Villa Karo – Residency in Grand-Popo, Benin (open call)

Villa Karo is a Finnish-African cultural centre in Grand-Popo on the coast of Benin, and its residency gives artists, researchers and cultural professionals six to twelve weeks to work there. Music sits alongside the other disciplines. The centre covers transfers from Cotonou and back, a room with cleaning and daily breakfast, staff support in realising your project, contact with local artists and the surrounding community, and practical help with planning the trip and the visa. Stays run Monday to Monday, and residents are encouraged to offer something back to the local community.

For most applicants this is not a grant — you pay to be there. Costs are a €200 reservation fee plus weekly rent: €120 a week in the main building or €200 in the research centre for Finland-based residents, and €220 or €300 respectively for applicants from outside Finland and West Africa, with reduced per-person rates for working pairs. On top of that come flights, a €100 visa, insurance, vaccinations including compulsory yellow fever, antimalarials and a hotel night in Cotonou. Separately, the centre invites six to eight West African artists and researchers each year fee-free, with a €50 weekly working allowance.

You apply through an online portal with a CV or portfolio in Finnish, English or French, a work plan of no more than two pages in English or French, a short introduction to yourself and your preferred dates. Rounds close on the last Sunday in March and the second-last Sunday in September at 23:59. A panel decides, and it does not explain its decisions.