Faisal Kiwewa is a quiet man full of energy and determination. He has been working arduously to put the arts and culture on the map of his home country, Uganda, but has expanded his contribution and impact on the whole of East Africa and the rest of the african continent. His mind is constantly working, planning the next step to take the cause further and further. In this post he tells us the story, in the form of a fairy tale, of his Bayimba Cultural Foundation. But the Bayimba team is working to make the fairy tale become and remain true. mv
 |
| Bayimba International Festival of the Arts (Photo: Bayimba Cultural Foundation) |
Once upon a time …
… I picked on the interest
to study and observe the state of arts and culture in my country Uganda. It was
not difficult to note that there was a lack of relevant and good (informal) training opportunities and
institutions, a lack of creativity and essential artistic and professional
skills amongst artists, arts organizations and other stakeholders, a lack of
adequate production and performance facilities and a lack of platforms for
exposure and interaction. When digging deeper I came to realize that this was
caused by three main root causes: first, a lack of awareness and appreciation
for the role of arts and culture in shaping society; second, a lack of
investment in arts and culture, and third, a lack of interaction and
collaboration between stakeholders that make up the arts and culture sector.
As is the case in many developing countries, culture
is not a priority for the government. It is seen as a subsidiary issue in
tackling poverty. Financial support to the sector is therefore minimal, and
cultural policies and strategies take a rather static approach to culture
instead of looking at it as a dynamic, innovative and creative force in shaping
society. Support from the private sector has also been limited and necessarily
selective. Private investors have focused on subsectors where market risk is
manageable and profits can be maximized. At the same time stakeholders in the
sector have not properly organized themselves to bring about change in this status
quo while most projects and activities are often implemented in isolation
and without a long-term vision, leave alone a vision for the arts and culture
sector as a whole.
I came to the conclusion that the potential of arts
and culture as
powerful contributors to social and economic development was highly neglected
and under-utilized. It was time to cause some change! Bayimba Cultural Foundation was thereupon founded with the aim of becoming the catalyst for that
change!
… Bayimba started its
journey …
Being faced with these multiple challenges and the
enormous tabula rasa – at all levels all actions basically still had to
be undertaken – Bayimba, as inexperienced as it was, started developing its
first programme. Despite many hiccups, the first Bayimba International Festival
of the Arts was organized in combination with three training workshops for
artists to enhance skills and stimulate artistic collaborations. This was back
in 2008 and we sew the first seeds. The following years, Bayimba grew and
managed to develop a comprehensive and ambitious programme aimed at addressing
many of the identified challenges.
To raise the profile and the position of the arts and
the cultural sector as a whole, Bayimba decided to engage in advocacy and lobby
activities alongside training activities and a platform to expose artistic
talents. Back in 2009, Bayimba initiated the first debates on the role of arts
and culture in society and woke up the sector. A year later, the first Uganda
Conference on Arts and Culture was held as a platform for joint discussion and
action. Up till today, Bayimba is instrumental in bringing stakeholders
together and organizing the arts and culture sector, all with a view to join
hands to bring about change.
To provide further platforms for exposure of artistic
talents, to ensure that a wider audience can enjoy a variety of cultural
expressions, and to enable a country-wide development of the arts and culture
sector, one-day festivals were added to the programme in 2010, together with a
range of training activities to develop local talent and an artist exchange
programme between these regions. As of yet, Bayimba’s festivals are held in
five regions, providing a platform for local artists and touring opportunities
for already established artists, that culminate in the Bayimba International
Festival of the Arts that is set to celebrate is 5th edition this
September.
All along, Bayimba also continued to invest in
developing artistic talent. Training workshops were held to introduce new art
disciplines to Uganda, such as photography, street theatre, installation art,
or poetry performances. Some of its programmes, such as music training, are
gradually developing into a more structured training programme and are designed
to last. At the same time, Bayimba realised there is also a need to train other
sector stakeholders than artists and started offering training to arts managers
and arts journalists in 2011, as they are equally important actors for the
sector to grow and flourish.
Due to its growing relevance and reputation in Uganda,
Bayimba also became an important catalyst in the East African region and on the
African continent. It has become a well-respected member of a number of
regional and continental networks. Most recently, in May 2011, Bayimba also
took the lead to launch DOADOA as an initiative that provides a
platform for professional networking and joint learning, brings together
stakeholders and links people, organizations, businesses, knowledge and
technology with a view to create demand and develop a market for the performing
arts and unlock the potential of the East African creative industry.
 |
| Arts Management Training Programme for arts managers from all over Africa (Photo: Bayimba Cultural Foundation) |
To have a lasting impact on the sector, Bayimba has
also sought to develop and establish lasting systems and structures. The
institutionalisation of the music training programme, as mentioned, is just one
example. To increase access to finance for artists and increase investment in
the sector, Bayimba is also setting up a tailor-made and innovative
crowdfunding platform for artistic projects in East Africa and a small loan
scheme for artists in Uganda. All along, Bayimba has also been planning for the
establishment of a multi-functional arts infrastructure in Uganda that would be
a significant hub for the arts in Uganda, East Africa and on the continent.
This would be the crowning of all what has been achieved so far.
… and gradually changed the landscape …
I dare to say that Bayimba’s
interventions during the past 5 years have resulted in a gradual development of
the sector. Through its exceptional combination of programmes and activities,
Bayimba has managed to address various challenges and encouraged other to do
the same. It has done so by leading by example, with a young, energetic and
ambitious team that has not avoided taking risks to initiate equally ambitious
projects and programmes; by working through partnerships and developing an
extensive network of partners; by ensuring grass-root involvement; and by
developing Bayimba into a locally owned brand. An interesting workforce of
creative entrepreneurs in the arts, more especially in music, dance, film and
theatre, has emerged ever since, putting great effort into developing and
promoting the arts. And Bayimba is proud that it has contributed to this new
era of creative entrepreneurship in Uganda. We will continue to do serve our
artists, the arts and our audiences, each in their own right, to ensure
creativity at the edge. As such, we will not only serve the arts and culture
sector, but the community, society and the world at large ...
… for the arts and culture in Uganda to happily live ever after.
Faisal Kiwewa is the Founding Director of Bayimba Cultural Foundation and is currently chairing the organizing committee of the Uganda Annual Conference on Arts and Culture (UACAC).
No comments:
Post a Comment