bands based on the continent. Applicants are emerging musicians who will genuinely benefit from the opportunity to boost their careers internationally. All genres are welcome,” MIAF noted.
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“All participants must be over 18 years old and should be export ready. All applications must be based on live performances and original music. No backing tracks. Performances supporting political parties or religious faith will not be permissible.
“Selected acts will be showcased at ACCES to a diverse audience of local and international music professionals from across the music industry and other influential audiences. ACCES will provide the performers and their representatives with the tools and platforms to get in touch with new business partners.”
To apply, an artiste is required to create (if he/she has not already) a profile on the Music in Africa Artiste and Industry section using the link: www.musicinafrica.net/user/register.
“When applying, the artiste must make sure that his/her profile is complete and up to date, as this is the profile that the ACCES curation committee will review.
“When applying, the artiste’s profile must include a clear biography, at least three latest song releases, at least one live performance video, at least two high-resolution promotional photos and credits, website, streaming, social media links,” MIAF said.
“The form will not allow applicants to save and complete later. Before an artiste completes it, he/she has to make sure all the required information and documents are in order.”
MIAF said performers would receive a modest honorarium.
“Performers will be provided with local transport related to the performance, those from outside Dar es Salaam will be provided with accommodation (related to the performance) and a per diem. One band manager only may be included in the travelling party and benefit from the same support offered by ACCES as the performing band members,” MIAF noted.
“Visa costs will be reimbursed against receipts. Where required for travelling, costs for COVID-19 tests will be reimbursed against receipts. ACCES will provide regular sound and lighting plus a basic shared backline.”
MIAF added that musicians based outside Dar es Salaam should be prepared to provide their own transport to and from the capital.
“Applicants should be prepared to be available for the duration of ACCES and to perform on any of the dates (9, 10 and 11) November 2023. The Music In Africa Foundation will strive to support musicians to apply for funding from available networks and partners, but cannot guarantee that this will be successful.”
Apart from performing artiste, the conference will also be attended by festival curators, promoters, booking agents, record labels and other industry professionals.
Part of the event’s itinerary will include workshops, conference sessions, live performances, networking spaces, exhibitions and more.
ACCES’s previous editions were held in Dakar, Senegal (2017), Nairobi, Kenya (2018), Accra, Ghana (2019), Johannesburg, South Africa (2021) and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (2022).
