Jasper Walgrave was born in Belgium in 1974. He graduated in history, political sociology and development studies, then worked in the arts sector in Portugal, coordinating projects between the then Danças Na Cidade (now Alkantara) and partners in Mozambique, Cape Verde and Brazil.
From 2003 to 2006 Walgrave was project coordinator for the SA-Flemish project for Community Arts Centres, based at the South African Department of Arts and Culture (DAC) in Pretoria. In September 2007 he was appointed the Head of the Southern African Liaison Office for Pro Helvetia, the Swiss Arts Council, which was based in Cape Town until 2012, when the Office moved to Johannesburg.
Walgrave then worked at the Head Office of Pro Helvetia in Zurich from June 2014 to May 2019. He was initially the head of liaison offices abroad, then later developed and managed Pro Helvetia’s new South America programme, called “Coincidencia”.

Research project
Cultural relations between Switzerland and South Africa