Norway shifts arts support

The Royal Kingdom of Norway will continue to support the arts, but the embassy said they will refocus their support of the cultural sector.

“From 2015, support will be restricted to a maximum of three projects and small stand-alone projects will be supported through a yet-to-be established cultural fund,” said Norway’s Ambassador Kikkan Heugen in an exclusive interview with The Nation.

The ambassador said cultural players will be eligible to apply for grants from the fund once it is established.

“The public will be informed through the normal channels as soon as the fund is established, but at the moment, we are unable to indicate when the fund will be established,” he added.

Heugen said from this year, the embassy will support cultural initiatives through two pillars.

The first pillar will focus on preserving Malawi’s cultural heritage such as historical buildings and monuments, old and recent music traditions and dances, including folk dances and songs.

Another pillar will focus on promotion and development of contemporary culture.

Cultural exchange between Norway and Malawi under formalised mechanisms may be promoted under this pillar.

Among other efforts in the culture and arts sector, Norway also funds the Cultural Support Scheme administered by the Copyright Society of Malawi (Cosoma).

The embassy also awarded Nanzikambe Arts Theatre with a three-year K100 million arts grant five years ago.