Panga Sanaa Fellowship for Creative Sector Associations in Kenya

Project Summary

Panga Sanaa Fellowship for Creative Sector Associations in Kenya

Client Partnership

Sarakasi Trust partnered with Masson & Associates to pioneer the Panga Sanaa Fellowship, addressing the critical need for stronger leadership and mobilization within Kenya’s creative sector associations.

Background

Recognizing the creative sector’s challenges – lacking cohesiveness, leadership, and engaging platforms – the fellowship aimed to empower action-oriented leaders of creative associations. The initiative aimed to elevate the sector’s significance in socio-economic development, freedom of expression, and civic participation.

Fellowship Details

Launched in January 2022, the first cohort comprised 10 associations specializing in Music, Film, and Digital Arts. Over an intensive 9-month period (March to October 2022), participants underwent a comprehensive incubation program.

Objectives

The fellowship prioritized enhancing leadership, facilitating policy research/dialogue, and fostering collaborative networks among leaders of young and established associations.

Curriculum Focus

Emphasizing governance, membership services, policy/advocacy, and organizational development, the curriculum adopted an experiential learning approach.

Achievements

By the end of the 2022 fellowship, participants demonstrated improved leadership at both individual and organizational levels. They exhibited a commitment to reassessing association mandates, refreshing governance structures, revising policies, engaging in policy/advocacy, and enhancing peer mobilization.

Outcomes

Notably, participants gained confidence, securing emerging leadership roles and recognition for their enhanced capabilities within the creative sector.

Impact

The Panga Sanaa Fellowship significantly contributed to reinvigorating and empowering creative sector associations, fostering stronger leadership, policy engagement, and collective mobilization.

Next Steps

Moving forward, the fellowship aims to expand its impact, fostering continued leadership development and collaborative efforts within Kenya’s creative sector.