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Welcome to the
Pan-African Creative Exchange

The Pan-African Creative Exchange (PACE), initiated by the Vrystaat Arts Festival, is a biennial arts market and showcase for African & African-diaspora artists, developed for national and international presenters, producers and festival directors, providing the highest quality inter-disciplinary arts product (theatre, dance, music, craft etc) from Africa, to buyers, artists and the general public. 
 
PACE was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa at a long table conversation between arts professionals from the African continent and international visitors in 2015, and is driven by a ‘coalition of the willing’ from the African continent as well as cultural professionals outside of Africa. 
 
There are different strands to PACE: the biennial showcase presents full shows for tour-ready work; excerpts of tour-ready work; excerpts of work in progress; pitching new work; and it includes a PACE New Voices programme; critical debate/roundtable sessions; networking programmes; and key PACE programming events. Outside the showcase, PACE has also organized a producer’s shadowing and exchange program; dramaturgical labs; and the PACE Connection. We partner with various other platforms, festivals and artists so as to widen the reach of African artistic voices.
 
The aims of PACE are to increase the global reach of Africa’s arts industry to the wider world and to contribute to the continent’s development of future work.

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Who is PACE for?

The Pan-African Creative Exchange is a platform for the following creatives: Venue Managers – national and international, Artistic Directors, Promoters, Producers, Festival Organisers, Funders, Development Agencies, Policymakers, Critics, Artists, Academia and International peers.

Benefits of attending PACE

  • Opportunities to network internationally and, in particular, grow networks across the African continent

  • Raise the profile of African artists and their innovative, cutting-edge work on the world stage

  • Engage in dialogue and critical debate, raising awareness of the context of African creative works and African artists

  • Develop artistic partnerships

  • Broaden opportunities for African artists internationally through touring, co-producing and artistic collaborations

  • Enable international funders, promoters and presenters to share policy and practice

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