UNESCO Transcultura Call To Young Caribbean Musicians

The Programme Transcultura: Integrating Cuba, the Caribbean and the European Union through Culture and Creativity, implemented by the UNESCO Regional Office in Havana and funded by the European Union, has partnered with Fifty Lab Music Festival to provide young, emerging Caribbean musicians with an opportunity to perform and engage for the first time in artistic exchange at one of Belgium’s premier alternative music events.

The Caribbean creators selected will be from some of the 17 countries covered by the Transcultura programme: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.

Through this call and joint action for cultural exchange and cooperation, the UNESCO Transcultura programme will:

• Cover the costs (a return trip in economy class, airport pick-up and drop-off, including at the city of origin, visa costs – if necessary –, accommodation in a 3-star hotel – or similar – in Brussels, Belgium, 3 meals a day and daily transportation ̶  if required – for international travel to Brussels, Belgium, from 8 to 16 November (8 nights) for a maximum of 4 musicians from the Caribbean, representing at least two of the three linguistic zones covered by the Transcultura programme (English, French and Spanish), in the following categories:

1. Saxophone
2. Trumpet 
3. Percussion set (Batá drums; miscellanea, shakers, botija, conga drums, cymbals, bembe/bemba drums)
4. Piano and keyboard

• Enhance the international exposure of the young Caribbean musicians and showcase their talent through international presentations in the framework of a major European festival, while identifying further opportunities for collaboration between them and European artists.
• Support the artists’ international visibility through press conferences, activities promoting their work, distributing their music albums and networking with their European peers.

Applications must be submitted by Friday 27 September 2024, 23:59 hours Havana time (GMT – 4 hours) via this online form.