Artistic life in Nakivale and its positive impact on the community

Albert Katangambo aka Palmesi Sauvage performing at a poetry show

“I'm Palmesi Sauvage, an artist. I do poetry. I'm from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and I'm now living in Nakivale. The field where I started to organise poetry shows and teach poetry to people interested in learning. I developed my poetry skills here, met people with similar passions, and did what I love doing. Nakivale has been my development area in my artistic life as a poet. I do poetry to heal trauma and to stress out myself!”

By definition, art brings human works intended to touch the public’s senses and emotions together. It can be painting, sculpturing, photography, videography, drawing, literature, music, dance, etc. 

“In Nakivale, for example, everybody practices art, both women and men. Because here we say, art has no gender.”

Nakivale, a diversity of different cultures and backgrounds, is full of artists with various art projects connected to their origin countries (DR Congo, Burundi, Somalia, Rwanda, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Eritrea). Some make art for money, others just for hobby, and others to speak their minds to de-stress.

A night spoken words poetry show organised by Albert Katangambo

According to the UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) report of February 2021, Nakivale Refugee Settlement is a home for 136,000 people, of which 21% are youth. Only 35,4% of the residents have an occupation where the majority grow crops, which is a massive difference for young boys and girls who don’t have enough growing crops skills. To fill the considerable gap, young people use their creativity and art skills to resolve their daily problems. 

Some may think people do art in Nakivale because of a lack of occupation, but the reasons are different from a person to another. For some, Nakivale has become a centre of development for their artistic life, although the market for artworks is minimal and sometimes inexistent. In Nakivale, people practise art for multiple causes, and the biggest one is therapy. Art heals and gives hope to those who lost it.

Another reason is that art unites people. Art is a language with no boundaries; it brings people together who perhaps couldn’t meet before. Art can unite nations or tribes.

Many youths are artists in several sectors, which varies according to each artist’s origins in Nakivale. We have designers, painters, singers, poets, dancers and many more to mention them all. Despite the life condition in the settlement, which shifts from lack of materials to lack of occupation, artists in Nakivale always put enough efforts to unveil their potential.

Art is practised in different settings, at home, at school, on the road, at church, etc.

With the new opportunity of the market place and the post office, Promise Hub will allow all the artists to sell their artworks in Uganda and abroad. Many art representations will be sold, and artists will become self-reliant. 

By Albert Katangambo