Kenya

^{Larissa was born in 1981 in Nairobi, Kenya and has spent most of her life in the capital. Her works focus on life in Kenya. She depicts her subjects with the simplicity and realism of what the subjects portray. Larissa is a former student of Fine Arts at the University of Gloucestershire in England. She has experience in working at the Grant Bradley Gallery, UK where she has co-curated several exhibitions including ‘Platforms 2006’ in which she also exhibited. Her most recent exhibition was called 'The way we like it'. Click here to see her virtual exhibition.}

^{With only a few days to go before the unveiling of the 'Bird of Peace', Kenyan artist Elkana Ongesa is working on the finishing touches to the 3 ton sculpture before its made public mid May 2008. AfricanColours gives you a glimpse of the work in progress. Click here to view images.}

^{The Training Centre in Communication (TCC) the Foreign Correspondent Association (FCA), Alliance Francaise and the Kenya Red Cross Society have come up with a photo exhibition in aid to the plight of the internally displaced people (IDPs) in the country. In Kenya, we are in a period of healing, the photographs depicted should showcase the reality of the life of the IDPs, the humanitarian activities carried out by the Kenya Red Cross Society ongoing repatriation and resettlement efforts for the IDPs back to their homes and peace building and reconciliation initiatives that have been going on. Read more.}

^{AfricanColours.net is currently seeking students or other interested parties to fill internship and volunteer positions. We need 2 onsite interns in the Nairobi area who are able to commit to 20 hours per week and 2 to 3 interns to work online from anywhere in the world. We are also actively accepting volunteer professionals help from individuals interested in helping AfricanColours.net move to the next level. Click here for more details.}

^{Samuel Githui started drawing at an early age of 6 years 25 years ago and later after completing his High School education; he studied at Creative Arts Center to polish his drawing and painting. This led him to work as a Freelance Graphic Designer for adverting agencies for two years. In 1998 he decided to paint fulltime. He regularly takes part in the workshop and exhibitions organized by the Ramona Gallery and the Kuona Trust at the Nairobi National Museum. Click here to see a virtual exhibition of Samuel's works.}

_{On a remote corner of Nairobi’s City Park you will find the burial place of a great collector and promoter of Contemporary African art. A hundred metres from the grave site, Artist Elkana Ong’esa is working to complete a three tonne sculpture in memory a mentor and a friend, Joseph Murumbi. Kenya's first foreign minister, whose wish was to have one of Elkana's magnificient sculptures at his final resting place. Click here to read and view images}

^{It’s true that a bird at hand is better than two in the bush. But we at AfricanColours thought that keeping the bird at hand and going out to get the other two in the bush is an even better way of experiencing life! So keeping with a tradition that we started in 2006, we rolled out the first GalleryWalk for the year 2008 – an art and nature affair to be experienced by lovers of art and nature this past Saturday, 5th April. Click here for a slideshow of the events and the guests' comments.}

^{Jimmy Ogonga is a pariah on the Kenyan art scene. So he says of himself. But it is easy to see how this would be at the end of my interview with him: His enthusiasm for what he does, his lack of patience for anything he sees as mediocre, and his unrelenting belief in himself and what he does - a trait he is well aware that his contemporaries and the main players on the Kenyan art market interpret as arrogant. Read Jimmy's interview on his take of the just concluded Johannesburg Art Fair of which he was a participant.}

^{Urban Wasanii international artist's workshop is a way to interrogate and interact with local urban dwellers and urban public space in the Kenyan city of Mombasa. The interaction in public spaces will contribute to a positive atmosphere and invite people to participate, to create or to congregate on the chosen spaces which the artist chooses. Kouna Trust invites artists to participate in this event coming up in Kenya's coastal town of Mombasa. Read more.}

_{The AfricanColours GalleryWalk is planned for the 5th of April 2008! This time the participants have the opportunity to discover the new RaMoMa gallery then bus out to the Kitengela plains to visit Nani Croze of the world famous Kitengela glass studios. Jimnah Kimani of the famed Java Coffee house paintings also in Kitengela will open his new studio doors especially for the GalleryWalk participants. Click here to read more and register.}

^{Art works done by 20 Kenyans living positively with HIV/Aids have been selected for a private showing at the Brunei Gallery in the Oriental and African studies section, at the University of London. The exhibition, dubbed ‘Our Positive Bodies’, will run from 17 April to 21 June 2008. “There will be 35 life size works on display at the exhibition, says Xavier Verhoest, who is one of the two facilitators of ‘Body map’ workshops and a curator of the upcoming exhibition... Read more about The Body Maps exhibition.}

^{If I were to pick one word to describe Justus Kyalo’s work, it would have to be this: Grand. His paintings are grand – that is huge in comparison to most other paintings to be found in Nairobi’s art galleries, coffee shops and restaurants, which have become a popular alternative for artists to display their work. At his ongoing exhibition at the Mai-Loan restaurant on James Gichuru road, Nairobi. His choice of a title-name for his paintings is something to marvel about. Read more about the exhibition.}

^{It was 2005 and Kenya was gearing up for the 2007 General Elections. Men and women stood in long queues to register for what became the most volatile and hotly contested presidential race in Kenya’s history. Today, the dust and fury raised from the race is yet to settle. Perhaps in retrospect of where it all began, AfricanColours hosts an online exhibition of Peterson Kamwathi’s ‘Faces’- a collection of paintings Kamwathi did in 2005 of men and women queuing up to be registered as voters. View the exhibition.}

^{In a camp for the internally displaced people in Kenya, counsellors gave drawing materials to a group of children who came up with images that seemed express pain and rejection. According to one counsellor, many of the children could not find words to express their feelings and art became a very effective medium. This should provide a lesson to the country to appreciate the role of the arts as a tool that can be used to pre-empt the ills that could trigger conflicts in the future. Read More from AllAfrica}

^{I sit here in my art studio trying to find a way to focus on my work. But instead, the chaos going on in my country Kenya leaves me deeply saddened and hopeless. And the situation gets worse. Never did I imagine that in my lifetime or ever - my home country would go through something like this. I was born and raised in a remote village in central Kenya. People here were from different tribes and had lived in peace with each other- until now. Read more from Wawi Amasha}

^{An innovative project to celebrate Kenyan success has taken on a new relevance and urgency in the light of continuing troubles caused by the 2007 disputed elections. GenerationKenya 45, which will document outstanding contributions by a nominated selection of Kenyans, will ensure it takes into account the needs of national healing and reconciliation necessary to resolve the current crisis. “Leadership and expertise is something we Kenyans need to think deeply and seriously about,” said Project Director Dr Wambui Mwangi, who conceived the project with fine art photographer Jerry Riley. “Never before has it seemed so urgent to document a Kenya we can be proud of: A Kenya of hope; A Kenya of achievement,” she added. Read more about it.}

^{Some of Nairobi’s most respected artists came together at an art exhibition in an initiative to raise funds for the thousands of internally displaced people throughout Kenya. The exhibition which officially opened at the Village Market shopping centre on the night of 24th January will run for a week until 3rd February. The show’s curator (and an exhibitor as well) Xavier Verhoest, said that he invited selected artists to give some of their best works. Read more.} 

^{On December 12 2007, the Nairobi National Museum  authorised the painting over of a mural on one of its buildings, arguing that it needed to give all its buildings uniformity and paint them in its corporate colours. But that was done without any consideration of the value – artist value – of the mural nor was there any consultation with the various artists who had participated in painting the mural.}

^{So the question remains, what makes art art? What role does that art play in shaping a people’s culture and society? Also important to ask is: 'Did the Nairobi National museum negate its purpose and function by destroying the very kind of work it is supposed to protect? What’s should be of greater value, the form (of a museum) or the function? And should art only be tucked away in museums or should it be something that is accessible to all – regardless of their social standing and interpretation of the art? Read more and please send us your views and opinion on this important subject.}

^{Related article : Row over painting} 

^{Lola Kenya Screen, an annual international film festival, production workshop and market for children and youth in eastern Africa, is looking for children and youth living in Nairobi and its environs, and who are  knowledgeable, opinionated and interested in film, journalism, and cultural events’ presentation to serve on her four programmes during the 3rd Lola Kenya Screen (August 4-9, 2008). Read more about the 3rd Lola Kenya screen.}

_{On 12th december 2007, ( Kenya's Independence day) art enthusiasts in Nairobi received some hard news to digest. The grand mural that adorned the Africom offices exterior wall had been painted over. A commitee of senior Museum managers} 

_{decided that "The painting of the mural in the building which houses AFRICOM was debated on by the management and it was decided that as part of our redecoration and redesigning of the face of the Museums, we needed to have a corporate identity." The mural, funded by AfricanColours.net was an important collaboration between an important cultural institution, a pan African Heritage organisation (AFRICOM) and some of Kenya’s upcoming contemporary artists. The Nairobi National Museum is an institution that promotes culture, and therefore creativity, as well as conservation. The painting over of this important artwork goes against everything the Museum stands for! We highly condem this unjustified and unthoughtful action. The time and creativity that was dedicated by the artists to produce a precious gift for the citizens of Nairobi has gone to waste.}

_{Please click here to read Binyavanga Wainaina"s opinion published in The East African Newspaper}

^{The Kenya Copyright Board has accepted to fully sponsor a one day workshop for published visual artists (photographers, illustrators/cartoonists and graphic designers) which will be held on December 6, 2007 at Shimba Hills Room, Kenyatta International Conference Center (KICC), Nairobi – Kenya between 0900 to 1700 hours. The theme will be ‘Provide an opportunity for the rights holders within the visual arts sector to learn more about legal and institutional framework for the protection, management and enforcement of their rights. ‘. Read more.}

^{LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 14, 2007) − The University of Kentucky Department of Art has invited to campus for the seventh year a leading Kenyan artist through the UK Kenyan Artist-in-Residence program funded by the Ruth Hunt Wood Foundation Inc. Patrick Mukabi, one of Kenya's most talented artists, will present a solo exhibition of his work and deliver a public lecture on his art this week. "Patrick Mukabi: Kenyan Artist in Residence" opens Nov. 15, at the Tuska Center for Contemporary Art. Read more from Whitney Hale.}

^{The Nairobi-based Lola Kenya Screen, an international audiovisual media festival, production workshop and market exclusively designed for children and youth held every August, will now host Kids for Kids Africa, an initiative of CIFEJ that identifies awards and showcases films made by children for children across the world. Among other things, Lola Kenya Screen will look for films made by children across Africa, have them judged by children and then submit them to CIFEJ to be presented and judged at the Kids for Kids International festival.}

^{After a great success last year, the FCA (Foreign Correspondents Association of East Africa) is holding its second photo exhibition, set for early next year. Those interested in having their photos displayed and then auctioned for charity can send a maximum of five low-resolution shots from anywhere in Africa to fcaphotos@gmail.com by no later than November 16. A jury will make the selection and notify participants. Everyone is encouraged to participate, Photos are not limited to any time frame. Read more from FCAEA.}

^{"I am born of a people who are heroes and heroines... Patient because history is on their side, these masses do not despair because today the weather is bad. Nor do they turn triumphalist when, tomorrow, the sun shines... Whatever the circumstances they have lived through and because of that experience, they are determined to define for themselves who they are and who they should be" Read more from Bertha Kang'ong'oi}

^{The third African Heritage day to benefit friends of the Nairobi National Park and the big cats resident in the park and to announce KWS plans to open a new gate to the Nairobi National Park at the old Marimbeti Train station on Mombasa road will be held on October 6th, 2007 at the African Heritage House, Athi Plains from 8:30p.m. For more information on this event, click here}

_{Nobel Laureate Professor Wangari Maathai was the chief guest at the opening of Kibacia Gatu’s LIFE & FAITH exhibition which is showing at the Paa ya Paa Gallery in Nairobi. “Kibacia stands out in the contemporary art scene in Nairobi as a leader beckoning the prodigal sons and daughters who lost faith in Africa to return home, to look at themselves, their families,... Read more}

^{_{AfricanColours is organizing their third Gallery Walk scheduled for the 29th September 2007. This is our 2nd Gallery Walk for the year 2007. We plan to make it an entertaining bigger and better event for all our participants. Our last Gallery Walk was held in April. Our Participants who comprised of artists, art enthusiasts, students, long term and newly arrived residents/ expatriates joined us in what turned to be an exciting day. The tour was co-hosted by popular Kenyan artists Mary Ogembo and Thom Ogonga, both artists based in Nairobi. For more information how to participate in this fun day click here}}

_{Israeli films made away with the two main awards at the closing ceremony of the second Lola Kenya Screen as Eastern Africa's only film festival for children and youth experienced a 7.5% growth in attendance. The ceremony was presided over by Kenya's Director of Culture Silverse Anami and child rights activist Catherine Mumma at Goethe-Institut in Nairobi.}

_{Winning the Creativity Award was ‘LITTLE KNOWLEDGE IS DANGEROUS’ by Samora Michelle}

_{…Read more}

_{An African Harmony,  a show supported by www.africancolours.net brought together a rich, intense blend of colour and texture with themes reflecting each artist’s fantasy and reality. Carol and Yassir paintings are all about colour and passion. The preferred theme for this show was colour, a reflection of the depth and experiences associated by many things African, from Carol Mbirua’s Maasai and landscape themes to Yassir Ali’s untitled themes inspired by his Nubian culture. Read more}

_{The master carvers of a Kenyan village were eking out a living from soapstone statues. Then somebody had a bright idea: why not make them the official suppliers of Simpsons merchandise. That is what Enosh Onsombi, in his remote village in western Kenya has been busy doing. Growing up without electricity, let alone a television, there's no doubting he's now a true believer of fate. "Life has changed so much," the 45-year-old says, beaming. Read more by Steve Bloomfield/ The Independent}

_{Lola Kenya Screen is an audiovisual media movement that seeks to place audiovisual media production tools in the hands of children and youth for the advancement of literacy, gender equity, self expression, and democracy in their world.  AfricanColours Beatrice Ndungu spoke exclusively with the founder of Lola screen Kenya Ogova Ondego who shares his vision and prospects of the film industry in Africa. Read more}

_{The Embassy of Mexico is calling for people in East Africa who are wishing to create an artistic work in Mexico under the guidance of an expert in the field. The duration of the scholarship will be six months, during which the selected artists will be able to enrich their work through constant exchanges with Mexican artists.The successful candidate is to undergo a Spanish course prior to her or his departure. Read more…}

_{At only 25 years old, David Gathere is many things rolled into one, but all reflected into his artistic nature. He considers himself the 'Picasso of the Ghetto' because living in the slums did not deter him from doing what he loves best-art. He is also among other things a professional skater – was part of Kenya’s national team – and a professional cyclist as well.  Read more}

_{The 2nd International ‘art in the forest’ workshop will be held from the 17th to the 29th of September 2007 in Nairobi Kenya. The objectives of the workshop are, to invite the Kenyan public to “re-look” at the issue of deforestation and to challenge Kenyan artists to work in a completely different and new environment which may make them and the public question their ideas on art. Read more}

_{The Changamoto Arts Fund, is an arts and culture grants programme that makes funds available to Kenyan artists to promote public Art. Changamoto is part of the Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF), which is a Kenyan grant making public foundation. The Foundation supports communities and other non-profit making organizations to effectively mobilize permanent funds (endowments) for development... Read more from kcdfoundation.org}

_{'These are self portraits; they show my moods and feelings in exaggerated colour and texture. I call them faces’. These are the words of one of the exhibitors, Beatrice Njoroge, at Alliance Francaise during the much anticipated Gallery Walk held on the 28th April 2007. The AfricanColours concept of the Gallery Walk was created from a need amongst many art enthusiasts and lovers, to be acquainted, informed and be involved in the ever growing Kenyan Art scene. Read more}

_{Educultural Artists Kenya (ECAK) is a Kenyan non profit making organization founded in the year 2001 by 25 artists who had a common interest in pursuing their potentiality through their talents. The organization’s name reflects education and culture as the core activity for development of our Kenyan diverse cultures. ECAK is registered at the department of culture. Some of the objectives are: to develop and expose artists in our communities…Read more}

_{The Nairobi Art Centre, located at Lavington area in Nairobi, is back on track. With a refurbished look, the school will now offer classes for all levels, from the adults, teenagers to the children. To add on the spiced up look, it also has events for all the categories, from ‘The rusty nail’ catered for adults straight after work, to ‘Under water art camp’, for children. Read more}

_{A showcase of urban creativity is on display at the GoDown art centre. The exhibition titled Sanaa Noma opened on the 12th of May. It features graffiti artworks, pieces from the Maasai Mbili signwriters’ from Kibera ‘Matatu art’ drawings by Point Blank. Kota Otieno, from the group ‘Maasai Mbili’ shows what he refers to street and ghetto art which comprises of sculptures and graffiti. Influenced by Kamal Shah at an early stage, Kota likes to think of himself as a different kind of artist. Read more} 

_{The elders are a series of sculptures done on different types of wood namely jacaranda, silver oak and mahogany. The faces depict emotions that are readable and not necessarily interpreted, but the fact that the elders (9) nine in total, seem to be engaged in a conversation only important to them is enough to keep one occupied, intent and tranced in their silent conversation. The elder series is inspired by the lack of respect...Read more}

_{Kuona Trust, an arts institution based in Nairobi, Kenya organised an International Women’s Workshop in April 2007. The workshops brought together women artist participants from all over the world with a bias for Africa. Aarti wa Njoroge accompanied the AfricanColours TV crew to the artists' hideaway in the beautiful Rift Valley town of Naivasha.  During a break at the Elsamere Field Centre, an important discussion arose ‘should women artist be social workers ?' Read more}

_{The Culture and Development programme (C&D) is part of the Dutch development cooperation policy. The aim of this programme is to reinforce cultural identity in a number of developing countries in order to contribute to sustainable socio-economic development.. Kenya has a rich tradition of dance and theatre. The visual arts, however, are still very much in their infancy. There is no art academy and the elite goes abroad for art education. Read more from powerofculture}

_{Africalia, an initiative of the Belgian Development Co-operation, is calling for proposals. Launched in 2000, Africalia aims to promote sustainable human development through supporting the arts and contemporary African artistic expressions. The organisation focuses on cultural operators in 15 countries spread over the four sub Saharan regions. It sponsors cultural projects initiated in Africa in different disciplines including Visual Arts….. Read more from Africalia}

_{A compilation of nine short films made by children in Kenya in August 2006, has been awarded The Africa Grand Prize "for outstanding achievement in a film made by children" on the final day of the fifth World Summit on Media for Children (5WSMC) in Johannesburg, South Africa. Films by Children for Children, a production of Lola Kenya Screen, eastern Africa's first and only international audiovisual...Read more from artmatters}