Since we started in late 2012, we have come a long way. We have renovated and equipped a building and set up a residency programme, which already has been a success. Every year, we select and host around 30 interesting projects. In many cases, the residencies have been worthwhile both for the participating artists and the local community. We hope that Waaw is making a valuable contribution to the cultural sector in Saint-Louis, a town where every little effort matters.

However, we would like to do more. Our paying residents mostly come from the affluent West. We would like to increase their contacts with Senegalese artists, and invite African artists to Waaw to work alongside and with them. We would also like to work long-term with artists, craftspeople and schools in Saint-Louis, increasing skills, sharing insights and contributing to human and economic development. We have no lack of ideas, but we don't have the resources.

- A donation of €20 will contribute to our residency library, specialising in books and films on Senegal and West Africa.

- A donation of €50 will contribute to school workshops in art or design, run by resident artists or invited Senegalese trainers. We need to cover costs for material, travel and upkeep.

- A donation of €100 will cover travel costs, meals and other expenses of an invited Senegalese artist, working alongside and with our foreign artists, adding a further dimension to their Senegalese experience.

- A donation of €500-1,000 will contribute to costs for travel and upkeep for an artist from another African country - invited with the aim of making Waaw a true meeting point of different cultures and experiences. In addition to North-South interaction, we believe it is important to encourage South-South contacts: a sculpturer from Zimbabwe or a writer from Cameroon could make an important contribution to the Waaw community and to cultural life in Saint-Louis.

Any amount is welcome.

You can donate by bank transfer to our Belgian account IBAN: BE28 7330 1220 1620, BIC/SWIFT: KREDBEBB, payable to Staffan Martikainen. You can also make a payment through PayPal - please first send an email to info[at]waawsenegal and tell us how much you would like to donate. Unfortunately, we are unable to issue tax receipts. 

On this website, we will report on how donated funds have been used.

Thank you for your generous support.

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Photo: Gun Holmström

A donation from Clara Puranen and Tarja Koffert, Finland (2013) has been spent as follows:

Film maker Kitso Lelliott, Botswana: costs for travel and subsistence (2014)

Painter Moussa Sakho, Dakar: travel costs in connection with an exhibition in Saint-Louis (2014)

Musicians Claire Barbier and Mbemba Diebate: towards costs for recording an album (2014)

Calligraphist and painter Yélimane Fall, Dakar: exhibition and school workshops in Saint-Louis (2015)

A donation by Elisabeth Kwan, Canada (2017) has been used for buying books and films for the Waaw library.