Sunday, May 25, 2014

2ND “CARTOON AFRICA INTERNATIONAL BIENNIAL” (CAIB) FESTIVAL 2014

RELOADED:
International Press Release; January, 2014:           
THE INITIAL CALL FOR ENTRIES FOR THE 2ND “CARTOON AFRICA INTERNATIONAL BIENNIAL” (CAIB) FESTIVAL 2014

CAIB 2014 THEME/BACKGROUND INFORMATION: While professionally showcasing, promoting and rewarding excellence in the cartoon and comic Art industry across Africa and globally, the CAIB collaborative agenda seeks to explore how Art and multimedia innovations, in synergy with other allied fields of endeavour, can provide Answer to a wide variety of issues and concerns in favour of Africa’s sustainable development and productivity within the framework of  human dignity, equality, peace and godliness, in line with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)  and the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD),and in the context of the UNESCO Social and Human Sciences Sector’s (SHS) call for innovative ideas in favour of Africa’s development within the new decade.

RATIONALE: The adage that a picture is worth a thousand words is not far-fetched: One image can communicate more than dozens of pages of text or hours of speeches. One image can change the course of history. Editorial cartoons draw attention to important political, economic, and social issues like nothing else. Using symbols or visual metaphors, their reach transcends country borders and language barrier”.  We are deploying Art and  visual journalism in the context of press cartooning,  cartoon animations, comics/graphic humour, etc, as a creative education, awareness spreading and public enlightenment strategy to draw attention, promote fiscal development and human dignity, to celebrate excellence, drive productivity, equity, moral capital development and innovative cross cultural resources development and exchanges across Africa in a global context.

The 2014 edition of CARTOON AFRICA INTERNATIONAL BIENNIAL (CAIB) festival will hold in the last quarter of 2014. African illustrators, press cartoonists, cartoon animators, etc, and their colleagues around the globe will once again gather in Nigeria, in 2014, through their comedic art, creative education and visual journalism works - Caricatures, editorial cartoons, comic strips, cartoon animations, photo cartoons, etc - to lend a strong voice to the theme above, addressing Africa’s development needs and challenges in a global context.
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?
The festival is open to all professional artists, amateurs/students and children of all grades and types of schools regardless of their age from all over the world. Three major categories of participants are, however, identified for CAIB2014: PROFESSIONAL; AMATEUR/STUDENT; and CHILDREN.  The central theme of the second edition of the CAIB festival is: “AFRICA OF THE FUTURE”.

The TOPICS being investigated and interpreted include:
(1) “Stop Violence Against   Women” (Selected entries on this topic will automatically qualify for inclusion in the CAIB-MEWOR Comic book series plus short animated videos to be produced and distributed regionally to draw attention and spread awareness of the “PROTOCOL TO THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES’ RIGHTS ON THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN AFRICA”. You may download the document from our website to guide you).        
 (2) “Our Children, Our Future; Their Safety, Our Responsibility.”
(3) “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): The God Factor In Achieving Success.”
(4) “My Fears for Africa” *(Strictly for Non- African participants only).
(5a) “The WATER and ENVIRONMENT challenge”
(5b) “Tribute to Nelson Mandela” (Caricatures, editorial cartoons, comic strip, animation, photo cartoon, etc)
 (6) Free. (Here, you are at liberty to work on any topic(s) of your choice, but they should be within the thematic framework of CAIB festival2014)

*(7) Introducing: the first “BFI LIFEGATE COMICS & MULTIMEDIA PRIZE”, a prestigious creative award for the best youth graphic literature, comic book, photo story, or short cartoon animated video, multimedia, new media short story, documentary,  jingle or  documentary on any topic(s) addressing  one or more of the issues below and primarily targeting African youths:  NEW CREATION REALITIES; MORAL CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT; THE CHURCH AND POVERTY IN SOCIETY;  IDENTITY CRISIS IN A PLURAL SOCIETY AND GLOBALISED WORLD;  TOMORROW’S YOUTH AND THE SOCIAL MEDIA; Water, SANITATION AND HYGIENE (WASH) CREATIVE EDUCATION  FOR SCHOOLCHILDREN/YOUTHS; YOUTH SEXUALITY EDUCATION; YOUTH AND PEACE BUILDING; ETC.
NOTE: Authors/artists can come up with their own ideas and topics as individual participants or as a team, but they must address youth moral capital development in the context of social and spiritual culture. Details of the BFI’s new awards programme are available on the organization’s website: www.bfiministry.org/media/

TERMS & CONDITIONS:
1.       Participation in the CAIB festival is FREE.
 2. Female African artists, press cartoonists, etc, are highly encouraged to participate, as there will be special media opportunities and creative offers awaiting successful African female participants.
3. Apart from  TOPIC (4) reserved only for Non-African participants, there is no restriction to topics that participants can enter for the festival/contest, no limit to the number of works to be entered and there is no restriction on style or medium of expression of works sent in.
4. Cartoons, comics, caricatures, photo cartoons, cartoon strips, new media, etc, can be sent in as coloured or black and white, in A4 or A3 paper sizes only, (without frames) in a protective pack, irrespective of whether they have been published before or have won any prizes in any previous events. It is advisable to send your entries via INSURED or REGISTERED mail, as the organizers will not be liable for mails lost in transit. The organizers will ensure the protection of works in our custody. However, we shall not be responsible for badly packaged entries or entries damaged before and after the festival/exhibition. Video/Cartoon Animation entries MUST not exceed 5 minutes in length that could be broadcast in compressed format and realizable in the most common formats: AVI, MPEG Real Video for Windows, etc.).
5. Original artworks are preferable for the CAIB festival. However, high quality computer print-outs are also acceptable. No photocopies please! Digitally-generated works must be duly signed by the artists to be accepted in this festival/contest as original. Entries that do not measure up to standard for the cartoon/comics biennial festival/ contest will be discarded. The organizers reserve the right to withdraw the established prizes and certificates if the entries fail to meet the required standard and focus of the festival.
6. FORM: Participants MUST fill and submit the
participation form to be eligible for the festival/contest. The form can be downloaded from our websites: www.cartoonafricabiennial.org, www.africanartscenter.com   Works submitted without fully-completed participation forms will be rejected. On a word document or separate enclosed sheet of paper please provide a short CV of the author, titles of artworks submitted and the polemic meanings/ messages they convey.
7. ORIGINALITY: Works sent in for the festival MUST be the original creations of the artists themselves. Plagiarism is forbidden in the CAIB festival/contest; so it is instructively vital that authors be fully responsible for the originality of their entries to the biennial festival. The organizers will withdraw any prize/award, if after the events it was reported and proven of any copyright infringement anywhere in the world, and legal actions may be instituted against offenders accordingly.
8. DEADLINE: Entries will be accepted from January 1, 2014 until midnight, October 1, 2014. Entries received after the deadline will only be accepted if they bear a postmark prior to October 1, 2014.
9. JUDGES: A steep panel of experts drawn from the Art community, the mass media, cartoonists, art critics, school art teachers, art curators, etc, in Nigeria, parts of Africa, and abroad, will select the qualified works for the contest and subsequent touring exhibitions according to their merits, effectiveness in communicating vital messages within the CAIB project’s thematic framework. The decision of the judges will be final.  Selected works, whether or not they won prizes in the festival/contest, will be put into a colourful coffee table book/CATALOGUE, and all participants whose works are included in the catalogue will receive a free copy each, whenever they are produced. So, please carefully print your valid postal address and other contact information in the participation form.
10. EXHIBITION OPENING/AWARD PRESENTATIONS: The official opening of the CAIB2014 festival exhibition and prize presentations to winners will take place on November 7, 2014 tentatively at a venue to be decided on later. The 2014 CAIB festival/exhibition (and its supporting events) may run till May, 2015, via post-event traveling exhibitions/ cartoon workshops, fundraising art auctions, merchandise sales, etc.(Read more on supporting events at the bottom of this press release)
11. PRIZES: Winners will be awarded according to categories, namely:
Best entry in each Category: N20, 000 + Certificate + Catalogue + 1 year media contract, courtesy of the CAIB organizers and some of their local, regional and international media collaborators and other sponsors. Second Best entry in each Category: N10, 000 + Certificate + Catalogue + 6 months media contract, courtesy of the CAIB organizers and some of their local, regional and international media collaborators and other sponsors. Third Best entry in each category: N5, 000 + Certificate + Catalogue + 3 months media contract, courtesy of the CAIB organizers and some of their local, regional and international media collaborators and other sponsors. There will be HONOURABLE MENTION, certificates, catalogues and a one- off media contract for some participants tipped by the jury. Depending on increased funding/sponsorships, in CASH, for the CAIB festivals, prizes may be reviewed upward across board during the CAIB festival period under review.
* There shall also be special awards by some collaborating organizations like the Beautiful Feet International (BFI), corporate bodies and individuals and the general viewing public, such as the Best-In-Show Public Award also known as “B.I.S.A. award” for the most educative and intellectually engaging of all the works exhibited or shown on screen during the 2014 CAIB festival exhibitions. This will be determined by public votes by visitors to the CAIB festival, cartoon workshops/interactive sessions as well as open air public interactive showcase of some reproductions of some selected works at strategic city centers. The new “BFI LIFEGATE COMICS & MULTIMEDIA PRIZE” is a special award courtesy of the BFI Art and Media center, co-sponsors of the CAIB festival. 
12. SALES, RETURN/ DONATION OF WORKS: If you wish to sell your submitted original works during the CAIB festival, please clearly indicate same in the participation form, along with the intended price in US dollars. Original art works submitted for the festival/contest will be returned back only if the author so indicated in the participation form, and at the author’s postal expense through courier services. Or they can be donated to the organizers for future promotional, educational and other non-commercial uses.

 NOTE: Prize winning works and all entries sent via emails or posted as computer print-outs will not be returned but automatically become properties of the organizers and shall be permanently preserved in the new CAIB Cartoon and Comics Museum set up in Benin City, Nigeria, after the pilot CAIB event in 2012.
 All participants and authors of works submitted to CAIB oblige the organizers the full right to use, to archive, to print, to publish or broadcast their work(s) in all CAIB promotional and educational means, and to let them feature in any exhibitions, etc- without any financial liability to the authors/artists. The signing and submission of completed participation form and your works is proof of your acceptance of the terms and conditions stipulated for participation in the CARTOON AFRICA INTERNATIONAL BIENNIAL festival 2014. Thank you for your cooperation! Log on to our website: www.cartoonafricabiennial.org, to download Participation Form.
13. ADDRESS: All entries for the CAIB festival should be mailed to:
THE CURATOR,
CARTOON AFRICA INTERNATIONAL BIENNIAL (CAIB),
C/O FRANCODUS INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS (FIC),
PO BOX 14922, BENIN CITY, EDO STATE, NIGERIA.

Or by Emails to:
contest@cartoonafricabiennial.org, and copy: africanpresscartoon@gmail.com
Tel: +2348023680030

SUPPORTING EVENTS: More supporting events will be featuring during the CAIB2014 festival to add verve to the biennial event and will take place in Benin City and Lagos side by side. These include pre-festival Schools Cartoon Art  Challenge/workshops/exhibitions for primary, secondary and tertiary schools in selected Nigerian/African cities and towns; visual journalism training workshops for African women journalists and mass communicators, etc; the first planning meeting of African Christian Cartoonists and Comic Artists; fundraising art exhibition by selected African and foreign artists; CAIB webshop launch/merchandise sales; distribution of free comics and educational audio visuals; CCAS-Afrik inaugural conference/workshop; short cartoon animated film shows; official launch of CAIB International Cartoon Museum; open air public interactive showcase of some reproductions of some selected works at strategic city centers. etc.

Artists, cultural creatives, writers, publishers, the  media, design  and promo-serve companies, advertisers, fashion/textile industries, architectural practitioners, manufacturers, NGOs, government agencies, etc, whose businesses and or services  integrate artistic illustrations, cartoons and comedic art, as well as other related businesses and institutions anywhere in the world- who wish to take advantage of the CAIB platform to collaborate and cooperate with us to promote/ sell their ideas, goods and or services as partners in every edition of the CAIB festivals -are very welcome. Please contact the central organizing committee for our mutually benefitting terms and conditions. Send enquiries to: africanpresscartoon@gmail.com, fic_55@yahoo.com or call the curator, Francis Umendu Odupute: +2348023680030.



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