How To Register For 2021/2022 OneBeat Sahara Fellowship Program

OneBeat Sahara will convene 25 musicians from seven countries in the Saharan Region and the U.S. to collaboratively create original work and to develop a global network of civically engaged music initiatives.

During this 3-week program, which includes a residency in Béchar and tour to Taghit and Algiers, OneBeat Sahara Fellows will explore black diasporic musical traditions that traveled from Africa to the Americas, and back to Africa again. This program will focus particularly on the elements of these artistic traditions and their links to North African music — both ancient and contemporary — which create a cultural power based in resilience, creativity, and mutual support.

Details

Inspired by the world’s largest desert, the theme of OneBeat Sahara 2021 will be silence, both as a form of oppression and a source of power and creative awareness. As OneBeat alumnus (2018, U.S) Chakib Bouzidi, put it: “The desert is known as a vast place, given over to emptiness and solitude. When we come into harmony with this vast landscape, we can more clearly articulate each sound, more precisely recognize each gesture, each movement, and hear the breath that surrounds us in the midst of great silence.”

All programming and performance dates are contingent on the development of COVID-19 and may be subject to change pending the evolving international situation.

Costs

• All costs will be covered for OneBeat Fellows, including travel and accommodations. Fellows will also receive a per diem and a modest honorarium.

Eligibility

• Open to musical leaders from Algeria, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Tunisia, and the United States.
• Applicants must be between 19 – 35 years during the dates of program (program is expected to run in February 2021).
• Musicians from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply, with or without formal musical training.
• They welcome music of all genres, including but not limited to: traditional/folk, hip hop, experimental, electronic, jazz, classical, sound design, beat-making, multimedia art, or any combination of these styles.
• In additional to full-time professional musicians, they also invite adventurous musicians who double as community organizers, instrument builders, writers, videographers, musicologists, educators, storytellers, dancers, shadow-puppeteers, and more.

How To Apply

Applicants should plan to write about their musical background and interests as well as future projects and goals. Applicants will be asked to submit 3-5 samples of their solo and collaborative work (both audio and video are accepted).

Click Here To Apply

For more information, see FAQ and visit OneBeat Sahara Fellowship.

Application Deadline: September 2, 2020