Project synthesis

Pro Helvetia Cape Town (PHCT) is one of the Swiss Arts Council representation abroad. Its mission is to promote art in its creation, dissemination and reception, in accordance with quality standards and with the financial means at its disposal. Fostering cultural interaction between the Southern African region and Switzerland is one of Pro Helvetia’s priorities. Since 1998, PHCT has executed the Southern African Regional Arts and Culture programme, supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), to enhance local capacity building, transition management, and knowledge transfer.

Strategy/Objectives

Pro Helvetia Cape Town acts as a funding body, advisor and coordinator of cultural (exchange) projects in Southern Africa and Switzerland. In addition, through the funding from SDC, PHCT supports in particular organisations and individuals operating professionally in the field of arts and culture in the southern African region.

Through its mandate from the SDC, PHCT encourages exchange and collaboration in and between countries/ regions within Southern Africa to produce the following outcomes:

• Building good administrative and organisational capacity in independent arts organisations in the region;
• Stimulating high quality and a higher degree of contemporary professional arts in the region, thus enhancing its marketability and chances of survival/ sustainability; and
• Organising more and stronger regional networks, helping artists to break out of their isolation regionally and internationally.  

Target group

Pro Helvetia Cape Town provides support to organisations and individuals in the field of arts and culture, including the following areas: visual arts. theatre, dance, music, and literature.   

Partners

Next to the strategic partnership with the SDC, and the collaborations with the Swiss official representations in the region, Pro Helvetia Cape Town has worked with a variety of partners, ranging from individuals and small arts organisations to well-established long-standing links with the Centre for Creative Arts (www.cca.ukzn.ac.za), the National Arts Festival (www.nafest.co.za) , and Encounters Film Festival, the South African International Documentary Film Festival (www.encounters.co.za),and the Africa Centre  (www.africacentre.net). In addition, it has created relationships with the Harare International Festival of the Arts (www.hifa.co.zw)

Funding

The SDC’s contribution to the arts and culture program in the current phase (2008-2010) through the regional coordination office (Pretoria) is a budget of CHF 960’000. Apart from the SDC, Pro Helvetia Cape Town receives funding/support from Pro Helvetia, the Swiss Arts Council to the amount of CHF 350’000 per year.

Geographical area

Pro Helvetia Cape Town has its office in the heart of Cape Town. It has reached out to most countries in the Southern African region, coordinating projects not only in South Africa but also in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Madagascar and Angola. Occasionally, PHCT has partnered with arts professionals from Botswana, Zambia Namibia, Mauritius, Malawi and Tanzania.

Contact address

Pro Helvetia  Cape Town

Swiss Arts Council

Level D , 25 Adderley Street

P.O Box 469

Tel/fax: +27-21 465 90 33

E-mail: capetown@prohelvetia.org.za

Website: www.prohelvetia.org.za