ARTS BASED EDUCATION, KENYA, SOUTH AFRICA aND INDIA

Bringing academics and grassroots change-makers together to research the importance of alternative arts based education in India, Kenya and South Africa

CONFLICT

Our project explores non-formal arts based education in communities living in fragile situations - Delhi, Soweto and Nairobi. We are working with activist Vijay Kumar from Kathputli Artist Colony who are a displaced artist slum community in Delhi whose homes have been bulldozed and who are now living in a transit camp waiting to be rehoused. Set in a politically corrupt backdrop in Nairobi, we are working with Robert Münüku, Director of Pan African organisation Mau Mau Arts who focus on creative education and building a potent creative economy for African artists in the field of visual arts, film and the performing arts. Set in a post-apartheid context in Soweto we are working with Mambila Mageza and Nthabiseng Letsoso who run cultural hub Trackside Creative; a design, print, visual arts studio and event space for artists to imagine, create and collaborate.

ACTION

In Place of War are working with the University of Manchester and have bought together academics and change-makers from Kenya, South Africa and India to learn from each other, share best practice and work together to build a better future in all three communities. We are exploring the importance of digital arts, performing arts, traditional art forms, visual arts, living archives and cultural sustainability.

RESULTS

We are currently building new collaborative projects to help meet all three communities needs. We are embarking on site visits to all three countries to meet the artists, activists and change-makers who are key players in the fight for social change within their communities.