Grahamstown — South Africa's pioneering annual National Arts Festival - which this year featured about 2,500 performances of 600 shows - plans to take some of its shows to similar festivals elsewhere in Africa.

Tony Lankester, chief executive of the arts festival, told allAfrica.com: "We have established two alliances... to create an opportunity for cultural exchange".

"One with the World Festival Alliance to perform seven festivals around the the world, and one with 'AfriFesNet' which is going to be an alliance of festivals on the [African] continent".

Lankester said: "Each year over 300 festivals are held but it only contributes one percent to the global arts economy."

"Best practices"

The purpose of the new alliances is to network and to promote global art.

Lancaster explained that taking the festival to Kenya, for example, could herald new marketing tactics that can be used in Grahamstown. "It is to make the festival better by sharing experiences".

The festival committee has approached the European Union for funding and details of the alliances will be announced at the 2012 arts festival, Lankester said.