The Boda Momen . Posi ioning Socially-Engaged A in Con empo a y Uganda
Ca los Ga ido Cas ellano, Ph.D.
Pos doc o al Resea che
Cen o de Es udos Compa a is as
Uni e sidade de Lisboa
[email p o ec ed]
Abs ac : This a icle examines wo socially engaged Ugandan a p ojec s: he
Disabili y A P ojec Uganda (DAPU), and Lilian Nabulime’s AIDS sculp u e. By
analyzing bo h ini ia i es, I a emp o cha ac e ize a new momen in he ela ions
be ween a is ic p ac ice and social in e en ion in he Ugandan con ex . I a gue ha
p ojec s such as DAPU and Nabulime’s a e con on ing he cu en Ugandan si ua ion
o economic and poli ical ans o ma ion, ma ked by he weigh o he in o mal and he
challenge o a na ion-based cul u al sphe e. Finally, I poin ou some simila i ies wi h
o he A ican socially-engaged a ini ia i es.
Au ho ’s bio: Ca los Ga ido Cas ellano is a FCT Pos -Doc o al Resea che a he
Cen e o Compa a i e S udies o he Uni e si y o Lisbon. His esea ch ocuses on
Socially Engaged A , Cu a o ship and Pos colonial Theo y. Cu en ly he is he main
esea che o he esea ch p ojec “Compa ing We’s. Collec i ism, Emancipa ion,
Pos coloniali y”. He has done ex ensi e ieldwo k esea ch in he Ca ibbean a ea, he
Uni ed S a es and A ica, and has collabo a ed wi h jou nals such as Thi d Tex , Social
Iden i ies, T a essia, An hu ium o Cul u al Dynamics. Now he is p epa ing a
monog aph on socially-engaged a and coloniali y.
The Boda Momen . Posi ioning Socially-Engaged A in Con empo a y Uganda
1
I
KLA ART is a biennial es i al ha has been held in Kampala, Uganda since 2012. In
i s i s edi ion, he es i al e ol ed a ound a public a exhibi ion called 12 Boxes
Mo ing, he esul o a join collabo a ion by eigh local ins i u ions.
2
A e a call,
wel e p ojec s we e dis ibu ed in equal numbe s in con aine s h oughou he ci y.
3
The choice o he con aine as a is ic enue holds a s ong symbolism in he Ugandan
con ex : con aine s e oke ansi o iness, mobili y and mul ipu pose use; hey e e o he
ansi and exchange o goods, bu also o in o mal economies wi hin he ci y landscape,
whe e hey a e a common sigh . The idea behind his choice, u he mo e, was o aise
public awa eness o con empo a y a , a phenomenon adi ionally associa ed in Uganda
wi h he academic milieu, la gely de ined by galle y spaces and go e nmen - un
museums.
4
In his con ex , using con aine s mean a big s ep o wa d in he in e es s o
gi ing con empo a y a public ele ance. The deg ee o which his goal was achie ed
was a iable. Some in e en ions aimed o in e ac i i y and pe o ma i i y, while
o he s we e simply limi ed o hanging a wo ks inside he con aine space. While some
c i icism o he e en ocused on he ac ha he con aine s we e also “enclosing” a
and con aining i in public spaces in down own a eas,
5
he es i al did ha e a ele ance
in challenging iews on a ’s in en ions, owne ship and ele ance. I also ini ia ed a
las ing dynamic o ins i u ional collabo a ion binding oge he public and p i a e agen s.
Ka in Pe e s-Klaphake, who ecen ly dedica ed a long essay o public a in Uganda,
men ions ha “KLA ART 012 was a pilo , an expe imen in many ways, om he ou se
wi h he in en ion o ollowing edi ions in wo o h ee-yea in e als. The main aims
we e o c ea e new physical and men al spaces o isual a p ojec s and o in e ac wi h
new and di e en audiences. The es i al was s ic ly non-comme cial o allow o ideas
beyond a di ec saleabili y”.
6
She adds ha “ he es i al had a isiona y, expe imen al
aspec , a emp ing o open up a space o new a is ic bu also cu a o ial app oaches”,
7
opposing he long adi ion o solo shows mos ly mo i a ed by economic ends.
Con a y o ha p ocess o agging and highligh ing public places, he 2014
edi ion o KLA ART decided o ame public in e en ion in a di e en way. Ti led
“Unmapped”, he es i al a emp ed o ha e a mo e in ense p ojec ion in o he public
1
This a icle cons i u es my i s app oach o con empo a y Ugandan a . I w o e i du ing a mon h-leng h
esea ch ip o Kampala. I became in e es ed in he wo p ojec s I discuss he e as pa o a longe
in es iga ion, which will ake he o m o a monog aph abou how coloniali y and socially-engaged a
can be ela ed.
2
Besides 32º Eas , he o ganizing ins i u ions included he Make e e Uni e si y, AKA Galle y, Nommo
Galle y, he Ugandan Museum, Alliance F ançaise Kampala and he Goe he-Zen um Kampala. The
pa ne ship wo ked no only a he le el o aising unding, bu also a he le el o cu a ing and decision-
making.
3
The chosen a is s we e Bwambala I an Allan, Emma Wolukau-Wanambwa, E ia Nsubuga “Sane”, E ic
Mukalazi, Lilian Nabulime, Ronex, Ruganzu B uno, Sanaa Ga eja, S ella A al, Waswa, Xenson and Sue
C ozie Tho bu n (a B i ish a is li ing in Uganda and he only o eigne o he show).
44
The oldes a ins i u ions in Uganda a e he Make e e Uni e si y, he Uganda Museum and he Nommo
Galle y, he las wo being s a e-con olled. In he las en yea s, his pano ama has been comple ed by he
eme gence o a la ge numbe o p i a e a galle ies. To ha we ha e o add 32º Eas . Ugandan A s
T us , an al e na i e space c ea ed in 2012.
5
See Ka in Pe e s-Klaphake, “A in Kampala A Wo k 012” in Ke s in Pin he , Ugochukwu-Smoo h C.
Nzewi and Be i Fische (eds.) New Spaces o Nego ia ing A and His o ies in A ica (Be lin: Li
Ve lag, 2015), pp.52-72.
6
Ka in Pe e s-Klaphake, “A in Kampala A Wo k 012”, 65.
7
Ibidem, p.66.
space. The second edi ion o he e en was coo dina ed by 32º Eas . Ugandan A T us ,
and b ough in e es ing no el ies o he Ugandan a is ic a ena. The ini ia i e was spli
in o h ee in e ela ed p ojec s: a “con en ional” exhibi ion aking place a he Uganda
Railways s a ion in Cen al Kampala;
8
a se ies o s udio isi s highligh ing he
wo kplaces o local a is s;
9
and a se o public in e en ions g ouped unde The Boda
Boda P ojec . The la e , which was no in ended o be he nucleus o he e en no he
deposi o y o he majo pa o he unding, ou numbe ed he “ egula ” galle y
exhibi ion in e ms o isi o s and c i ical esponse. All local newspape s and cul u al
jou nals dedica ed a space o he e en , and he Con empo a yAnd pla o m ea u ed he
p ojec as pa o a special issue on Kampala.
10
The ini ia i e consis ed o a se ies o collabo a ions be ween Ugandan a is s and
he boda boda d i e s, whose mo o cycles we e cus omized and hen used egula ly
h oughou he ci y. The boda bodas, mo o bikes p o iding axi se ices, a e he mos
common means o anspo in Uganda. They also cons i u e a co ne s one in Kampala´s
popula cul u e and in o mal ade ne wo k.
11
Choosing hem bo h as a is ic enue and
as a ge communi y wi h which o collabo a e amoun s o acknowledging hei ole in
con igu ing Kampala’s u ban landscape and ecognizing hei legi imacy. A he same
ime, hese p ac ices aise ques ions abou he capaci y o one- ime a is ic in e en ions
o c ea e awa eness on egula o y and cus oma y issues such as u ban gen i ica ion and
exclusion. In ol ing mo o bikes ha would ha e a egula use du ing and beyond he
es i al ime made i necessa y o econside he pa icipa o y na u e o KLA ART in
di e en e ms. The in e en ions a ied om p ojec o p ojec , bu in his case he
e ms o he dialogue we e now mo e balanced and ho izon al, wi h each a is
in e ac ing wi h he boda boda d i e s in a sus ained way. The Boda Boda P ojec also
unc ioned di e en ly in e ms o space, shi ing he ela i ely con olled loca ions
whe e he con aine s we e ins alled in KLA ART 012 o mo e da ing ou es ollowed
by he boda boda d i e s.
In a ecen a icle, Angelo Kakande has shown how Ugandan a is s a e
inc easingly ending o adop pa isan posi ions conce ning he in luence o ex alegal
o ms o slow and no -so- isible iolence in he de ini ion o he deba es on Ugandan
public space.
12
The p ojec s belonging o he Boda Boda P ojec made ha conce n
e iden . Among he issues aised we e e e yday iolence agains ma ginalized g oups
(Adonias Ocom Ekuwe, Xenson), he liabili y o passenge s and d i e s alike and he
lack o espec o passe s-by (Ronex Ahimbisibwe, Pe o, Babi ye Leilah Bu ns), and
he in isibili y o boda boda guys despi e hei cons i u ing a cen al sec o o
Kampala’s economy (Kino Musoke, Enock Kalule Kagga and Sand a Suubi). While
many o he in e en ions a ose wi h a cen al opic in mind ha was supposed o
8
Closed in 1992, wi h KLA ART he s a ion was eco e ed o he i s ime since hen o public use.
9
This elemen was o iginal in Ugandan a . Besides pu ing he a is s on he map, i se ed o encou age
a clima e o dialogue be ween he communi y o c ea o s and he es i al’s audience.
10
See h p://www.con empo a yand.com/magazines/kla-a -pu s-eas -a ican-a -on- he-map/
11
He e we should no e he exis ence o a s ong adi ion o cus omizing and di e si ying boda bodas,
ma a us and o he ehicles dedica ed o in o mal anspo . KLA ART 014 encou aged his phenomenon,
using a o channel some o he exis ing aspi a ions o social ecogni ion and imp o emen s in secu i y
condi ions o he sec o , while bene i ing om he ib an isual in en i eness o Kampala's e nacula
scene. I in no way ini ia es i .
12
A. Kakande (2016). A and he “Ghos ” o “Mili a y Dic a o ship”: Exp essions o Dic a o ship in
Pos -1986 Con empo a y Ugandan A . S a . Jou nal o A s and Cul u e (Kampala), 14 h Decembe
2016. A ailable a h p://s a jou nal.o g/2016/12/a -and- he-ghos -o -mili a y-dic a o ship-exp essions-
o -dic a o ship-in-pos -1986-con empo a y-ugandan-a /
de elop in o a mobile a wo k ela ed o i ,
13
he o ma allowed mo e complex and
mo e in e es ing o ms o collabo a ion. The 2014 edi ion o KLA ART gene a ed
mos ly posi i e c i ical esponses,
14
and was pe cei ed by many o he pe sons I
in e iewed as he beginning o a “new mood” in con empo a y a , mo e p one o
p ojec i sel in o he public space, bu also deepening he e ms o he collabo a ions se
in o mo ion.
In his a icle, I will en a i ely de ine his mood as he boda momen . Boda
bodas symbolize a whole cul u al landscape cha ac e ized by he cen ali y and
in isibili y o he in o mal sec o wi hin he con igu a ion o u ban imagina ies. The
landscape o in o mal economies and p ac ices in Kampala has al e ed subs an ially
since he c ea ion o he Kampala Capi al Ci y Au ho i y (KCCA) in 2011, which has
de eloped a campaign o mode nize he capi al’s u ban landscape, encou aging p i a e
in es men and u ban ans o ma ion. This has le many in o mal endo s and agen s in
a p eca ious and pa adoxical posi ion, o hose same indi iduals s ill cons i u e he
backbone suppo ing Ugandan economy. By e e ing o a “boda momen ”, in his
a icle I wan o allude o his si ua ion as a gene al conce n in con empo a y Ugandan
a is ic p ac ice, one seemly ma ked by: a) he success o collabo a i e and opposi ional
p ac ices challenging and con on ing he p i a iza ion o he u ban space and cul u al
and educa ional ins i u ions; b) he inse ion o a is ic collabo a ion wi hin he sphe e o
he in o mal ci y; c) linked o ha , a ce ain decen aliza ion o he ole ha he
academic con ex has had in he de ini ion o con empo a y Ugandan socie y, mo i a ed
by he i up ion o economic neolibe alism in he Muse eni e a;
15
and inally d) a
cons an ques ioning o he possibili ies and limi a ions o a is ic in e en ions
ope a ing in ha e ain, some hing mani es in he ejec ion o “ adi ional” a
audiences and con ex s and ep esen a ional means o poli ical exp ession, bu also in
he adop ion o an expe imen al and p ocess-based app oach o c ea i i y.
II
KLA A did no eme ge ou o no hing. I was he esul o he con luence o a
undamen al shi in he Ugandan a is ic pano ama, some hing ha could be el on an
ins i u ional, cu a o ial and ep esen a ional le el. He e I will ‘zoom in’ o bo h edi ions
o KLA ART and selec wo long- e m p ojec s ha will ocus my discussion.
One o he con aine s o he 2012 edi ion o he es i al was occupied by Lilian
Ma y Nabulime. She illed he space wi h a se ies o usable soap-made sculp u es made
o soap ha sugges ed male and emale geni als, which she used o a icula e a
con e sa ion a ound HIV/AIDS. This opic was he main conce n o he a is ic p ac ice
om he ea ly 2000s, a e going h ough a di ec expe ience o ca ing o he husband.
As a Ph.D. s uden s a he Uni e si y o Newcas le, Nabulime s a ed expe imen ing
wi h sculp u e as a way o gene a ing social awa eness o HIV/AIDS among Ugandan
women esiding in London. Wi h a as expe ience in a is ic collabo a ion, o he
13
The boda boda p ojec was especially eye-ca ching. Fo many, he boda bodas migh ha e been
pe cei ed as c azy objec s amids he low o ehicles popula ing Kampala. While his gimmicky
dimension was ce ainly p esen in he ela ions be ween a is s, d i e s and audiences, i canno accoun
o he whole di e si y o expe iences and exchanges comp ised by he ini ia i e.
14
See E. Namakula. “Mapping Kampala wi h KLA ART 014” S a . Jou nal o A s and Cul u e
(Kampala), 20 h No embe 2014. Re ie ed om h p://s a jou nal.o g/2014/11/mapping-kampala-wi h-
kla-a -014/; Moses Se ubi i. “A T ee in Public Space” S a . Jou nal o A s and Cul u e (Kampala), 1s
June 2016. Re ie ed om h p://s a jou nal.o g/2015/06/a- ee-in-public-space/
15
The beginning o Yowe i Muse eni’s p esidency in 1986 o icially ma ked he end o he dic a o ial
pe iod including he go e nmen s o Idi Amin be ween 1971 and 1979 and Mil on Obo e’s second e m o
o ice be ween 1980 and 1985.
in e en ion in 2012 Nabulime s ood in on o he con aine , dialoguing wi h he
audience abou he meaning o he sculp u e and he social ele ance o AIDS in
Uganda. Yea s be o e, Nabulime had a emp ed o de elop a p ac ice-based esea ch
p ojec on “The ole o sculp u al o ms as a communica ion ool in ela ionship o li es
and expe iences o women in Sub-Saha an A ica”, which ocused on a a ie y o opics
iewed om an a -his o ical pe spec i e.
16
This was he o iginal Ph.D. disse a ion
p oposal ha she began o de elop a Newcas le Uni e si y. Soon, howe e , she s a ed
u ning he in e es owa ds he impac o HIV on Ugandan women. Sculp u e (which
Nabulime, a e Beuys, unde s ands as a social p ac ice) was chosen as he a is ic
medium because i could cu ac oss e hnic and eligious bounda ies (which cons i u e a
eal obs acle in he Ugandan con ex ), bu also because i p esen ed a desi able balance
be ween abs ac ion and objec hood. Finally, i allowed in e ac ion and co-exis ence,
simul aneously igge ing and modula ing he dialogical elemen s ha lie a he co e o
he p ojec .
When I in e iewed Nabulime, I asked he wha ole sculp u e played in he
p ojec . Since con e sa ion and dialogical engagemen a e he cen al conce n, why was
she no ge ing id o he “mo e con en ional” p ocess o ca ing? She eplied ha he
manipula ion o objec s o e e yday use was essen ial o ensu ing a deg ee o
con idence ha would allow con e sa ions o ake place. Since many o he issues
which a ose in he p ojec (such as polygamy o ex a-ma i al ela ions) we e aboo,
only by ela ing hem o he sha ing o “neu al” e e yday ac s such as cleansing could
hey be deal publicly and c i ically.
A i s expe imen , which ook place be ween 2001 and 2002 wi h Ugandan and
A ican women li ing in UK, ound some p oblems in examining hose condi ions.
Al hough some posi i e esul s we e ob ained, he expe ience e ealed he pa icipan s’
di icul ies in discussing pe sonal issues. A his momen , he p ac ice, Nabulime
explains, “was in o med by imagined ideas o he li e expe iences o women li ing wi h
he disease and by pe sonal expe iences. In o ma ion was ga he ed h ough a wo ld-
wide e iew o he li e a u e and p ac ice, d awing on published ma e ial and ‘g ey’
li e a u e, web-ma e ials and o he communica ion esou ces”.
17
Consequen ly, he
a ge ed audience was no he mos sui able one o he a is ’s in e es s, and a gap
be ween Nabulime’s expec a ions and he awa eness o he speci ici ies o con ex ,
audience composi ion and in e es s was also a play. As a esul o his, no only we e
he dialogical aspec s o he p ojec close o a symbolic enac men o he a is ’s will
han an open exchange; he sculp u es also we e domina ed by a pedagogic objec i e
(women wi h sad exp ession ep esen ing ic imhood, e c.).
18
This gap was only
b idged by sus ained engagemen wi h he audience and he cu iosi y, o e he
ollowing yea s.
The las s ages o he p ojec in ol e an ac i e collabo a ion wi h popula ions
(women and men) in u al a eas wi h a low li e acy a e, in which he sculp u es a e
used o igge a discussion ha goes beyond AIDS o include issues on women’s’
igh s, pa ia chy, social (in) isibili y and polygamy. Well awa e o bo h AIDS a
16
See Lilian Nabulime and Che yl McEwan, “A as Social P ac ice: T ans o ming Li es Using Sculp u e
in HIV/AIDS Awa eness and P e en ion in Uganda”, Cul u al Geog aphies 18 (3) (2011), pp.275-296.
17
Lilian Nabulime, The Role o Sculp u al Fo ms as a Communica ion Tool in Li es and Expe iences o
Women wi h HIV/AIDS in Uganda. Unpublished Ph.D. Disse a ion (Newcas le Uni e si y, 2007), p.20.
18
I is impo an o no e ha some o he mos complex issues he p ojec would ouch in he ollowing
yea s, such as concealmen and public iden i ica ion and he connec ion be ween HIV and ca e issues,
appea ed in an emb yonic o m a his s age.

ac i ism and he social use o sculp u e in he A ican con ex , Nabulime inse ed he
dialogical p ac ice in o a di e si y o loca ions wi hin Uganda.
III
F ed Ba ale, he ini ia o o ou second a is ic p ojec , was one o Nabulime’s
collabo a o s in he 2012 p ojec . One yea a e , Ba ale c ea ed he Disabili y A
P ojec Uganda (DAPU), which ook pa in KLA ART’s boda boda P ojec in 2014.
On ha occasion, hey modi ied a boda boda so i could ca y a pe son wi h impai ed
mobili y. The DAPU p ojec b ings oge he Ugandans wi h disabili ies, and explo es
issues o accessibili y, ecogni ion and sel -empowe men . The ac i i ies de eloped by
DAPU include a se ies o p ac ical wo kshops on design and a making aimed a
people wi h disabili ies li ing on he s ee s; public demons a ions and counselling on
p ac ical issues; ga he ing people o uning hei ehicles and p os hesis. These
ac i i ies p oduce mul iple ou comes, anging om “con en ional a wo ks” o
collabo a i e p ocesses in which each pa icipan could cus omize his/he means o
anspo a ion, om open con e sa ions o educa ional wo kshops. “We do a p ojec s
which lobby and sensi ize he public abou disabili y igh s o equali y, accessibili y,
among o he s”, a i ms he DAPU websi e. Ba ale’s in en ion was o de elop an open-
ended aes he ic p ocess whe e he in e es s o mul iple pa icipan s could be b ough
oge he wi hou a unique objec i e o inal end. In ha sense, he ep esen a ional
means o each ac i i y and he p oduc ion o a is ic objec s a e collec i ized, while
indi idual decisions a e also conside ed. Collabo a ion he e is no jus amed a he
le el o esea ch, bu also in he inal ou pu s o each ac i i y, which emain open o he
desi e o each pa icipan . As we will see, hose dimensions usually conca ena e. How
is his achie ed, and why is i impo an ?
IV
Now we know who ini ia ed bo h p ojec s, we may ask: Who a e he subjec s ha
belong o he communi ies ha DAPU and Nabulime wo k wi h? How can we app oach
hem? How do he p ojec s shape hose communi ies? How do he communi ies impac
on hese p ojec s? In he case o Nabulime, audience is de e mined no only by pe sonal
o amily exposu e o AIDS; conce ns a ound e hnici y, he e ono ma i i y and li e acy
also play a pi o al ole in con igu ing each expe ience.
19
While he i s elemen was
clea om he beginning in he a is ’s mind, he o he s eme ged as successi e phases
un olded. The a ie y o eac ions, anging om misunde s anding o e usal and ac i e
engagemen , e ealed ha complexi y. This he e ogenei y o opics and app oaches led
Nabulime o adop an ambi alen aes he ics. A common a gumen in Nabulime’s
explana ion o he own wo k is ha he use o soap is ela ed o he need o “a oiding
many pa ne s and s icking o one” in o de o p e en AIDS con agion. Soap also
epi omizes physical and mo al cleanliness, as well as he anspa ency o hose who
“accep li ing wi h AIDS”.
20
A ma gin o uncondi ioned in e ac ion wi h he soap
sculp u es, in any case, is le , so he clinical and emo ional alo iza ions de i ed om
con ac wi h he objec s a e ans e ed o each pa icipan ´s indi idual expe ience. This
is encou aged by limi ing i s hand in o ma ion on each piece and subs i u ing i o
con e sa ional momen s wi h he a is .
21
19
A i s expe ience ook place in 2005 in Ka ikamu, Luwee o. Since hen, se e al expe imen s in
di e en egions o Uganda ha e con inued his o iginal esea ch.
20
Nabulime, The Role o Sculp u al Fo ms, p.186.
21
“I was no ed ha e ealing he symbolism o he objec s in he soap in luenced he audience’s
esponse. I was impo an o he audience o iew he sculp u es o hemsel es, hen o espond o he
Some hing simila occu ed wi h he Disabili y A P ojec Uganda. Al hough
he g oup o pa icipan s joining DAPU could be seen as coming om an al eady
exis ing g oup, he dynamic o he p ojec shows how his poin should no be aken o
g an ed. When he s a ed he p ojec , Ba ale aced many challenges. Many people we e
eluc an o expose hemsel es in public; many o he s wan ed o be paid o hei
pa icipa ion; ye a hi d g oup o pa icipan s many could no unde s and why a was
impo an as an engine o collec i e ac ion. This poses a challenge o ma ke -o ien ed
a is ic p oduc ion, loca ing dialogue and collabo a ion a he cen e o he c ea i e
p ocess. Lacking any (a is ic) educa ion in many cases and acing a ha sh eali y,
design and aes he ics could ha e seen as emo e and abs ac aspi a ions. Ne e heless,
when I alked o Ba ale, he insis ed on he impo ance o a in he whole con igu a ion
o he p ojec , as well as in he cohesion o he collec i e agency displayed h ough
DAPU. He explained ha in hei p ac ice, c ea i i y is no an o namen al elemen , bu
a he a mean wholly inse ed in he means o li ing and in he e e yday economy o
Ugandan people wi h disabili ies. DAPU does no “s and o ” any collec i e; a he , i
ac s as an a is ic pla o m enabling mul i alen app oaches and di e en deg ees o
engagemen . Each ini ia i e ames pa icipa ion in mul iple ways. Fo example, DAPU
se s up an educa ional pla o m, which p oduces a objec s ha can be sold; he
ou come o his p ocess gi es some o he pa icipan s he possibili y o buying a means
o locomo ion. These can be cus omized, some hing which makes he cus omiza ion o
he ehicles a main asse in achie ing DAPU’s goals o sel -encou agemen and public
awa eness. The cus omiza ion is no mally ollowed by public demons a ions. This
chain, whose gea s can be a icula ed in se e al ways, is ully con olled by he
pa icipan s.
Al hough a i s look a bo h p ojec s could iden i y hem as socially-engaged a
p ojec s add essing p e-exis ing communi ies o pa icipan s, he eali y is a mo e
complex. A i s glance on bo h p ojec s migh loca e hem on he side o angible ac s
o solida i y mo i a ed by acu e social p oblems. Unde ha logic, hei aes he ic side
would be e y much based on a sha ed biopoli ical condi ion, namely exclusion om
he public sphe e. Howe e , his would be misleading many o he ac o s ha a e pu
in o play in he speci ic con ex whe e hey ake place. In pa icula , i would mean
misleading how he subjec i i ies and desi es o he pa icipan s in ol ed in bo h
p ojec s wo k in s a egic and pe o ma i e e ms, a oiding any essen ial iden i ica ion
o hese pa icipan s wi h a single social o cul u al elemen . To pu i in o he e ms, in
bo h ini ia i es subjec i i y is no some hing essen ial (de i ed om being a pe son wi h
a disabili y o expe iencing HIV a i s hand o h ough he expe ience o a ela i e o
close pe son). On he con a y, i implies sel -de ini ion, pe o mance, ex e nal
ecogni ion, and economics. Because o ha , hei impac canno be educed o he
dicho omy be ween aes he ics and poli ics, o doing so will in ol es losing sigh o he
exis ence o complex nego ia ions—aes he ic as well as social—wi hin he
concep ualiza ion and he in e nal dynamics o bo h p ojec s.
In e lude I: Loca ing Socially-Engaged A in A ica
A icula ing he ela ionship be ween economics, agency and ep esen a ional medium
has always been a cen al conce n in con empo a y A ican a . In he las decade,
howe e , he e has been an unp eceden ed eno a ion o ins i u ional and collabo a i e
p ac ices. The c ea ion o “powe s a ions” (as Koyo Kouoh e e s o A ican
soap and he objec s embedded in hem.” Ibidem, p.158. The illi e acy o he communi ies o pa icipan s
is also behind his choice. COULD YOU ADD IN A SENTENCE TO EXPLAIN THIS MORE FULLY?
ins i u ional and collabo a i e ini ia i es
22
) is inc easingly inco po a ing a is ic p ac ice
in o discussions o subjec s as impo an as ci il socie y, au onomy and u ban
gen i ica ion. Abo e all, con empo a y A ican a has kep pace wi h he main
conce ns o he con inen . This uns coun e o he cons uc ion o an ex e nal gaze on
A ican eali y ha is de ached om he con ex s o p oduc ion and engagemen .
Discussions o e he “in en ed” na u e o A ican a
23
and i s commodi ica ion
24
ha e
haun ed he de elopmen o c i ical hough and p ac ice on A ica, especially since Les
Magiciens de la Te e. Wha p ojec s such as Ba ale’s and Nabulime’s e eal is a di ec
connec ion wi h he espec i e pa icipan s’ li ed eali y. Te y Smi h iden i ied he
h ee majo challenges o con empo anei y as he e ogenei y, collabo a ion and coe ali y
and u ges us o “pic u e all o he wo lds in which we li e in hei eal ela ion o each
o he ; wo k oge he o c ea e and sus ain a iable sense o place o each o us;
es ablish and main ain coe al connec i i y be ween wo lds and places”.
25
In ou wo
p ojec s, hose h ee elemen s con e ge: he p oximi y be ween a is s and pa icipan s
is no only hema ic; a he , i a ec s engagemen and he empo al p oximi y be ween
p ocess and esul .
The cu a o El i a Dyangani Ose esponded o he ecen eme gence o
collabo a i e p ac ices in A ica wi h a se o p essing ques ions ha supe sede he ques
o iden i y and na ional ele ance. I is wo h quo ing he a leng h:
Fo con empo a y a is s wo king oday, he ques ions migh now be: Wha does
i mean o p oduce knowledge om a speci ic e i o y? How do a is ic
expe iences p oduce new o ms o coun e cul u e o in o m new u ban
solu ions? Wha de e mines he success o ailu e o his kind o p ojec ? And, as
in many o hese cases whe e con inui y and sel -sus ainabili y a e unachie able
ou comes, how does one ally agains his o make he empo al expe ience
de elop in o a pe manen s uc u e ha a he same ime would pe mi ce ain
A ican ac o s o exe cise hei abili y o li e simul aneously in mul iple
empo ali ies […]?”
26
Also add essing ha u n, Eu idice Kala cha ac e izes he pionee p oduc ion o
he Came oonian a is Goody Leye as an “ e lec i e and ac ion-p one wo k in which
he a is sp ang be ween in ense spaces o e lec ion—and spaces o ac ion—ac oss
widening geog aphies”.
27
She adds some hing c ucial: “By acknowledging ha A ican
a p ac ice could be an epheme al con inuum o hough , a he han a hal ed
ep esen a ion o A ican na a i es, Leye may ha e posi ioned himsel in a space ha
22
Koyo Kouoh (ed.) Condi ion Repo : Symposium on Building A Ins i u ions in A ica. (Os inde n:
Ha je Can z Ve lag, 2013), p.17.
23
See V.Y. Mudimbe, The In en ion o A ica: Gnosis, Philosophy, and he O de o Knowledge
(Blooming on, Indiana Uni e si y P ess, 1988). On he impac o Mudimbe’s book, see Pie e-Philippe
F ai u e, V.Y.Mudimbe. Undisciplined A icanism (Li e pool, Li e pool Uni e si y P ess, 2013).
24
See, o exemple, Kwame An hony Appiah, “Is he Pos - in Pos mode nism he Pos -in Pos colonial”
C i ical Inqui y 17(2) (1991), pp.336-357; Olu Oguibe and Okwui Enwezo (eds.) Reading he
Con empo a y: A ican A om Theo y o he Ma ke place (London, InIVA, 1999).
25
Te y Smi h, The Con empo a y Composi ion (Con empo a y Condi ion) (Be lin, S enbe g, 2016), p.3.
26
El i a Dyangani Ose, “La poé ique de l’Ex a-o dinai e. L’es hé ique de la Reconnaissance dans L’a
Con empo ain A icain.” In Koyo Kouoh (ed.) Condi ion Repo : Symposium on Building A Ins i u ions
in A ica. (Os inde n: Ha je Can z Ve lag, 2013), p.118.
27
Eu idice Kala, “In oduc ion”, in Eu idice Kala (ed.) Boda Boda Lounge P ojec . F om Space (Scope)
o Place (Posi ion). (T oye ille, Sou h A ica, Vansa, 2014), p.8.
u ned objec -based a in o a passi e way o engaging wi h con empo a y ideas, a way
which emo ed he esponsibili y om he a is o challenge concep s and ideas jus by
alloca ing alue o he aes hesis. A way, he e o e, ha was emo ed om
ep esen a ions o he A ican na a i e”.
28
Ose’s and Kala’s ema ks show he cen ali y o p ocesses o mobili y and ac i e
ans o ma ion wi hin A ican a is ic con ex s. They also e idence he cen ali y o
local ope a ional con ex s in he de ini ion o A ican con empo anei y, some hing ha
challenges he ole adi ionally played by me opoli an a scenes in he de ini ion and
commodi ica ion o A ican discou ses. The p ac ices I ha e g ouped he e unde he
umb ella e m o he boda momen can be seen as di ec ly answe ing his shi . As we
will see, his ans o ma ion also in oduces an al e na i e empo al concep ualiza ion o
c ea i e p ac ice.
V
Poli ical s uggle, S a os S a ides a gues, is a ma e o he e e yday.
29
To a g ea
ex en , he ans o ma i e po en ial o he ini ia i es de eloped by DAPU and Nabulime
is based on he inse ion o ma e ial exchanges in ha day- o-day dimension. Bo h
p ojec s wo k in he ealm o he e e yday, on a sus ained, day- o-day basis, b inging
in e es ing consequences o hei p ac ice. I is p ecisely h ough a ques ioning o he
social ele ance o public a is ic p ac ice agains he backd op o inc easing
ma ke iza ion and ansna ional exchanges ha ini ia i es such as DAPU and Nabulime
de ine hei “ho izon o in elligibili y”. This pe manen con on a ion o cen al issues
o he e e ydayness o bo h p ojec s’ pa icipan s gi es ise o adap ing ac ics o
ac i ism o p esen needs. In a well-known essay, B ian Holmes men ions ha “a
e i o y o a appea s wi hin widening “unde g ound” ci cles, whe e he aes he ics o
e e yday p ac ice is conside ed a poli ical issue”.
30
No ha ha e i o y is wi hou
con lic s. Speaking om Kenya, O y Okolloh—he sel an en ep eneu —poin s ou he
po en ial dange s o oman icizing cul u al en ep eneu ship as a esponse o s uc u al
si ua ions o economic ins abili y. Fo he , he inc easing p aise o cul u al
en ep eneu ship uns he isk o masking he weigh and he iolence o neolibe al
in e en ion in he Eas A ican egion; i will also blu he dependence o local
ini ia i es on ansna ional capi al.
31
The wo p ojec s I analyze he e ejec spec acula
ac ions and empo a y ini ia i es, de eloping long- e m collabo a ions in con as o
(bu no in o al con adic ion wi h) he na u e o cul u al es i als. In KLA 2014, o
example, DAPU was he only pa o he boda o boda exhibi ion ha p oduced a
pe manen engagemen . The cus omiza ion o he ehicle also igge ed a eac ion
among he pa icipan membe s: many o hose who did no pa icipa e s a ed o
cus omize hei mo o bikes. In ha sense, he ac ion ope a ed in he ields o “high a ”,
u ban c ea i i y and ama eu ism, con ounding hem all. This con usion also a ec s he
ma e ial esul s o he ga he ings. Those include “con en ional a objec s”, public
pe o mances and ac ions o collec i e c ea i i y. Fo example, DAPU is mos ly joined
by people wi hou any educa ion o p e ious in e es in a making. Al hough i ope a es
28
Ibidem, p.8.
29
S a os S a ides, “Re-in en ing Spaces o Commoning: Occupied Squa es in Mo emen .” Quade ns-
e, 18(2) (2013), pp.40-52. See also S a os S a ides, Common Space. The Ci y as Commons (London,
Zed, 2016).
30
h ps://b ianholmes.wo dp ess.com/2007/04/27/do-i -you sel -geopoli ics/
31
“O y Okolloh Explains Why A ica Can’ En ep eneu I sel Ou o I s Basic P oblems” Qua z A ica.
A ailable a : h ps://qz.com/502149/ ideo-o y-okolloh-explains-why-a ica-can -en ep eneu -i sel -ou -
o -i s-basic-p oblems/ See also Cli e Thompson, Sma e han You Think. How Technology Is Changing
Ou Minds o he Be e (New Yo k, Penguin, 2014).
abs ac (bu no mo e ha mless) issues o gende iolence, social accep ance, sel -
iden i ica ion and igh o he ci y; and, inally, by inse ing poli ically-cha ged
collec i e agency in o he e e ydayness o social s uggle. Fu he mo e, bo h p ojec s
e idence how A ican social p ac ice is ansec ed by he con adic ions o he
encoun e s o neolibe alism and mode niza ion and cul u al ecogni ion, no in
hemsel es subsumable o a single pos colonial na ional iden i y no educed o absolu e
plu alism and ins i u ional acuum.
Finally, a hi d key dimension o he p ojec is au onomy. The need o help and
de elopmen has always been a oubling p esence o A ican a is ic ini ia i es.
Wo king om a di icul posi ion, DAPU u ns his a ound: he p ojec ’s emphasis is on
he capaci y o a g oup o indi iduals o p oduce hei own esou ces in a sus ainable
way. Cons an engagemen and c ea i i y a e no in con adic ion wi h economic sel -
o ganiza ion. DAPU succeeds no by applying a ecipe, a unique mode o
empowe men , bu by o e ing a wide se o ools om which each pa icipan can
choose. This means ha each pa icipan can a ain indi idual modes o sus ainabili y
and de elop hei c ea i i y in he way hey wan o. In ha sense, he e is a s ong
componen o inspi a ional in luence, he capaci y o “ ipple[ing] in o ex a-a is ic
ins i u ions and p ac ices”, o bo ow Do is Somme ’s wo ds.
56
The p ojec as a whole
also pu sues his au onomy: unlike NGOs, which no mally pu sue a cause and wo k
owa ds achie ing an objec i e, in his case ac ion is concei ed as cyclical and
agmen ed, allowing he pa icipan s no jus o join ini ia i es, bu also o de elop
independen ac ions and o c ea e new bonds o solida i y. DAPU’s goal is no o “help”
indi iduals, bu o a icula e indi idual and collec i e ac ion in e ec i e and inno a i e
ways.
Acknowledgemen s: I would like o acknowledge he con ibu ions o Angelo
Kakande, Rose Ki umi a and Geo ge Kyeyune and he s a o Make e e A School,
who ag eed o mee me in di icul imes. Special hanks o F ed Ba ale and Lilian
Nabulime. Finally, my wa mes g a i ude o Ma ga e Nagawa and Sidney Li le ield
Kas i , who made impo an and imely commen s ha we e c ucial o he p esen
e sion o his essay (and o hose o come). A e sion o his a icle will also be
published in Field. Jou nal o Socially-Engaged A in Cali o nia. Thanks also o Field
and S a Jou nal o allowing me o dissemina e his essay in bo h jou nals.
56
Do is Somme , The Wo k o A in he Wo ld. Ci ic Agency and Public Humani ies (Du ham, Duke
Uni e si y P ess, 2014), p.7.