African Arts Institute

Acronym AFAI. This is an NGO based in Cape Town. According to its website, its aims are “to promote participatory democracy, respect for fundamental human rights and freedoms and equitable social and human development in African countries by affirming the cultural dimension of development” To this end it seeks to harness "South African expertise, infrastructure, markets and resources to contribute to a vibrant and sustainable African creative sector that contributes to development, human rights and democracy on the continent, and projects African aesthetics and intellectual content into the global arena".

AFAI works in close partnership with the Arterial Network, and houses its secretariat.

Founded in 2009, the original board members were Harry Garuba (Chair), Amrish Bissoon, Mike van Graan (Executive Director), Zeona Jacobs, Chris Kabwato, Mulenga Kapwepwe, Lupwishi Mbuyamba and Christi van der Westhuizen. (

In 2014 AFAI published the third edition of the South African Handbook on Arts and Culture (The previous editions were in 1998 and 2002 respectively.)

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