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CHALLENGES OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY

DO WE CARE ABOUT UGADAN ARTS AND CULTURE

Do we care about Ugandan art and culture

Do we mind our Culture

Everyday Culture and Arts

Everyday Culture Jaffar Remo Amin

WHAT IS HAPPENING IN UGANDA

The Challenges the Stakeholders of Uganda Art and Culture are Facing

If you missed Day One of the 2nd UACAC 2011 on 16th May 2011 at the Auditorium, National Theatre, Here is your chance to  Meet the Moderators,the Panelists, the Stake holders and their Presentations: All Below

PRESENTATIONS

We don’t care about our arts and culture

The Challenges the Stakeholders of Uganda Art and Culture are Facing

THE CHALLENGES THE STAKEHOLDERS FOR UGANDAN ARTS AND CULTURE ARE FACING

Day 2)

Have you heard about the Ugandans?

Invited: Stakeholders from the Ugandan Arts and Culture sector and the public

Purpose:        For the second day of this year’s conference, we will involve the public in our         strategies. The day we will announce our plans and ask for input.

Time: From 09.00am – 03.00pm

09.00am – 9.10am       Entertainment

09.10am-09.40am Introduction:

- Welcome to your stage,- Culture and art in Uganda is based on traditions, traditions are based on the people. We are based on you,- UACAC, – This is where UACAC comes from

- We want to know where you are coming from,- We talk, we plan and we act,- We write the new chapter together,- The purpose for today,- This is what we are going to do

09.40am – 10.50am, Panel discussion 1:

- “Everyday culture and art”

- 3 panelists whom effects the arts and culture in public, who can give a

picture of what Ugandan art and culture and the public attendance. Also anthropological perspective is needed. – 60min distributed between the panellists, – Have we forgot about our culture in Uganda, – What do we define as culture and art, – How do we reflect our culture in our actions

10.50am-11.20am, Break 1

11.20am – 11.30pm, Entertainment

11.30am – 12.45 – “Do we care about Ugandan Arts and Culture”

- 2 panelists; representing the public’ use and need of culture and art, based on an objective panelist and a initiator from the culture and art sector.- Define the challenges the public is facing in terms of knowledge, search and contribution.

12.45 – 01.15pm, Presentation/joint discussion

- “Yesterdays news” Roundtables 1, 2, 3 and 5 from the 16th will present their

discussion, conclusion, strategy, Responsible

01.15pm – 02.20pm, Open discussion

- “What do you want”

- The roundtable 4 and 5 is about the people and how to reach the public, let’s ask them what they say.

02.20am – 02.45pm, Entertainment

02.45pm-03.00pm, Round off

- How do we stay in touch?

For the second time in Uganda, civil society organizations meet to unite and formulate strategies that will help to raise the profile of the Ugandan arts and culture.

I welcome all the stakeholder and partners to the two days of the conference and I believe this is the moment for the culture sector to realize its potential and convince other sectors to join in an effort of creating a vibrant arts and culture sector in Uganda.

See you all on Monday 16^th and Tuesday 17^th May 2011 at the National Theatre.

Sincerely yours,

Faisal Kiwewa

Chairperson organizing committee for the Uganda Annual Conference on Arts and Culture

Profile, Faisal Kiwewa-UACAC

6th May, 2011

Dear Friend of Arts and Culture,

The organizing committee of the Uganda Annual Conference on Arts and Culture (UACAC) would like to invite you to the second day of 2nd Annual Conference on 17th May, 2011 at the National Theatre to discuss and provide input into the developed strategies that will raise the state of Ugandan arts and culture under the theme: “We don’t care about Ugandan Art and Culture”.

The overarching purpose of the UACAC is to raise the profile of arts and culture in Uganda, making them relevant to national development. The organizing committee of the Annual Conference strongly believes that increased and enhanced cooperation between stakeholders and partners of the sector is the key to accomplish this. To achieve tangible results, the 2nd Annual Conference aims at developing plans and guidelines for the next five years that aim raising awareness of the role and value of arts and culture and increasing support towards arts and culture.

The 2nd Annual Conference is scheduled for (only stakeholders) Monday 16th (from 9:00am till 6:30pm) and (for friends of arts and culture) Tuesday 17th (from 9:00am till 3:00pm) May 2011 at the National Theatre. Attached is the draft agenda for the second day.

You are warmly welcomed as a friend of arts and culture to join for the second day of this year’s Conference. Please confirm your participation by informing the coordinator for the Conference, Ms. Rikke Johansen by phone (0414-591670) or email (conference [at] bayimba [dot] org.

We look forward to receiving you and your contribution to the roadmap that will raise the profile of arts and culture in Uganda.

Sincerely yours,

Faisal Kiwewa

Chairperson organizing committee for the Uganda Annual Conference on Arts and Culture

The 2nd Annual Conference is brought to you through a partnership between Bayimba Cultural Foundation, Uganda National Cultural Centre, Cross Cultural Foundation Uganda, House of Talent, Ugandan Artists Association, Amakula Cultural Foundation, Native Travel Film Festival and Arterial Network Uganda Chapter with financial support from MIMETA

Download the report of the First Uganda Annual Conference on Arts and Culture held on May 20, 2010 at the Uganda National Culture Center here:

UACAC Conference Report

The first Annual Conference on Arts and Culture:

“Arts and Culture: what contribution to quality leadership”
20th May 2010, Uganda National Cultural Centre – Kampala

Honorable speakers, guests, dignitaries, ladies and gentlemen, all protocol observed – I welcome you all with great pleasure to the first Uganda Annual Conference on Arts and Culture. We are delighted to have launched this venture and once again thank our speakers and the audience for joining us this morning.

[Background conference]

I would like to use this opportunity to briefly take you through our program for today and to explain briefly the reason why we are here and provide some of the key expectations of this conference.

This annual conference on arts and culture is a joint initiative of the Ugandan civil society – with a clear mission: to strengthen the role, value and visibility of the arts and culture in Uganda – by providing a regular thematic platform for joint discussion and action by cultural activists, arts managers and other related stakeholders.

The challenges faced by the arts and cultural sectors in Uganda today lie at the heart of the lack of recognition of the sectors potential contribution to social, political and economic development. Therefore, it would not be productive if we remained silent and complacent at how our current arts and cultural sector continue to be under-estimated, under-appreciated and not recognized for its potential – when we can contribute to make it flourish – When we can afford to make our country artistically and culturally vibrant – And when we can together, make it visible in the eyes of those who seek to understand who they are and those who seek to know were they belong.

The current organizing team is only a small representation of the sector who cannot achieve this mission alone – We need your input and commitment – We need to make a joint effort to change our thinking, challenge and trigger our creativity, and to question our responsibilities that we have in our respective positions. Regardless of what we do or what we will be doing – we have to look at the impact we want to make on the sector, and on society -

Today at this conference – we probably all share the same ideas, the same interests about how the arts and cultural sector should be – concurrently many of us might agree or disagree with its current state – but, the time has come for us to roll up our sleeves and make things move – transform our attitudes towards art and culture so that we can develop this sector – and in order for this to be achieved we will need to work together and cooperate with others – may it be individuals, other sectors and organizations, so that we can make use of the little we have by tapping into our creativity, and direct the sector in that direction.

This initiative of a conference is already a commitment by the civil society because we believe that it is our job and responsibility to change the landscape in the art and culture sector for good – we will disseminate information, create forums that will draw stakeholders together to pass on our message to a wider audience, value the arts, heritage and our traditions.

[Theme of conference: what contribution is culture to quality leadership]

The theme of this first annual conference was chosen by the organizing team to specifically address and discuss the role of arts and culture in Uganda today and what contribution to society as a whole this sector can make – because the arts and cultural sector does not operate in isolation! It has always been a focal point for development, established productive dialogues to achieve consensus over strategies -

We believe that a vibrant art and culture sector – with an abundance of creativity and innovation can trigger and contribute to changing society at large, for the benefit of the country as a whole – that it can encourage common understanding and accepting diversity – However, quality leadership is needed and required if we are to make such impact.

Quality leadership is a leadership that is driven by change, understanding, and mutual respect – a leadership that is open to new ideas and does not run away from its responsibilities.

Each individual in this conference is a leader of a sort – may it be at government, community or society level. So, we all have responsibilities towards the general public and individuals – but how do we handle our responsibilities?

Today, we challenge you to have a look at yourselves and question your responsibilities, assess your role as a leader and your impact of what you are doing? We challenge you to assess your contribution to the development of the sector as leaders in our societies.

So, let’s promise ourselves that we as a sector can contribute to quality leadership, starting from our homes to our offices – by setting the right example, for others within the sector, but also for others within our society. Most important though, this initiate should be carried by the artists themselves as well.

So, if you are passionate about yourselves and your creativity, then be passionate about ethics – be passionate about integrity – be passionate about good leadership and with this kind of passion, we will be able to pass it on to our children and to the children of our children.

[Final remarks]

We realize that many questions arise when it comes to the important and sensitive themes that require self-criticism – the theme like the one we have chosen – because leadership is often placed in the context of power and politics, not in terms of empowerment of the people.

In Uganda! Arts and culture are not separated from politics and political leadership – we fail to differentiate between politics and cultural affairs – too often, cultural discussions are therefore politicized, making us forget about the real motivation of our actions.

It should be underlined that for this conference our discussions are about realizing and enhancing the role of arts and culture in Uganda – the potential that this sector has to influence good quality leadership, not only because of the upcoming elections but because of the increasing internal and external influence on society. We are talking about quality leadership – because we feel it is the essential requirement for changing the current landscape in the sector.

The critical questions are therefore – Do we have quality leadership? How do we contribute to achieving quality leadership in our sector? What role do we play in nurturing creativity? And what value can we add to the sector?

So, only if we put our own house in order – then we can make a difference – and set a good example for other leaders in this country – that would then be “our contribution to society”

Ladies and Gentlemen: with this introduction, I hereby declare this conference open. Let me take this opportunity to introduce you to the panel …..

Faisal Kiwewa – Director Bayimba Cultural Foundation

Download this statement in PDF format here

If you are not at the National Theatre right now, in the auditorium, you are missing in action!

The first of the series of Uganda Arts and Culture Conference has taken off, in high gear I must say. The debate in the auditorium is hot.  Cultural activists, artists, creative designers, managers, educators, researchers, students, the media… are gathered here to defend culture, fight for its place in national  development and leadership.

The question is : is there a place for culture in quality leadership? On the discussion panel right now is Joseph Walugembe, Director Uganda National Culture Center and Kalundi Serumaga, Culture Activist.

A stupid brain makes the feet suffer, says Mr. Walugembe. Do you think our leaders are taking us (feet) in the right direction? What can you do, in your position as the led?

What is Uganda, asks Kalundi Serumaga? Do you have an identity, or are you just a blank-slate on which anybody can write anything?

The point that is coming out clearly and constantly, is that we needed this: a forum to engage and bring the issues that concern us to the national table, in one voice.

Join the discussion, right here!

The Conference will be complemented by artistic interludes

• 8:30  Arrival, registration and breakfast
• 9:00  Artistic performance (House of Talent)
• 9:15  Key-note speech
• 9:35  Panel + moderator: Quality Leadership in the Arts  and Culture sector
• 10:15  Floor: Q&A, discussion.
• 11:00  Artistic break
• 11:15  Debate: Quality Leadership at the political level
• 12:00  Debate open to the floor
• 13:00  Conclusion + statement
• 13:20 Leadership mural (to be signed by participants throughout the day)
• 14:00  Lunch