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Beyond the Algorithm: African Musical Creativity in the Age of AI

AI & African Music Project – Open Call for Proposals

The Wits Innovation Centre (WIC), in partnership with the Machine Intelligence & Neural Discovery Institute (MIND) at Wits University, invites applications for AI & African Music, a pilot supporting bold new music initiatives that put African creativity at the center of artificial intelligence. From Amapiano to gospel, indigenous rhythms to Afrobeats, African musics offer tonalities, textures, and traditions that challenge and expand today’s AI tools—most of which are trained on Western data. This project supports creators working across music-making, archiving, education and tool development. Our goal is to build new futures for AI in music—ones shaped by African sounds, languages, and innovation.

We’re seeking proposals that:

What the programme offers:

 

Funding: ZAR 30,000 per month for four to six months for each selected musician

AI collaborator (engineer/technologist) support for four to six months

Collaborative project development workshop (Johannesburg, November 2025)

Advisor for monthly progress and reporting support for the project duration

Production support to prepare a showcase presentation or performance

Showcase: A final public performance or presentation and workshop (April 2026)

Who Can Apply Musicians, producers, composers, and music educators of African descent, based in an African country, working in any genre.
Application Process Submit your Expression of Interest by 14 September 2025 (17:00 SAST) to receive an invitation to the guidance webinar on 15 or 16 September, and complete your application by 23 September 2025 (17:00 SAST) with a 500-word project description, short bio/CV, and examples of past work.