Relief as TZ artistry strikes gold in US

TANZANIAN artistry heads for a new dawn following a scholarship offer from the Seattle Pacific University (SPU) which aims artists to produce quality work using high technology.

The agreement with the University was reached in a meeting with the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Culture, Arts and Sports Hassan Abbasi and the Tanzania Arts Council(NSC)  Executive Secretary, Kedmon Mapana.

Located in Seattle, Washington, the university offers liberal arts to graduating people of competence and character to become people of wisdom, and modelling a grace-filled community.

In addition, the other arts stakeholders who attended the meeting in the United States are Prof. Barbara Lundquist, a Retired Music Specialist at Seattle Pacific University and founder of the Chamwino Connect foundation that supports Arts activities in Tanzania and elsewhere in Africa.

Ben Hunter Director of Artist Affairs at Folklife Festival; Simon Okello, the Board Member of Folklife Festival and Leader of One Vibe Africa Institute also attended in the meeting.

Others who attended the session are Gabriel Solis, the new Head of the Department of Music and Music History, University of Washington, Tim Sneath from the famous Google Company and the current Chairman of Chamwino Connect, Prof. Patrician Campbell.

At the university, the Permanent Secretary stressed that the opportunity offered to Tanzanian artists will help to promote their works globally.

Adding, he said the artistic works will also be promoted through the big Folklife Festival that is held in May every year in the city of Seattle.

He said the city also serves as the headquarters of major companies in the United States such as Boeing, Amazon, Google, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Microsoft, Starbucks, Getty Images, Deloitte, Alaska Airlines and T-Mobile.

Another part of the discussion , the US stakeholders have received and accepted to collaborate with them to bring the Serengeti Festival in several cities of the United States to promote the art and culture of these two countries.

‘’During the meeting, we discussed about the Serengeti Festival so that it is held in several cities of the United States,” said Abbasi

He urged the artists to skillfully use the opportunity they have been offered to promote the country’s cultural tourism as well as to continue building long-term relations between both countries.