13 Apr CASE Talks UG x CreativeTalks: Making the Festival
In collaboration with In Place of War, we (KQ and Design Hub Kampala with support from Wild & SafeBoda ) are delighted to be hosting a panel discussion on: “Making the Festival” which consists of some of Uganda’s renown festival Directors and Artists at this month’s edition of the Creative Talks Africa.
We are happy to welcome DJ Hibotep, Derek G. Debru (of MTN NYEGE NYEGE), Faisal Kiwewa (of Bayimba International Festival – Uganda), Rasheeda Nalumoso (of KLA ART Festival) and Anthony J Thompson (of StoneFest music, art, & tech festival 2018).
These panelists will be sharing on- What does it take to run a festival in Uganda or Africa at large? A how-to-guide to making a successful festival. The panel will also explore the realities of running a festival; from the resourcing, to the selection of the venue, creating identity and finding your unique selling point, to choosing and promoting to your audience. The panel also includes the voice of a young creative Deejay who will share her perspective of how festivals fit into an artists career.
DJ Hibotep
She Is a Creative Electronic Deejay who has performed quite extensively on a number of festivals in East Africa. Her insane rave electronic sounds sway audiences to marvel at her serenading dexterity. Hibotep is also a filmmaker and fashion designer. Her mantra is” Learn the rules and break them the way that suits you.”
Derek G. Debru
He is the Co-founder MTN Nyegenyege Festival and Nyegenyege Tapes. Whilst primarily an opportunity to showcase underground talent from across East Africa together with the opportunity to present cutting edge producers from Europe and the USA to an East African audience, Nyege Nyege will explore more than just music. The Festival happens every year in September at the Nile Discovery Beach. Nyege Nyege takes it’s inspiration from the legendary World Festival of the Black Arts’ that took place in Dakar Senegal in 1966. An extended invitation from Uganda to the world. Nyege Nyege also showcases the connections between Africa and the rest of the world Afro Diaspora with Cumbia from South America, vodou jazz from Haiti and underground hip hop from America. Complementing the line-up will some of the hottest producers and DJ’s from Europe whose work is in conversation with African sounds.
Faisal KIWEWA
He is the founding director of Bayimba Cultural Foundation. Together with a team of colleagues he has worked hard to transform the arts scene in Uganda from a rather static state to its current level of vibrancy. During the past years, under his guidance, Bayimba has trained, supported and created numerous platforms to celebrate the arts in Uganda. Due to the many efforts in networking and building bridges within the arts sector, Bayimba has developed into a house hold name among artists and professionals, not only within Uganda but also within the East African region and other corners around the world. The most recent regional impact was created with the launch of DOADOA – the East African Performing Arts Market – as a regional platform where stakeholders in the performing arts industry meet to share their skills and experience and do business. In the eleventh season as the director of Bayimba, Faisal aims at strengthening the role of Bayimba in developing the arts within Uganda and East Africa, to strengthen DOADOA as the network of the regional exporters of the performing arts from East Africa, the Kampala International Theatre Festival with a focus on East African theatre and to forward the Bayimba agenda to develop lasting structures to sustain the arts.
Rasheeda Nalumoso (Live Traces Producing)
She is a Creative Producer with ten years experience working across theater, dance and the visual arts. Highlight festival producing credits across a range of scales and sizes include the Soho Theatre’s Waltham Forest parks festival- a six month long festival of cross arts engagement in north east London and the Tree of Light cultural Olympiad program in 2012. I am interested in developing new collaborations with artists in East Africa and across the continent considering strategies to develop participation and audience engagement recently a participant of the Atelier Young Festival managers conference in Johannesburg run in partnership with the market theatre and European festivals association. I am currently a creative producer for KLA ART 18- the third edition of KLA ART, a visual arts festival which celebrates public art for, in and with the city produced by 32 Degrees East Ugandan Arts Trust.
During the month of August, artists’ work placed in different parts of the city will explore the theme ‘Off the Record’. The work the artists create will speak to hidden histories, open histories, current stories and new futures to create alternative “memory banks” and new narratives. The call is now open to any and all artists wanting to apply www.KLAart.org.
Anthony J Thompson,
He is the Founder of The Creative Tribe and StoneFest, Creative, singer/song-writer, and entrepreneur. I like to reflect on things about love, life, and God (spirituality) Jinja’s flagship festival in the heart of Jinja Town. Founded by The Creative Tribe, StoneFest is a 3-day multi-faceted music festival to celebrate the burgeoning creative community in Jinja. What makes this festival so special is that it has tapped into the pulse of Jinja and is growing alongside it. It was birthed out of the work that The Creative Tribe does year-round to develop and promote Jinja’s creative arts community. Check out a performance from 2017 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6rNr0fnFqY After only one edition, StoneFest has already proven to be an attraction for both local and international crowds, thanks in part to its diverse lineup, and has the potential to become a force within the East African festival community. StoneFest derives its name from the word “Jinja” itself, which means “stone”. It is also now a part of Jinja Adventure Week 2018. Jinja Adventure Week (JAW) is a week-long series of festivals, recreational sports, workshops, games, and other activities highlighting Jinja as the “adventure capital of East Africa”.
See you ALL. Free Entrance. Free Coffee for all. A DJ Networking set will be available as well.