UK/KE Season Catalyst Grant Follow On

Dr. Njabulo Chipangura, anthropologist and Curator of Living Cultures at Manchester Museum, is teaming up with Kenyan documentarian and archivist Emmaus Kimani to take a pictorial exhibition of 28 cultural heritage objects beyond Nairobi.

Working in collaboration with Thingira Cultural Village in Kirinyaga, the project will spark community-led conversations around identity, restitution, and repatriation—while ensuring inclusive participation across genders and generations.

“Consensus Gentium 2: Future Histories” brings together award-winning UK-based XR creator and AI artist Karen Palmer and Kenyan immersive tech company BlackRhino VR. Together, they’re developing an interactive web-based digital prototype that explores decolonisation, cultural preservation, and how AI can help imagine alternative futures—through narratives grounded in Afrocentric and Indigenous perspectives, co-created with local communities and experts.  

South London’s 492 Korna Klub, an arts collective tackling social, economic, and political issues in Black and Brown communities, is joining forces with Wesley Theuri, a leading figure in Kenya’s gaming scene, and climate advocate Kaluki Mutuku. Together, they’ll co-create a Theatre and Storytelling workshop that weaves in elements of game design. The workshop invites young people to come together and explore creative ways to take on climate and environmental challenges.

UK music producer and cultural curator Mina is teaming up with Nairobi-based DJ, sound artist, and community organiser DJ rPH for a two-week residency at The Mist in Nairobi. The residency will bring together artists from Kenya (Kimina, SnSe and Nabalayo) and the UK (Mina & Bryte) to explore new sounds, share ideas, culminating in a live showcase on the Mall rooftop. Alongside the music-making, Hadie Abido, co-founder of grassroots venue the Jam Jar in Bristol, will also travel to Nairobi.

"The Archive Speaks" is an audio theatre project that brings Kenya’s colonial past to life through creative storytelling. Created with Kenyan and UK based artists this project explores history in new ways. With actors from Kenya and the UK, and partners Jermyn Street Theatre and KITFest, the project will transform familiar places with powerful reflections of the past.

The Eastern African Museum of Art Nairobi (EAMAN), a digital museum, is teaming up with the National Museum of Scotland to explore and celebrate Makonde sculpture as a key part of East Africa’s modern art story. The project will bring together young scholars from Kenya and the UK for a shared research journey, with workshops involving sculptors, academics, and museum professionals. It all leads up to an exhibition that shines new light on Makonde art and its cultural significance.

This project brings together young curators from Nairobi’s GoDown Arts Centre and Leeds’ Transform Festival to share ideas, co-create, and amplify voices often left out of the mainstream. Through virtual exchanges and shared learnings, they’ll develop work to take place in both Leeds and Nairobi. In Nairobi, curators will create public art as part of The GoDown’s tactical urbanism efforts, in Leeds, they’ll shape a festival pathway for underrepresented youth—both in conversation with each other.

Kenyan partner, Sounds of Freedom Africa in collaboration with their UK counterpart, Echoes will work together on a project that reimagines Cinema in Nature through a UK-Kenya lens, using immersive storytelling to explore Kenya’s fight for independence. The project engages both British and Kenyan diaspora communities through panel discussions on colonial legacies, encouraging cross-cultural dialogue and reflection. 

Kenyan filmmaker Joan Kabugu and UK photojournalist Glenn Edwards are collaborating on Mafilo Arts and Film Festival 2.0— curated under Ecila Films, it will be a celebration of Deaf artistry and inclusive storytelling across Kenya and the UK. Through films, exhibitions, and open conversations, the festival highlights the creative contributions of the Deaf community in both countries. 

Fair Play Kenya 2025 is a joint project between The Playhouse (UK) and Amani Peoples Theatre (Kenya) that addresses cultural and environmental issues through performance combining theatre, music, movement, and storytelling and youth exchange. Bringing together artists from Kenya and Northern Ireland to create a new work entitled “Rhythms of the Land”, the project explores themes of land ethics, displacement, and sustainability, while promoting cultural preservation and environmental awareness.