Uganda

<sup>Artwork by Christopher Kahuma

Henry Ssegamwenge is a young man only 28, who has also established his name in the city of Kampala as a mould maker of some talent, he is the kind of product you will find coming out of this art school – energetic, confident and technically gifted. The woodwork is extremely rare. It is an interpretation of the mostly coastal (East African) old art of door-carving. But the techniques they are experimenting are so far being done by only three artists. The man who started it, Mr. Romano Lutwama, died in 2004. Read more here from AfricanColours.net</sup>

^{The Cock by Eria Nsubuga}

^{As Uganda celebrated her 46th Independence anniversary slightly over two weeks ago, the country's contemporary artists convened at Nommo Gallery and exhibited works depicting the emotions that followed the attainment of self-rule. On display was an intriguing repertoire of abstract and semi-abstract paintings, metal and wooden sculptures that evoked the deep sorrows of what the country endured on her road to independence, and of course, the revelry that accompanied this achievement. Read more here by Dennis D. Muhumuza}

^{Founded in 2004, The Uganda International Film Foundation (UIFF), based in Kampala was formed to respond to a vacuum in the film industry in East Africa. The new website www.uiff.org is a showcase of five East African based filmmakers Petna Ndaliko, Donald Mugisha, Willie Owusu, Shams Bhanji and Cyril Ducottet and two scriptwriters Love Potya and Michiel van Oosterhout . UIFF wants to promote the film industry in Uganda in its widest form and develop its distribution channels to bring home grown films to a wider audience. Click here to learn more about UIFF.}

_{The Kampala Street Art Festival once again came to the attention of the art world in June with a stunning visual display of contemporary Ugandan art. More than 100 guests gathered on Saturday the 14th of June for the Pre-Party presided over by the German Ambassador in Uganda. Read More here by Ben Bukenya}

_{The award-winning Ugandan designer, Peter Oloya, has been chosen by BBC Swahili to design and cast the winning trophies for its young entrepreneur competition. Faidika na BBC (Prosper with the BBC) is looking for a 16 to 24 year-old who has a promising business idea that would have a positive impact on their community.  The prize is US $5,000. Peter will create trophies to be awarded at the regional heats in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. Read more here}

^{GandaSpace.com has launched an Internet "virtual art gallery" that will showcase the works of artists who specialize in art themes and media that relate to Baganda and other African cultures. The gallery, which can be accessed at either www.GandaArt.com or www.GandaSpace.com, will give art lovers across the globe the opportunity to view and buy Ganda as well as other African art. Ugandan and other painters, sculptors and other visual artists will be accommodated. Read more.}

^{Ugandan born, USA resident Solomon Jagwe is one of those few lucky people whose work is really play. He is a visual artist who gets paid to be creative - the dream of many artists. The handsome 32-year-old artist has worked as a website developer and artist, as a photo processor, photographer, web development instructor, illustrator, animator and 3D graphics artist. He has been a traditional artist for most of his life. His background is in oil painting and sculpture, which he did when he was in Uganda. Read more from UGPulse.com.}

^{Artist, Ronex Ahimbisibwe, is striving to promote modern art in his native Uganda. His paintings, priced at around 600 dollars each, are too expensive for most Ugandans. He only sells around 20 paintings a year, most to tourists and foreign art lovers. Together with a group of local artists Ahimbisibwe has formed a group called Index Mashariki to try and raise Ugandans' awareness of modern art, and so increase their customer base. View video courtesy of Reuters.}

^{THOSE who detest simplicity do not find realism in art appealing. But for the less sophisticated art viewers, "putting it as it is", is the best way to communicate. Enock Kyambadde's work is nowhere near picture perfect, yet it contains the tenets of realism - undistorted forms, predictable patterns and plain colour   schemes. The young Makerere University student recently exhibited his latest collection of paintings at the Nommo Gallery. His paintings are inspired by his rural upbringing. Read more from allAfrica.}

^{New Year greetings from Ngoma, and best wishes for 2008. We've had a busy 2007, working on new projects the biggest being The Great Lakes Regional Workshop that resulted into Talking Compounds for the community of Kazo here in Uganda. In 2008, we look forward to sharing more of the same experience with you and most especially our international counterparts. Our dear artists who have already applied for this wonderful activity need not re-apply as their files will be considered during the selection process. Read more}

^{Talking compounds is a project aimed at mobilizing communities and more especially school going children to identify development issues and concerns amongst their communities. This activity will involve six International and six Ugandan artists. The activity will be held in the month of March-April 2008. The artists will attend a monthly market day, visit homes, conduct activities with schools, health centers, administrative units and group excursions. Read more}

^{What exactly is art? Is is the Monet hanging in a museum? Is it the finely woven, handmade bowl used to hold fruit on a table? Or as many say, art is simply indefinable. Ugandan painter Nuwa Wamala Nnyanzi believes otherwise, " Art is an attitude and culture", said Nnyanzi, adding that art doesnt have to be vieed as intellectual. Yet, says the atist, translating an idea into a visual form is inherently an intellectual performance. Whether that visual form takes the shape of paintings or baskets, its value remains the same. Read more.}

^{While performing arts appeal quickly to the public, it is the visual arts that create a lasting impression. The Commonwealth delegate will descend onto a country with a rich tradition of the visual arts, one whose past, present and perhaps future lies in its paintings, sculptures, ceramics, prints and monuments.Before the advent of modern art, introduced in Uganda in 1937 by Margaret Trowel, art was already in practice. The use of clay to make pots and jars was a known skill. Read more From Stephen Ssenkaaba}

_{Visionary painter, printmaker and sculptor, Ronex Ahimbisibwe offers his views on women’s rights, what is erotic and who supports African Art in Uganda.  He terms his work “Contemporary Indigenous Art”, by passing the Tradional v. Modernity and Western v. Eastern art debate, but in doing so, presents new topics for deliberation. For Ronex, ’When one talks of African art - one’s mind runs to West Africa because there is less documentation on arts...Read more}