The 2024/25 Biennials Connect Grant has recognized two major African cultural events—South Africa’s Groove Biennale and Nigeria’s Hausa International Book and Arts Festival—among its 13 recipients.
This prestigious grant, aimed at fostering artistic collaboration and global exchange, will support both festivals in expanding their reach and showcasing contemporary African creative expressions.
The Biennials Connect Grant is designed to strengthen curatorial practices and promote cultural exchange through financial support. In its latest edition, the program has awarded grants to 13 biennials and festivals, enabling them to forge new partnerships, commission artistic work, and showcase emerging talent on the international stage.
About The Festivals
The Groove Biennale is an inclusive architecture and music festival celebrating the alternative nightlife scenes in Johannesburg. Employing experimental interdisciplinary design, it engages the city’s traditional architectural profession with youth culture and nightlife. A day will be dedicated to learning and exchange, featuring a workshop facilitated by three UK-based visual artists for students, queer communities, and others interested in the city’s arts, music, and cultural sector.
The three-day festival, presented by DORMANTYOUTH in partnership with Jägermeister x Night Embassy, will take place in Johannesburg from 30 January until 1 February 2025.
The Hausa International Book and Arts Festival (HIBAF) is an arts and language festival by and for African creatives across the UK, West and East Africa, curated by Open Arts Foundation.
In June 2025, British-Nigerian architectural designer and artist Antoinette Yetunde Oni will collaborate with local northern Nigerian textile artisans on an art installation recounting the region’s long history of textile production. Yetunde Oni will also lead a fellowship and workshop for ten emerging artists, focusing on socially engaged creative practices.
The inclusion of Groove Biennale and HIBAF in the Biennials Connect Grant reflects the growing recognition of Africa’s vibrant cultural landscape. As both events prepare to leverage the funding to expand their programs, they reaffirm the continent’s position as a hub for artistic innovation and exchange. The grant will further strengthen Africa’s presence in global contemporary art and literature.
Read more about the 2024/25 Biennials Connect Grant recipients
Congratulations to the recipients on this well-deserved recognition!
Bakare Oluwatobiloba
I write to educate, motivate and define history with literature. Just being me!
