ResiliArt Kenya EP 3

The Unesco Regional Office for Eastern Africa, the Kenya National Commission for Unesco, the Ministry of Sports, Culture and the Arts, the Creative Economy Working Group, Twaweza Communications, the Godown Arts Centre and the Alliance Française de Nairobi have partnered to organize ResiliArt – Kenya, a digital platform of virtual debates involving stakeholders from the culture and creative industries. UNESCO launched ResiliArt as a global movement to raise awareness about the serious disruption of COVID-19 on the arts and culture sector. It seeks to mobilize solidarity among artists and professionals in the creative sector while ensuring their voices are heard at the policy level to address existing gaps and needs. The first discussion brought together leading voices from the cultural sector to consolidate thoughts and ideas on the impact of Covid-19 on the sector and identify opportunities to strengthen and support practice in the sector.  The full discussion can be followed here: This second ResiliArt looked at Democratizing the Digital Space, how to ensure inclusivity, accessibility, and affordability as well as create favorable frameworks and policies that nurture the growth of creative expression in the digital space.   This third and final ResiliArt discussion will apply a solution-oriented approach aimed at taking stock of the various mechanisms that the government and the civil society have put in place to promote the sector.   A key question therefore will be what current policies and strategies are being deployed for the creative sector in Kenya and to what extent are they supportive of its sustainable growth? It will look at opportunities for building interconnectivity between agencies, as well as reforms that can be made and implemented for a more cohesive and resilient culture sector.

Edward Sigei is the Executive Director, Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) having previously served as Chief Legal Counsel in the same organization working on issues of prosecution, litigation, public education, mediation, copyright law reform and enforcement. He has vast experience in the area of intellectual property especially in the field of copyright.

Mshai Mwangola is a performance scholar/oraturist. She centres culture, arts, theatre and performance in her research, teaching and policy engagement. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the Council of the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) and a founding member of the performance-based artivist group, The Orature Collective, as well as of the intellectual platform ‘The Elephant’.

Benjamin Muchiri is a Senior Manager at the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) in charge of economic statistics on national accounts, transportation, ICT and tourism. He is a national accounts statistics expert.

Simon Mwaura is an award-winning film and tv producer and has worked with different platforms as a content aggregator. He has been a key player in the development of the sector as a Board Member of Riverwood Academy Awards, Secretary of the Riverwood Ensemble filmmakers Association and as a committee member, jury member and consultant for the Kenya Film Commission, the Kenya Classification Board, the Kenya Copyright Board, and the Communications Authority.

Liz Lenjo is the Founder and Managing Consultant of MYIP Legal Studio and an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya. She specializes in Intellectual Property, Entertainment, Media, and Fashion Law.  She is also a published writer, blogger and scholar.  She is also the Chapter Lead of Creative Commons Kenya and the head of the Culture & Entertainment Platform.  Liz is a recipient of the prestigious nomination: Business Daily Top 40 under 40 Women 2018.

Nyongesa Bonface Wafula is Deputy Director, Enterprise Development at the Ministry of Industrialization Trade and Enterprise Development. He has over 30 years of specialist experience in micro and small enterprise development.

VISUAL ARTIST 

Michael Soi launched his practice in 1995 after completing his studies in fine art and art history. Most of his work is social/satirical commentary inspired by the city of Nairobi that addresses issues that Kenyans would rather not talk about in public. In his work, he tackles current issues in politics and offers a satirical take on the topics that occupy our public imagination. He has developed is a distinct visual language that combines bold lines and bright colors to create playful compositions.