08 | 2024 Nakivale YTC Artist News
From Shocking Electrical Fire at the Old Center to the Grand Opening of the New Art Education Center, August was a Transformative Month!
Welcome to August! This is the third installment of Nakivale Young Talent Community (NYTC) Artist News. The series is a “month-in-the-life” of a refugee artist collective called “Nakivale Young Talent Community” in Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda. This and related content is located on the Refugee Artist Support Circle section of The Creative Convergence.
To catch up, read the June 2024 and July 2024 posts!
Subscribe specifically to this section for free (click here to go to your settings for subscribing to The Creative Convergence to toggle on or off subscribing to the the Support Circle). As a subscriber you receive monthly digests full of stories, art, videos and pictures featuring the struggles and successes of 15 talented emerging young refugee artists living in Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda. Upgrade to paid and you can become part of the Refugee Support Circle; 100% of your $8 monthly subscription goes directly to NYTC to support their material costs. Plus you receive artful perks! Learn more more about that here.
The Refugee Artist Support Circle (RASC) is a special section of The Creative Convergence. Subscribe for free or ugrade to paid for $8/month to enjoy artful perks from the NYTC artists!
The month was off to a harrowing start. The NYTC artist collective had been operating in a makeshift learning space built in the backyard of a local supporter. Made of sticks, UNHCR plastic, and tin roof, it is a jerry-rigged structure exposed to the elements. It also apparently has unsafe electrical wiring.
On August 5th, NYTC artists were at the space composing and practicing their new theme song (more on that below!) when all of a sudden they saw sparks flying off of the wiring.
In a panic, they raced to get help, call an electrician, and put out the fire. Ultimately, the only one hurt was Akon and thankfully only a minor burn at that.
Nevertheless, the artists were spooked and scared. And, so was I. How could we in good conscience allow them to occupy such an unsafe space and continue serving children there? The owner of the property was also not very pleased with the electrical fire even though it was likely due to his own negligence.
It was then that I agreed to fast track their New Art Education Center GoFundMe to help them finish what they had already started so they could move immediately.
We had already started “Phase 2” of the building in July using the funds from the art classes I was teaching. A beautiful progress video can be enjoyed here on my YouTube channel. But, the artists needed to move immediately to the new space. With thanks to the generous support of an anonymous donor, we were able to substantially finish the space so that could accommodate all of their art and all of the new students that they had attracted due to recent outreach.
Everyone pitched in to make the work move quickly.
The happiness leading up to the Grand Opening was palpable. None of us could believe that so much had been accomplished in such a short time.
On August 29th, the artists held a grand opening attended by over 100 people from the community of their new Art Education Center. Here is the post I wrote on that day celebrating the event. And, here is the video from the festivities! I was on Zoom watching remotely for about an hour and a half!
Family Portrait Surprise
An unexpected surprise happened his month. The artists, with the remaining paint they had decided to paint a family portrait for us! Of course, I was incredibly honored and humbled, but unsure what to do with it. We agreed that they would hang it in the Art Education Center. There we are, hanging on the wall, with Mansur in the foreground who on a precarious wooden ladder hammered in the nails.
Krehim Sharon Sings Boy Who Cried Wolf by Passenger / We Buy His Guitar Painting
The month of August was also punctuated by songwriting, singing, and music. I did not know until know that many of the artists know how to play guitar and actually compos their own music. Program Director Krehim Sharon in particular has a gorgeous voice and guitar skills. He sang two cover songs for me. Here is one, a cover of Boy Who Cried Wolf by Passenger.
Behind Sharon, as he sings, is an artwork of two guitars. I had seen it before, always thought it beautiful, but had never see it in context. I had no idea how large it was!
Immediately, my husband and I deceded we needed to buy it. We knew that doing so would give us great joy and would also help provide income for Sharon and his family. He accepted and we dreamed of receiving it soon.
NYTC Theme Song
At the time that the electrical fire happened at their old location, the artists were practicing their new theme song written by Krehim Sharon and Akon Deograce and sung in both English and French. Here they are practicing the song at one of their homes. Notice the art that surrounds them; noone felt safe anymore. And, they certainly were not going to leave their precious art at the old location anymore.
They ultimately finished writing the song and performed it as an ensemble. “No matter the tribe, no matter the nationality, we live as a family!”
Connecting with Faces Up Uganda
Serendipity and opportunity abounded in August. Ssekito Emmanuel, Founder and Director of Faces Up Uganda, an art education program in Kampala, Uganda was in the United States on a Mandela Fellowship program. I knew of him and his organization because several of the NYTC artist facilitators had participated in Faces Up Uganda art competitions, namely Javan Musafiri and Josby. I reached out to Emmanuel, found out he happened to be visiting Boston in August, and proposed a meet up and artist date at the Multi-Culural Art Center in Cambridge. He accepted!
I wrote about the meeting here. Ssekito agreed to take back with him crochet for the Nakivale Crafters Collective as well as art supplies for the NYTC artists.
Not only did I meet up with Ssekito in Boston but also saw him the following week in New York City where we both attended the screening of the new documentary by
International called “The Spirit of Ubuntu.”It would turn out that Faces Up Uganda would be the key to us shipping original art worldwide. Without Faces Up’s collaboration and cooperation, the art auction we planned for late September would not be possible.
Spirit of Ubuntu Screening: An Opportunity to Promote Art
August 8th was the screening of the documentary “The Spirit of Ubuntu”! Before I headed down with my family to NYC for the screening, there were a few presents I wanted to bring to Antoinette
who is in the film with her husband Pato Banton (she composed the music too!). The NYTC artists, also fans of Ubuntu, were also keen on sending her a gift. Mansur drew a portrait of Antoinette a week before the event, in time for me print it out, frame it and bring it along. My children and I also ordered shirts with NYTC art from the Red Bubble site I created with their art. We were decked out and ready to go!
Other News!
The modeling arm of the organization also held an August modeling show in the center of the village.
For my husband’s birthday, I ordered three portraits! One of our dog Yoshi, one of our cat Kiki, and one of him with our cat, Bowser, who passed away several years ago.
Thank you for reading the August monthly installment of NYTC Art News!
Up next in September, International Online Young Artist Expo!
If you prefer to support with a one-time donation, add your tip to the Nakivale Tip Jar here! Managed by me, Emily, of The Creative Convergence. Every penny helps. Funds pooled for the NYTC collective and arts program purchase paints, brushes, paper, canvasses, and fund a food program for the children that attend free art education Monday through Saturday year-round.
 | A guest post by
|