Not African cinema, but related and perhaps of interest to our
subscribers....
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From: owner-h-afrlitcine
To: Multiple recipients of list H-AFRLITCINE
Subject: FYI: African Performance Clearinghouse
Date: Monday, July 08, 1996 8:56PM
Date: Mon, 8 Jul 1996 18:43:08 -0400 (EDT)
Crossposted from Robert C. Newton--Mande Studies Listserv
MANSA-L@mail.asic.csuohio.edu
The African Studies Program of the University of Wisconsin-Madison has
recently undertaken the task of creating an African Performance
Clearinghouse. The impetus for the clearinghouse follows in the wake
of an apparent and expressed need for coordination of information
about potential and current appearances or tours by African performers.
The function will be to collect, process, and dispense meaningful
information to appropriate sources concerning finalized and potential
tours of African artists coming to North America. The ultimate goal
is not merely to disseminate information but also to create conditions
which would encourage more performances and wider audiences.
Outside of major metropolitan centers, and beyond the small list of major
professional touring troupes, the general lack of a broader audience for
African performers is largely due to a lack of awareness. What is
required is connecting potential performers with potential sponsors so
that both can act accordingly with enough lead time to set up tours and
to organize and publicize events in campus communities across the
country. This requires the active involvement of programs related to
African Studies to bring in a wider variety of performances to a
broader, more diffuse, and regionally-dispersed public.
The initial task of the clearing house is to identify and compile a list
of African performers who are interested in performing in the United
States and a list of specific organizations and contacts within those
organizations for promoting, sponsoring, or publicizing tours by these
artists. It will then process this information by cross-listing it
according to pertinent categories and provide access to this information
for those interested. It will also take an active role by noting the
requests for performances by the individuals and organizations who are
potential sponsors and notifying them of particular kinds of
performances in which they have expressed an interest.
For those of you interested in this kind of a service, we would be
grateful if you would now do the following:
1. Disseminate knowledge of the clearinghouse among members of your
campus community who have contacts with African artists, encouraging
them to send us materials so that we can compile a list of upcoming
and potential touring artists, with publicity packets for those that
have them available.
2. Keep the African Performance Clearinghouse abreast of any proposed
tours by artists sponsored by your program or known to you.
3. Send us the name, title, telephone and fax numbers, email
address, and mailing address of a contact person within your program.
We are currently establishing contacts for the clearinghouse among the
various groups who are vital to the viability and efficacy of this
project including African embassies, African musicians, their studios
and record companies, and pertinent campus organizations and departments
across the country. When the contact person for each organization is
established, we will send a more complete statement of purpose an d
description of the organization and work to be done by the
clearinghouse. Included is a card for your bulletin board containing the
information for maintaining contact with the clearinghouse.
****African Performance Clearinghouse
Telephone: 608-262-6003 Fax: 608-265-5851
email: afrclear@macc.wisc.edu
African Studies Program
University of Wisconsin
1454 Van Hise Hall
1220 Linden Drive
Madison, WI 53706
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