LUMIIMAMAWUGWE
LUMIIMAMAWUGWE Lumiimamawugwe is Xenson’s reaction to the covid19 pandemic. During the first few days of the pandemic, as he went through his sketch book, he found sketches of portraits in masks and they were signed in 2015. Although he could not immediately remember the inspiration behind the sketches, he remembered seeing some Chinese wearing masks around 2014 in down town Kampala. But also recalled going to kabale and the air and the smell was so clean and refreshing as compared to cosmopolitan Kampala. This in a way triggered a series of paintings and Ideas. As the lock down progressed different terminologies were used to refer to the pandemic. “Senyiga omukwabwe” and Lumiima mawugwe mainly by presenters of radio Simba and Central broadcasting services. Xenson picked great interest in the terminology Lumiima Mawugwe as he found it deeply poetic but also politically charged. Amidst the 2020 elections season and eventual violence that marked the election Lumiima Mawugwe became the definitive reflection of the elections. The abstract couldn’t have been timely. Many people especially in the west lost their lives but also many opposing youth in Uganda found themselves behind bars, how Ironic! The pandemic became the difficult face of the election season. As part of the SOPS, economically, socially and spiritually the face mask became the new Talisman. Talisman: An object held to act as a charm to avert evil and bring good fortune. Or something producing apparently magical or miraculous effects. Hope Before the pandemic, Xenson was ready to release his live in studio sophomore album; Yaaye. Amidst the helplessness, stress, hopelessness that was brought about by the pandemic; one song Bugulumu gave him comfort. Bugulumu is an inspirational song with an indigenous melody that had Xenson had for over four years before the song was recorded. Bugulumu’s cadence and emotion is the ultimate remedy for citizens as we try to get back to normality. Great thanks to Afrie and the Cheburum choir for the chorus, Giovan Kiyingi on the thumb piano and percussions, Jude Mugerwa on the piano, JJ Bugoma – Acoustic drums, Davis the violinist – Violin.
The Passport Exhibition
The passport exhibition explores the plight of young people especially girls; looking for green pastures out of their countries and end up in the snares of human trafficking. Human trafficking in Uganda and across the world is a vice that is going on and is hardly given enough attention. Artists; Katesi Jacqueline and Kasirisimbi Tadeo through their works share the stories, plight and experiences of this trade and its victims. Human trafficking especially child trafficking in Uganda has been significantly griming; organized through unofficial networks of relatives, friend, neighbors, parents and village mates even though total strangers are also involved in the practice. Recent report by Save the Children in 2006 and ILO /IPEC, 2007 have shown that this heinous crime is still going on behind our doors and many people appear to be Un-informed about the extent of the Vice. There is no doubt that children, women and young men are trafficked for various reasons and many are involved in hazardous forms of labor including commercial sex, domestic labor, commercial agriculture, fishing, mining, armed conflict, drug trafficking and urban informal sector. Some are trafficked under the guise of better jobs in other countries. Through the exhibition, the artistes aim at creating Awareness/ Sensitizing the public about the vice of human trafficking which is next door to all of us and create dialogue around the subject.
Friend Request
The digital has offered opportunity for exchanges and interaction amongst individuals. The level of connectivity, the globe has right now; is unprecedented and the transfer of knowledge and experiences has never had better tools and with that the hunger to reconnect to ancestries and origins has intensified. In Remmy Sserwadda’s work individual identities separated and spliced by histories and geographies seek to unite in ways that are not only digital, because that is too ephemeral, Remmy imagines a homecoming message, a sort of restitution. This desire for the repatriation of the African diaspora may be in conflict with globalist worldviews of international citizenry, but Remmy feels that if this worldview as it is has no place for the African (as recent events have continued to demonstrate outright exclusion and hate) then they should return back “home”. This perspective is not yet fully fleshed out maybe very problematic, but if Africa is not entirely a persuasive and viable option for the black body then where is/will be? Remmy’s friend request comes with this note: So here I am reaching out to the hopeless and faithless To the faint hearted and broken To the victims of racism To the lonely and the vagabond. The sick and the confused, And to the lost souls of African descent from all corners of the world, To any African reading we are Africa and Africa is here for you