Swiss museum professionals are invited to apply for a two-week study visit to Dakar (Senegal). The visit is part of an exchange programme between museums in Senegal and Switzerland, organized by ICOM, ICOM Switzerland, ImagiNation Afrika and ICOM Senegal.
ImagiNation Afrika, the host institution, will offer the selected participant two weeks of immersion in the museum and education world of Dakar, through visits, meetings and collaborations. The exchange will focus on the co-creation of educational materials for the Henriette Bathily Women’s Museum in Dakar, the only museum dedicated to women in the country. Due to the sanitary crisis the dates of the study visit will be defined later, but candidates can apply now.
The objective of the study visit will be to promote the museum’s accessibility and visibility for young schoolchildren, through the creation of cultural mediation materials for children and teachers. These materials, developed in collaboration with the ImagiNation Afrika team, will highlight certain aspects of the museum’s collection, in order to raise children’s awareness of the history and traditions of women in Senegal and West Africa.
The programme will take place in Dakar in 2021 and will cover the cost of the flight, visa, accommodation, daily allowance and transport in Senegal for the visits and activities. The chosen candidate must commit to participate in all activities and to complete the full programme.
Who can apply?
To apply for this programme, museum professionals from Switzerland must meet the following criteria:
- hold a position in a recognized Swiss museum, preferably in the field of cultural interpretation, public programming and education;
- be a member of ICOM, i.e. have paid their individual membership fee to ICOM for two consecutive years, including the current year (i.e. 2019 and 2020);
- be fluent in French;
- be 45 years of age or younger by 31 December 2020;
- have an interest in the theme of the museum concerned.
Applications must be accompanied by the following documents (in French):
- a letter of motivation mentioning the areas of interest that the candidate wishes to pursue during his/her study visit, as well as his/her ideas on how to collaborate in the co-creation of educational materials for the Henriette Bathily Women’s Museum in Dakar. IMPORTANT: do not forget to include these two points in your cover letter;
- a curriculum vitae mentioning the candidate’s training, professional experience, publications and current professional responsibilities (two pages maximum);
- a letter of recommendation signed by the director of the museum where the candidate currently works;
- Proof of payment for the ICOM 2020 membership (copy of the card with the 2020 sticker or official document of the National Committee);
- a copy of the first page of the candidate’s passport. IMPORTANT: this passport must be valid at least until 30 January 2021.
Applicants must complete and submit the online form before the deadline, midnight (CET+1) on 31 August 2020.