kARTwe - The Biggest Open-Air Art Gallery in Uganda
By Mark Montgomery
The big idea driving the kARTwe Project is to mitigate the physical, mental and emotional pressure points prevalent in Katwe. This is a daunting task. Katwe is one of the biggest slums, in Kampala, Uganda. The transformation is driven by the ubiquitous use of street art. The slum is a sprawling informal settlement, on the fringe of city. When Uganda won independence from Britain, in 1962, Katwe was a centre of African ingenuity and entrepreneurship. Craftsmen, artisans, and technicians repaired imported electronics, cars, televisions, refrigerators, and a host of other appliances. In 2007, it was estimated that Katwe employed over 3,000 artisans and metal workers in over 800 individual small enterprises.
Since its heyday, Katwe has become an incubation chamber for crime, disease, and poverty. It is home to an untold number of street children and slum children. The environment is a kaleidoscope of filth. It is a cauldron of stagnant water and the randomly discarded detritus of every day human existence. You smell putrefied waste in stagnant water and the absence of a sewerage system before you see it. Katwe has also attracted young men and women, with little education or few practical skills. Many low or no-skilled arrivals have unleashed an epidemic of crime to survive. Consequently, Katwe remains one of the highest crime-ridden areas in Kampala.
The Big Idea
The kARTwe Project is a community-centric art initiative, driven by Feed a Million Mouths International (FAMMI). This Social Enterprise uses art to transform the lives of vulnerable people, in the informal settlement of Katwe. The kARTwe Project creates a colourful and cleaner environment. The expected results of this project are:
- A more pleasant and cleaner living environment
- Identification of creative talent in the community
- Some alleviation of “filth diseases”
- The opportunity for FAMMI to provide poverty and hunger relief
Now, in Phase 2 of the project, the general community is invited to contribute street art of their own. The project has two interdependent components – Street Art and Art Training.
Art Training
Every Saturday, the FAMMI team offers workshops on painting and on drawing. There is a class specifically dedicated to younger children. This class is attended by many pupils from the Katwe Central Primary School. It also accommodates slum children and street children from the area. The second art class is for adults. It draw attendees from the Katwe community. This is deliberate. FAMMI wants to focus its efforts and impact on this community. They want to produce results in a clearly defined area.
A third class focuses on creating art and beauty from recycling waste in the community. The imperative is to educate the community in the benefits of building and maintaining a clean environment. Maintaining a clean environment is vital to the crusade against poverty. It is a non-negotiable component in combating the physical, mental and health effects of living in squalor. These classes are taught by dedicated, professional, artists and art teachers.
Street Art
FAMMI trains the residents of the slum to become street artists. The young artists are asked to use their talent to create a mural or painted effect on a wall in the community. The goal is to transform this slum into the biggest, open-air art gallery in Uganda.
The squalor and stench in Katwe are characteristic of any informal settlement across the world. The residents become accustomed to it, by force of habit. However, the negative effects of this environment, though invisible, are physical, emotional, and mental.
Living in squalor is the breeding ground for the “Filth Diseases”. Stagnant water is a breeding ground for all manner of sicknesses. These will include cholera and malaria. Discarded and rotting food is the welcome mat for disease-bearing vermin and insects. Broken bottles, discarded tin cans, pieces of metal, and other detritus are hazardous to adults, but especially to children, who may or may not wear shoes.
The corollary to the issues mentioned above must be that if the squalor and depressing environment in Katwe were mitigated, the results will be seen in the improved physical, mental, and emotional health of the community.
Nashibah Nattabi
Art has given me a fresh start and has polished my life in ways I never imagined. Now, I can take waste materials and turn them into beautiful artwork. I’ve even learned how to use paints and pastels, which I struggled with at first.
But guess what? I’ve improved a lot, and now I can create art that I sell too! Not only that, but this art class has brought new friendships into my life. I’ve met incredible people and made new friends. It’s been such a joy to connect with others through art.
Street Art is Transformative
With the power of imagination and a wall as their blank canvas, street artists question, fight and rebel against unacceptable norms of their society. They influence thousands of people. This holds true, whether it is for the greater good or for the pursuit of expressing personal opinions.
Street art, as a tool, possesses transformative powers. It transforms the individual – no doubt. It also impacts communities. For the poverty-stricken, street art acts as a tool to express their thoughts and to communicate their stories to the world.
Its public and visible nature are what makes street art stand out as a transformation tool. Every bystander and passer by cannot ignore it. This screams in blatant contrast to traditional art museums, where people pay for an admission ticket. Street art exacts no admission charge.
In traditional art museums and galleries, those interested must go to the art. In street art, the art comes to the people – on their home turf. It speaks to them in their local dialect. Through this type of art, the public is free to interact with the artwork. Many communities, globally, use street art to voice their opinions and to transform the thinking of the entire community.
Street Art is Freedom
Art is about expression, creativity, freedom. It is driven by asking and raising questions, protesting, analysing, and even beautifying. It is a way to transcend convention. There is a freedom that comes from putting work on the street. Street art is a remarkably diverse form of expression for people from all over the world.
There are street artists, in nearly every country, who are influenced and inspired by a multitude of cultures and styles. This has resulted in a wide and diverse body of urban or street art that is found all over the world.
Nanfuka Hajarah
One amazing thing I’ve discovered is how to turn waste plastics into beautiful necklaces and earrings for women. It’s a unique way to create stunning pieces while also promoting sustainability. I’m looking forward to implementing these new skills in my business soon.
I believe it will bring a fresh touch to my makeup and jewellery creations. Learning is a continuous journey, and I’m thrilled to keep growing and expanding my artistic abilities. Together, we’re making a positive impact in the world of art and entrepreneurship.
The Hungry Artist
Intrinsic to the Feed a Million Mouths International’s street art program is its feeding program. Every student who attends its art classes is given a free meal. The FAMMI NRG Xtra is a high-nutrition, corn-soy blend porridge. This delicious meal is devoured and leaves no waste. This is also because, for most of these children and young people, it will be the only meal that they will have all day.
The kARTwe initiative has been running for nearly two years. It has seen promising results. Several students have discovered that they were artistically gifted. They were gloriously unaware of their latent talent, simply because they were never afforded exposure to painting. At least two of the young students have now used their new-found skills to create their own micro-businesses.
Moses, the head teacher at the kARTwe art school, says “We have more ambition than funding. It is a continuous battle to find the funds for materials and for the feeding program.” He and his colleagues, Rojaz and William are equally emotional and passionate.
“We will work with our students to create the biggest open-air art gallery in Uganda! Right here! In Katwe!”
