CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR ARTISTIC PRODUCTIONS
African Feminisms - Rights, Representation, Resources
(Re)present: African Feminist Perspectives on Representation
Deadline
for submission
Sunday, 24 August 2025
Submission of all documents to: hoaf@goethe.de with the subject line “African Feminisms Artistic Call - Representation”.
The project African Feminisms – Rights, Representation, Resources invites African artists, collectives, and creative practitioners to submit proposals for digital artworks to be exhibited on the House of African Feminisms website and at the African Feminisms symposium in 2026.
Representation in its complexity is shaped by layered histories, power dynamics, and enduring cultural and traditional beliefs about women*’s roles and spaces.
In today’s challenging global climate—marked by the continued restriction of women*’s rights, rising authoritarianism and totalitarianism, and the silencing of dissent—we must ask: How can we create and sustain spaces where women*’s voices, ideas, and lives not only survive, but thrive? How can we better advocate for the representation of women* and girls amid colonial legacies, cultural traditions, and contemporary transnational forces that continue to deny the right to be seen and heard in ways that are both respectful and affirming?
Our second Call for Proposals for artistic production focuses on “Representation” and seeks to engage with the complexities and possibilities of African feminisms by exploring the many dimensions of women*’s representation—whether in the media, in politics, or in cultural spaces. How do women* occupy, shape, and transform these spaces? How can disrespectful or dismissive forms of representation be challenged? This call invites reflection on how representation is expressed across diverse contexts—and how it can be expanded, deepened, and more firmly rooted through a range of artistic and African feminist approaches.
We invite artistic proposals that critically engage with representation through African feminist perspectives—whether political, social, cultural, religious, intellectual, or spiritual.
We are particularly interested in projects that question dominant narratives, challenge limiting portrayals, and reimagine women*’s presence, power, and contribution—not as acts of inclusion, but as affirmations of existing complexity, agency, and lived experience.
Proposals may take diverse forms—written works, photo essays, short films, podcasts, digital and new media art, or cross-disciplinary formats. What matters is that they offer a fresh, feminist perspective grounded in African contexts and realities.
Budget
The proposals/projects will be funded with up to EUR 2.000.
Eligibility criteria
Selection criteria
Submission of final artistic/ creative project, including complete narrative and financial reports by October 2025. Provide PR material for the project communication.
Submission
Deadline for submission of proposals:
24 August 2025
Late submissions will not be considered.
Submission of all documents to: hoaf@goethe.de with the subject line “African Feminisms Artistic Call - Representation”.
The project “African Feminisms – Rights, Representation, Resources” is an initiative of the Goethe Institut project ‘House of African Feminisms’ (HoAF), a networking and resource platform for African feminists, and supported by the German Federal Foreign Office.
The project ‘African Feminisms – Rights, Representation, Resources’ aims to explore African feminisms practically and discursively, to promote feminist practice through capacity-building programmes and new perspectives through artistic work. The project sees feminisms not only as a conscious intellectual and activist movement, but as the daily lived experience of women*.
The project has at its core the triad of "Rights, Representation and Resources" formulated in the guidelines of feminist foreign policy, such as:
About House of African Feminisms
The artwork will be displayed digitally on The House of African Feminisms (HoAF) website. HoAF is a platform for feminist discourse, resource and enlightenment that aims at highlighting the works of various African feminist scholars, artists and thinkers around the world as well as providing a resource on African feminisms. It is anchored on a strong concept/idea of cultural exchange, networking and inclusivity.
About the Goethe-Institut
The Goethe-Institut is the cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany with a global reach. We promote knowledge of the German language abroad and foster international cultural cooperation. We convey a comprehensive picture of Germany by providing information on Germany's cultural, social and political life.
Representation in its complexity is shaped by layered histories, power dynamics, and enduring cultural and traditional beliefs about women*’s roles and spaces.
In today’s challenging global climate—marked by the continued restriction of women*’s rights, rising authoritarianism and totalitarianism, and the silencing of dissent—we must ask: How can we create and sustain spaces where women*’s voices, ideas, and lives not only survive, but thrive? How can we better advocate for the representation of women* and girls amid colonial legacies, cultural traditions, and contemporary transnational forces that continue to deny the right to be seen and heard in ways that are both respectful and affirming?
Our second Call for Proposals for artistic production focuses on “Representation” and seeks to engage with the complexities and possibilities of African feminisms by exploring the many dimensions of women*’s representation—whether in the media, in politics, or in cultural spaces. How do women* occupy, shape, and transform these spaces? How can disrespectful or dismissive forms of representation be challenged? This call invites reflection on how representation is expressed across diverse contexts—and how it can be expanded, deepened, and more firmly rooted through a range of artistic and African feminist approaches.
We invite artistic proposals that critically engage with representation through African feminist perspectives—whether political, social, cultural, religious, intellectual, or spiritual.
We are particularly interested in projects that question dominant narratives, challenge limiting portrayals, and reimagine women*’s presence, power, and contribution—not as acts of inclusion, but as affirmations of existing complexity, agency, and lived experience.
Proposals may take diverse forms—written works, photo essays, short films, podcasts, digital and new media art, or cross-disciplinary formats. What matters is that they offer a fresh, feminist perspective grounded in African contexts and realities.
Budget
The proposals/projects will be funded with up to EUR 2.000.
Eligibility criteria
- Artists and creatives living on the continent or the African Diaspora
- Track record/ portfolio of previously created work
Selection criteria
- Artistic and/or conceptual quality and clarity of execution
- Relevance to the theme and contribution to African feminisms
- Originality and creativity
- Feasibility of implementation within proposed budget
Project Expectations
Submission of final artistic/ creative project, including complete narrative and financial reports by October 2025. Provide PR material for the project communication.
Submission
- Your concept / project description and used media (max 2 pages or a video teaser of max 2 minutes) Provide context on how your work engages with African feminist theories and/or practices in the field of representation on the continent. Highlight any previous work in these areas or similar themes).
- Biography or CV with Artist Statement
- Budget plan (inclusive of all expenses)
- Any three links to your artistic work or portfolio you think are relevant to this application.
Deadline for submission of proposals:
24 August 2025
Late submissions will not be considered.
Submission of all documents to: hoaf@goethe.de with the subject line “African Feminisms Artistic Call - Representation”.
About the Project
The project “African Feminisms – Rights, Representation, Resources” is an initiative of the Goethe Institut project ‘House of African Feminisms’ (HoAF), a networking and resource platform for African feminists, and supported by the German Federal Foreign Office.
The project ‘African Feminisms – Rights, Representation, Resources’ aims to explore African feminisms practically and discursively, to promote feminist practice through capacity-building programmes and new perspectives through artistic work. The project sees feminisms not only as a conscious intellectual and activist movement, but as the daily lived experience of women*.
The project has at its core the triad of "Rights, Representation and Resources" formulated in the guidelines of feminist foreign policy, such as:
- Women*s rights for feminist politics of the future
- Representation of feminist positions in politics and civil society and artistic contexts - Access to resources for feminist opinion-forming and projects (finance, knowledge, community)
About House of African Feminisms
The artwork will be displayed digitally on The House of African Feminisms (HoAF) website. HoAF is a platform for feminist discourse, resource and enlightenment that aims at highlighting the works of various African feminist scholars, artists and thinkers around the world as well as providing a resource on African feminisms. It is anchored on a strong concept/idea of cultural exchange, networking and inclusivity.
About the Goethe-Institut
The Goethe-Institut is the cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany with a global reach. We promote knowledge of the German language abroad and foster international cultural cooperation. We convey a comprehensive picture of Germany by providing information on Germany's cultural, social and political life.
