The African Culture Fund (better known by its French acronym, ACF) recently awarded a number of visual artistes from the continent up to $10,000 for projects to be undertaken in the next one year.

The call for submission for projects was done last year and included but not confined to proposals on animation, film making, teaching of Fine Arts; textile workshops, artist collaborations, moving exhibitions exploring topics such as insular post-colonial perspectives, support of mentally disabled persons and water pollution.

ACF was launched in June 2017 in Seychelles as a pan-African organisation and was registered in Mali.

African artists drawn from all disciplines contributed $100,000 to an initial kitty to guarantee its autonomy and professionalism for the development of the cultural and creative sector.

The artistes — who were awarded the funding at a ceremony in Bamako, Mali — had responded to last year’s first call for project proposals that offered $10,000 per project from ACF’s kitty.

As a member of the jury tasked with picking the winning proposals, I worked with Joseph Gaylard (South Africa) and Vitshous Mwilambwe Bondo (Democratic Republic of Congo) both notable culture stakeholders in their own right.

The entries were judged on their innovation, creativity, financial accuracy, technical consistency and relevance.

Chairman of ACF, Mamou Daffe said: “The absence of adapted mechanisms with adequate resources to fund projects of African artists and cultural entrepreneurs is one of the major challenges undermining the development of the cultural sector across the continent?”

On the sideline of the ACF conference, there was Segou’Art, a visual arts festival. The festival was held at the abandoned cotton factory that Mamou Daffe and other stakeholders have transformed into an arts centre on the banks of River Niger.

One of the notable works was an installation by Cheick Diallo, a design visual artist, who now lives in Mali but has spent most of his career in Europe.

An architect by training, he is the president of the Association of African Designers (ADA). He conducted a master class as well as showcased his work at the festival.