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National Theatre seeks creative works on COVID-19

National Theatre seeks creative works on COVID-19

The National Theatre of Namibia (NTN) is calling on Namibian freelance artists and creatives to submit their works to the theatre for a flat fee of N$ 000 after the realization of their proposed works.

According to the theatre’s Artistic Director Nelago Shilongoh, the project, titled ‘Impact of Covid-19 in Namibia: Artistic Responses and Creative Interventions’ is a financial relief project for freelance artists and creatives who have been left vulnerable due to the various interruptions in gigs and projects following the lockdown.

The project is open to all creatives from various art disciplines, including, but not limited to; performances, storytelling sessions, readings, essays, visual designs, poetry, creative writing (blogs), innovative protests, hosting of talks, lectures, interviews, opinion pieces, etc.

Shilongoh said the call-out is also aimed at facilitating the voices and perspectives of Namibian freelance artists, activists, creative and cultural workers, on the experiences, concerns and fears that citizens are faced with at the moment, with the impacts of Covid-19 in Namibia.

“We are calling on creative, informative or therapeutic works that reflect the theme: ‘Human Rights Implications amid the Covid-19 Pandemic in Namibia’. With this theme, we want to encourage those in the arts and cultural sectors to join in on the national conversation and perhaps propose policies to our leaders as well,” Shilongoh said.

Shilongoh further explained that the works will be featured on digital and alternative platforms by the NTN. Additionally, the NTN will not own rights to any of the works, as all intellectual property and copyright will belong to the applicants. The role of the NTN is to simply facilitate the process of important voices, assist with the accessibility of the works to the public.

“We are proposing that the applicants create their works within the comfort of their homes and possible means, and not to spend too much money, as only N$ 1000 will be granted for the artists to cater for some of their day-to-day needs,” Shilongoh added.

To apply to this project, complete an application form which can be requested by emailing [email protected]


Caption: NTN’s artistic director Nelago Shilongoh (Photo: National Theatre of Namibia)

About The Author

Donald Matthys

Donald Matthys has been part of the media fraternity since 2015. He has been working at the Namibia Economist for the past three years mainly covering business, tourism and agriculture. Donald occasionally refers to himself as a theatre maker and has staged two theatre plays so far. Follow him on twitter at @zuleitmatthys