Pro
Helvetia Johannesburg, which forms part of the Swiss Arts Council and is based
in Johannesburg reports on how they are dealing with COVID-19 and its impact on
their work in supporting the arts.
Dear friends in the arts community
During the course of the last month, the
global dimensions of the COVID-19 pandemic have become manifest in alarming and
sudden ways, not all of which can be fully grasped at the present moment. While Switzerland moves into a critical phase
of the human impact of the pandemic, the coming couple of weeks will be
fundamental for mitigating the impact in South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa more
generally. Some of the effects in our field are being immediately and painfully
felt on the livelihoods of a wide spectrum of arts professionals in both
contexts, with the cancellation of festivals and events and the closure of
venues. Other more systemic effects for the cultural field in both Southern
Africa and Switzerland will only become evident in the weeks and months to
come.
Pro Helvetia is committed to supporting our
global network of artists, partners and organisations in finding new and
relevant means of connecting, collaborating, creating, presenting and
responding in these unprecedented circumstances. In the coming weeks our office
will be working closely with artists and partners towards the reconfiguration
and/or postponement of planned projects, tours and residencies. Cancellation
will be a last resort. We are also open to ideas and proposals from the field
for sustaining exchange and collaboration between our region and Switzerland
during this period of extreme constraint on mobility and physical proximity.
"The very term 'support' has gained a
new dimension for the Swiss Arts Council over the past few weeks. We are
listening, we are looking very carefully, and we are taking our responsibility
seriously", our Director Philippe Bischof said in a statement last week.
Our Zurich office has set up an
informational hub aimed particularly at the Swiss cultural scene, also
providing information about measures that the Swiss government is taking to
provide emergency relief to individuals and organisations and compensate for
losses in the Swiss context.
On a practical level, our Johannesburg team
will be operating remotely until such time as the situation stabilises. Our
phone line has been redirected, so you can still get in touch with us via phone
at 011 403 1880 and/or email (see below).
For programme/currently funded project
queries contact Joseph Gaylard (jgaylard@prohelvetia.org.za) and Germaine
Gamiet (ggamiet@prohelvetia.org.za)
For more information visit https://prohelvetia.org.za/en/
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