BAYIMBA (Cultural Foundation) is a major force in Uganda's cultural life that seeks to bring about change in the status quo of arts and culture in Uganda and East Africa. Since inception in 2007, has worked towards the development of a vibrant sector that is creative, professional and viable and contributes to social and economic development. BAYIMBA’s programs were launched in 2008, with the first multi-disciplinary arts festival of its kind in Uganda coupled with a number of artistic skills training workshops.
A varied programme of activities has been implemented ever since to: raise awareness and appreciation of the benefits of arts and culture to development, to ensure greater access to a variety of artistic and cultural expressions and provide artists with platforms for exposure and networking, to promote creativity, artistic and entrepreneurial skills among actors within the sector, to strengthen Bayimba’s own brand and organizational capacities and to establish lasting creative and cultural infrastructures.
Mimeta has supported Baymiba since 2011, enabling it sustain its programs, as well as continue to seek institutional stability. In 2012, DOADOA | East African Performing Arts Market was established, as a regional platform for networking and learning. To date, 12 successful editions of the four-day Bayimba International Festivals were held. Between 2010 and 2015, fifteen one-day festivals were organized in various locations across Uganda. In 2014, Bayimba launched Kampala International Theatre Festival and revived Uganda’s oldest independent film festival, Amakula International Film Festival. It also built partnership to revitalize Uganda’s premier dance festival, Dance Week Uganda, in 2016.
Our support to Bayimba in 2022 takes place to the backdrop of political tension in Uganda between the sitting president and his main challenger from the National Unity Platform (NUP), musician Bobi Wine. Several representatives from the cultural sector are organized in NUP. This has put the cultural sector under strict surveillance and legalized censorship against its freedom of expression. With Mimeta support, Bayimba will launch an app solution it has developed with ArtWatchAfrica, that would enable the dissemination of information about artistic rights, and report abuses.
Our support to Bayimba in 2022 takes place to the backdrop of politics and cultural tension in Uganda, where several representatives from the cultural sector are venturing into legislative responsibilities to bring about change in the status quo. This has put the cultural sector under strict surveillance and encouraged both legal and self censorship. With Mimeta’s support, Bayimba will launch an app solution it has developed with ArtWatchAfrica, that would enable the dissemination of information about artistic rights, and reports of abuses.
Mimeta support also goes towards a programme of exchange between artist from Uganda, Reunion Island, Kenya and DOADOA festival online and social media presence. With the development of the Center for Visual and Performing Arts, on the exceptional setting of Lunkulu Island on Lake Victoria, currently underway, Bayimba aspires to take its work to new horizons. It aspires to develop the centre into a unique cutting-edge ecologically sensitive creative space to accommodate Bayimba’s growing annual festivals and events, arts education for all and advocacy activities that will contribute to the long-term sustainability of Uganda’s creative sector. The Centre will serve both artists, peer organizations and local communities by combining all mediums of art for visitors to get a comprehensive artistic experience.
This process is documented in the book "Voices," produced with Mimeta to mark the organization’s anniversary in 2017.
