Since 2011 we have been running art and film workshops for young people living in Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya. Kakuma lies on the border of South Sudan and Kenya and was established in 1991 to give refuge to those fleeing Africa’s longest running civil war in Sudan. It is now home to over 187,000 refugees escaping conflict from South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea and Somalia. The average refugee spends 17 years in a camp.
Every year we bring a team of different artists and film makers from around the world to Kakuma and conduct workshops in Film and Art. We teach groups of young people (6-25 years of age) with the aim to teach practical skills, encourage creative expression and bring the various ethnic and tribal refugee and host communities together to work in a fun and dynamic way.
We have collaborated with artists and teachers within the refugee community and drawn from the varied skillsets of our professional team so that our students can produce to the very highest quality in drawing, painting, sculpture, animation, film and photography.
The end of the workshops is marked by an exhibition and award ceremony in the camp open for viewing to other members of our participants’ communities.
We have partnered with Windle Trust Kenya, Film Aid International and UNHCR to deliver our projects and are now under the umbrella of Gua Africa.
