While positioning itself in the financial market as a leading bank, Absa Bank Mozambique is increasingly making its mark on the arts and culture of the country. Giving national artists a voice, space and opportunities to benefit more from their work is already part of the DNA of a bank that celebrates the achievements and development of Mozambican arts.
At the end of 2023, the Bank was already announcing the new paths that art would take in 2024. With the launch of the Ready for Art programme in December, Absa opened a new chapter in the art world. The programme, which aims to boost the growth and development of artists through a set of actions that promote their interpersonal, financial and business development, is already a reality among Mozambican artists.

Ready for Art lights a new beacon for national artists. Its launch was a true celebration of art, where the Absa colours on display in the Premier Branch, the venue that hosted the event, contrasted with the cheerful, relaxed atmosphere of the artists taking part in this innovative initiative.

Chief Executive Officer Pedro Carvalho joined the artists in this great celebration and took the opportunity to pay tribute to them for the richness and immeasurable value of their work. Pedro Carvalho stressed the importance of the programme for the creation of a cultural and creative industry in Mozambique.

“We want artists to be able to monetise their work, so that they can generate income and build sustainable businesses that support the development of their art. We believe that it is this kind of support that can create a true cultural and creative industry in the country, one that will allow new artists to emerge and continue to expand our cultural wealth,” he said.

Ready for Art is all the more impactful because it brings together visual artists from many corners of Mozambique. Over four days, more than 30 artists from across the country took part in the programme as a way of adding value to their art. Of these, 16 were selected, and will have the opportunity to exhibit their works, for a period of 3 months each, in the Premier branches in Maputo, Beira and Nampula.

Originally from Nacala-Porto, in Nampula, the visual artist Dalila António considers her participation in the programme a unique and transformative experience.

“I came from Nacala-Porto to take part in the training, and it was very productive for me. Through this initiative, I rediscovered myself and I want to invest even more in the visual arts as a way of contributing to my personal development and to the development of the country,” she said.

The joy and satisfaction of being part of this programme was also evident in Madamuge Marqueza, a visual artist from the city of Quelimane.

“For me, taking part in this training is a dream come true, because I have been in the art world for a long time and have always looked for a space to put into practice what I know how to do, but never had the opportunity. Being here with so many artists and sharing a variety of experiences is a unique opportunity that Absa Bank Mozambique has made possible,” the artist declared.

Ready for Art grew out of the Galeria Absa competition, which for years has helped to provide a space for artists and new talents to present their creations in the windows of the Premier Branch in Maputo. The programme now goes further, reaching the centre and north of the country and serving as an anchor for the development of national artists.

The curator of this project is Mateus Sithole, a Mozambican artist whose growth trajectory is one in which many artists see themselves. He exhibited in the Premier windows in 2022, and from then on his career took a new direction. Mateus was one of the main trainers on the programme and will be the curator of the exhibitions in the Absa windows.