The Wajukuu Art Project
October 7, 2022
The Wajukuu Art Project
is a community organization from Lunga-Lunga, part of Kenya’s Mukuru slum. A group of artists* initiated the project in 2004 with a common goal of making Mukuru a place where children can freely express themselves and jobs are created through the production and sale of quality art. The Mukuru slum is located on a hillside below the factories of Nairobi’s industrial area. A nearby landfill attracts youth from the slum. Finding little work in the factories that litter their neighborhood, combing the trash for saleable items is their only livelihood. Poverty drives many into crime and drug dealing. Violence and sexual abuse are pervasive, endangering the health and often the lives of their young victims. Created against this backdrop, the Wajukuu Art Project tells of resilience and the human ability to transform suffering into beauty. Art forms the backbone of Wajukuu. It is understood not only as a practice, but as a way of life. Through art education, Wajukuu empowers children and youth to overcome everyday challenges and stand up against injustice they have experienced. A public library, Mukuru’s first, provides a safe space for students and adults to learn. Film screenings and murals address diverse topics, including conflict resolution, crime prevention, cultural practice, equality, health, teen pregnancy, and responsible behavior. In this way, Wajukuu creates a platform that allows the community to have a say about things that affect them.
Wajukuu’s architectural installation in documenta Halle
simulates a tunnel. It is inspired by the Manyatta, the traditional settlements of the Maasai, and by the informal aesthetics of the slums. Visitors can enter the tunnel and wander through the dark space. There, multimedia projects by artists associated with Wajukuu await them. In addition to a documentary film, Wajukuu presents objects such as an imposing readymade sculpture of a pedal-powered knife grinder.
The collective’s contribution to lumbung culminates in the sustainability project Killing Fear of the Unknown: Wajukuu Art Project creates a permanent project space here, supports its members financially, and imparts knowledge and skills to young participants in wood workshops.
Wajukuu Art Projects Website
https://wajukuuarts.wordpress.com/
https://instagram.com/wajukuuarts?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
INVITED ACTORS
Alexis Teyie, Arts Taste Curiocity (at&c Nairobi), Becki Waweru, Blackink Films, Charles Muthumbi Githinji, Daniel Ondieki, Dauti Kahora, Emmaus Kimani, Eric Gitonga Mong’orion,, Fedaa Sultan, Freshia Njeri, Joseph Waweru, Joseph Ndung’u, Josphat Kimathi, Kimani Kinyanjui, Lawrence (Shabu) Mwangi, Lazarus Tumbuti, Lewis Kimone, Mercy Wambui, Ngugi Waweru