Kampala Art ‘Peace Workshop’, April 2008 (Uganda)

We packed all the art supplies- paint, brushes, paper, and more- and trekked to KAYDA, Katwe Youth Development Association. Last night’s rains still moistened the firm, red soil of the back roads that were marked by deep grooves and potholes, greenery surrounding us on all sides. The path was bordered by beautiful homes protected by concrete fences with barbed wire, or a few steps later, by homes made of sticks and mud, with flaps of plastic or fabric as their front doors. The walk unexpectedly took us about 45 minutes, a good 20 more than we had expected.
Our arrival at KAYDA was met by a red, inconveniently parked truck that blocked the narrow entrance, a mere corridor between buildings. We snuck past the vehicle and did our best to evade the deep sewer water that ran down the middle of the path through the housing compound. Sour smells pierced our senses as oozing mud clung to our flip flops, moaning “schlack, schluck” with every step. Bright cloths swung with the slight breeze as they hung to dry.
As soon as the compound dwellers spotted us, little children ran up to us, holding our hands as they stared at us with big, round eyes, some of them eagerly returning our smiles, others cautiously eyeing the foreigners, determining our trustworthiness. Faizo, the man in charge and one of the founders of KAYDA, chastised us for being late. Apparently, he had no time for African time. He then went on to explain to us that because the children were in tests in school, it would be preferable for us to come back at 5 PM instead, in order to get the right mix of children ages 7 to 16. Looking around at the 2 to 6 year olds, we couldn’t help but agree.
Faizo introduced us to KAYDA, explaining that it had been formed 13 years ago in response to the poverty, diseases and war that had left many Ugandan youth and children vulnerable, resulting in problems such as street children, prostitution, drug abuse, and criminal involvement due to idleness. KAYDA’s mission, he said, “is to help youth/children realize their rights, enhance unity and development to alleviate poverty and redundancy among them.” They do this by developing the talents and skills of each child, rehabilitating and resettling street children, supporting efforts at reducing drug and substance abuse, as well as HIV/AIDS and other STDs. Many of their efforts are done through assisting these youth in achieving basic education as well as training them in practical and vocational skills.
As sweat trickled down our backs in the sweltering heat of the room where we would be doing the workshops with the kids, we heard stories about street youth being incorporated back into society. His eyes shone as he told of a young boy who had been lost in the streets and was now going to university, or of another who had started his own business selling phone equipment after he received some practical skills training. He emphasized how important it was for them to become positive community members.
We agreed to return in a couple hours and went in search for a restaurant. We walked up Kabalagala road, the busiest street in this neighborhood of Kampala, as the searing sun beat down on us. The red roads bustled with activity, the crimson dust glistening like a halo in the sun over everything in the air and on the street. An interminable row of furniture stores displayed their living room couches in repetitive themes of gold, scarlet, crèmes and patterned fabrics. The smell of varnish accented the carpenters building chairs and bed frames. It struck me as funny how quickly you get used to beds having tall posts for ease in draping mosquito nets to prevent malaria. Brightly colored buildings and bold billboards framed the uphill walk until we finally found a little restaurant that, although sleepy, appeared open. The disgruntled and somewhat unfriendly server handed us appetizing menus, only to reject all our orders and to inform us that they only had one fish, a little chicken and not enough rice for all of us, so we would have to settle for fries. We ordered accordingly, sipping on refreshing passion fruit juice, thankful for a break from the heat and a place to wash our hands of the red soil clinging to us.
Upon returning to KAYDA, we admired the bright murals painted by the kids on the exterior walls of the room, giving the otherwise stark compound character and color. Only one decoration hung on the inside of the room- a small painting of a blue lake with an island, trees and a house. Children’s attire- anything from shirts and pants to sandals- hung on every available peg around the room.
Ten kids ages 7 to 15 joined us to start the three day workshop. We played simple games that progressively got funnier each day, culminating in ‘Jackie Chan-karate-yell-as-loud-as-you-can’! The daily snacks were African chapattis and sodas. As we set the children to painting, pictures of soccer, Ugandan flags, TVs, fields and schools sprang to life. I was amazed by Juliet, whose dark eyes were intent on mixing the right colors for her painting about friendship and trust. A young girl quickly becoming a woman, Juliet’s perfect smile showed off straight, round, shining, white teeth. Her closely shaven head matched the heads of all the other kids. Throughout the next two days, as we had them develop their ideas for peace and future days, paintings of giving up weapons, helping others out, preserving Uganda’s natural resources and living productive lives showed their dreams for their nation.
Sadly, our trip was cut short due to political instability in Bujumbura. We hope to complete the ‘Peace Workshops’ in this region within the next year, as time, finances and peace allow.