The Boda Moment. Positioning Socially-Engaged Art in Contemporary Uganda

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.