One of Zimbabwe’s distinguished arts managers and creative entrepreneur, Marcus Gora , has been elected to chair the new board of Music in Africa Foundation (MIAF), a non-profit, pan-African organisation headquartered in Johannesburg.
The board was elected at MIAF’s 12th annual general meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, on November 16 during the Music in Africa Conference for Collaborations, Exchange and Showcases.
Gora takes over from Senegalese Maimouna Dembélé.
The new office bearers hail from diverse musical backgrounds across various regions. The members include deputy chairperson Julz Ossom (Ghana/Canada), treasurer William Chirinda (South Africa), Kobina Ankomah Graham (Ghana), Marie-Kimberly Tesha Oxide (Mauritius), Eddie Hatitye (South Africa), Tabu Osusa (Kenya), Caroline Christgau (South Africa) and Joachim Gerstmeier (Germany). Christgau and Gerstmeier serve on the board on behalf of the MIAF’s founding partners Goethe-Institut and Siemens Stiftung respectively.
Gora told IndependentXtra that he was “deeply honoured to have been elected as the new Music in Africa Foundation board chairperson.
“I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the newly elected board members,” he said. A special thank you goes to executive director Eddie Hatitye and his dedicated team, the outgoing board led by Maïmouna Dembele, and all MIAF members, supporters and partners, including Siemens Stiftung and Goethe-Institut, for their unwavering commitment and contributions to the foundation’s success.”
Gora said the new board’s priority is to build upon the remarkable achievements and progress that have been made and “commit to refining the organisation’s strategy to ensure its continued growth, sustainability and impact”.
Some of MIAF’s objectives include providing reliable and useful information that promotes the African music sector and its operators; connecting and promoting exchange between music operators from, or related to, Africa and its diasporas; promoting and encouraging the creation of content by Africans, about Africa or related to Africa and its diasporas as well as improving the distribution and accessibility and viability of such content.
Gora has been instrumental in shaping Zimbabwe’s creative landscape through various projects, including Solo Fest, Jacaranda Music Festival, Intanga Hub and the Emerging African Galleries Association.
He is the co-founder and director of First Floor Gallery Harare, band manager of Zimbabwe’s internationally acclaimed and award-winning music group, Mokoomba, vice-chairperson of the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe and interim national coordinator of Connect for Culture Africa representing Zimbabwe.
He is also involved in developing projects that link the creative sector to conservation programmes through partnerships with the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and corporate social responsibility initiatives in Zimbabwe and the continent.
