Realizing my dream of creating the first arts management company in Algeria and the region

Chevening Career Plan - MA in Arts Management in Cultural Policy

Dear all, I am looking for a first review for my career plan essay for a Chevening award, I am planning to pursue a MA in Arts Management and Cultural Policy, thank you for your time and inputs in advance, I really appreciate!

With its strategic geographical location, Algeria has witnessed throughout its history by peoples from various movements, that placed the country in at the crossroads of diverse cultures, arts and languages. Even if culture is considered as the fourth pillar of sustainable development worldwide, and considering the richness and diversity of Algerian culture and arts today and its crucial need for an alternative creative economy considering energy resources challenges, the country has still, after more than 50 years of independence, not adopted a clear and concert cultural policy.

An effective and inclusive citizen-led policy, respectful of creative forces and guaranteeing the freedom of artistic expression and independent cultural action that can lead the country to a peaceful and strong social and economic development that will reopen the county perspectives to productive and limitless collaboration with the region and the world.

My immediate plan upon completion of my MA, is to work for the first 5 years as a consultant and junior expert for key regional and international organizations such as UNESCO, El Mawred Ethaqafy, or Arterial Network, that are engaged on cultural policy in my country through research projects, allowing me to directly apply, as a professional pioneer and critical leader within sector, the robust and solid theoretical knowledge and understanding I gained through my research and analytical skills during my MA journey in the UK, and help me have a clearer idea of my research topic in the future.

In the meantime, I want also to build myself a recognition as an aspiring arts/artists manager and imaginative individual by working on a freelance basis for some inspiring and impactful projects, that will enable me to contextually sharpen my arts management skills, and keeps me connected to contemporary arts challenges and practices within the artistic sector in my country, making the best use of the rich network, unique hands-on and extensive arts administration experience accumulated during my MA work placements at various worldwide leading arts and culture organizations in the UK.

In the longer term, as I am concerned to endow my country a cultural policy that takes into consideration all dimensions related to the cultural and artistic sector, I do envision myself undertaking a PhD related to cultural policy in Algeria after my in-depth mid-career confirmed expertise in research, and have a decision making role through positive academic contribution that will definitely influence the shaping, implementation and promotion processes of a responsive and transparent Algerian cultural policy.

This said, I am also determined about realizing my dream of creating the first arts management company in Algeria and the region, that will respond immediately to urgent needs of Algerian artists, missing cruelly expertise in talent management, artistic career management, and local and international professional diffusion and promotion by creating innovative and creative business and administration models and approaches, that will also expand possibilities of creative entrepreneurship and have a decisive role in the framing of a creative industry in Algeria.

Malik, I believe that you have your opening and closing statements interchanged. I have a sense, after reading the entire essay, that you should switch the two paragraphs I mentioned because they are more effective in different places of the essay. You have a very strong personal sentiment declared in the current concluding paragraph. That kind of personal involvement and dedication is something that should be used to open the essay in relation to your 5 year plan. The focus of the essay just becomes stronger when it is done that way. Then the current opening statement, can better serve as the closing paragraph because it speaks of your hope for the future of your country. It talks of your vision for the arts and more importantly, can close on a hopeful tone. A tone that says "I will be the pioneer who will bring the arts and culture of my country out of its 50 year slump." That is as confident and hopeful a vision and tone as one can hope for with this kind of essay development.

@Holt: Thanks for your valuable inputs. reading it again, I do also agree that the opening paragraph, that I made to introduce the context, took so much space and give a negative note somehow. Although, the final paragraph is most powerful, it still my longer term plan (10 years), and as I am concerned by the chronological structure of my essay, do you still think that I should start with it, jump into immediate plans, and then end with my vision for my country? On another hand, what do you think about the clarity of my plans, and the grammar of my essay? Thank you so much for your help :)

Malik, you don't always have to include a ten year plan in the presentation of your post study plans. The ten year plan is a long term career goal that may require you to undergo further higher studies (e.g. a doctorate) and may be omitted in the post study plans this time around. A 5 year plan is comprehensive enough to show a connected career path upon your graduation. In reference to the chronological order of your plans, you can present the easiest to accomplish plan, or your immediate plans, at the start of the essay then work your way to the 5 year plan. Closing the essay on a strong note regarding your vision for your country. The essay is strong enough to merit submission at this point. Don't add any more information at this point. Don't remove anything other than what I pointed out. After that, your essay is all set to submit.