Meetingpoint: Prestige Nakumat, Ngong Road, Saturday 21st Feb 1 p.m.

Phonecontact: 0732248249

Nyama Choma and Drinks

Current policies and politics around urban public space & And what happens if the public space turns into a pitch for mobilisation?
How public is the public space? Indeed, what are we, as members of the public, permitted to do in these spaces? This question is both highly political and highly contested. From politicians to policemen, from artists to activists, from planners to policy makers, nobody is without an agenda about what should and should not be allowed in these spaces. Indeed public space can even be defined as a space for open contestation, and thus the distillation of democracy. For this discussion we bring together a cocktail of characters (hopefully not of the molotov variety) to share some perspectives and positions about about politics and policing, the safety and security, the art and the artifice of Nairobi’s public spaces.
thursday 7 p.m at Goethe Insitute

The future of urban public space & development

Town planners and rappers might not seem like the most likely companions but the correlation between art, culture and urban ‘regeneration’ is becoming increasingly obvious in cities around the world. Nevertheless, this is not an unproblematic relationship. It is true that the inclusion  of community groups, local artists and musicians in the creation of an urban identity ultimately leads to a more imaginative and potent urban code emerging. At the same time, this relationship between  artists and city officials is not always an equal one, and there is always the risk that artists are merely being instrumentalised. ‘Even ‘regeneration’ itself has become synonymous with a kind of gentrification, creating ‘beautiful’ neighbourhoods for the middle classes.

saturday:

from occidental plaza to gipsys:

starting point: occidental plaza 21:30
end point: gipsy 24:00

two places, at least one many might know. there is a small indian restaurant, which exists only during night hours. during the day, there is not even an indicator
of its existance. But in the evening its an unbelieveable active place. If you try out the pan afterwards, it might happen that you end up in long discussions and
learn something about local, as well as indian history.

i’m sure everyone knows gipsys, and everyone knows it probably in an different way. What kind of value has such a place in terms of local culture, if you can see and
experience the whole possible bandwith of social interaction, between different classes, different ethnical groups, but also celebrate with them your free time?
By the way, we try to get our german dj to play there a live-set with CD’s. Some people complain that on Saturdays you can even predict the next number, as there
is not much change. Is there space for change within popular culture at all? Let’s find that out. If we empty the dancefloor, the rountine will take over again! Let’s dance!

and than our DJ Andi Teichmann from Berlin shall rock the ‘LOVE STRUCK’

@ STEVE’S STEAKHOUSE

DJ’s: Andi Teichmann, Foozak, maxiis, vos

Start: 8 p.m. entrance: 400 KSH

Ngong Racecourse, Nairobi

sunday:

If there is no soccer on TV, let’s play ourselves Arsenal against Man-u
Bring your red and blue T-shirt. Bring Balls.

where: Uhuru Park. 4. p.m.

tuesday: conversation:

Current policies and politics around urban public space & And what happens if the public space turns into a pitch for mobilisation?
How public is the public space? Indeed, what are we, as members of the public, permitted to do in these spaces? This question is both highly political and highly contested. From politicians to policemen, from artists to activists, from planners to policy makers, nobody is without an agenda about what should and should not be allowed in these spaces. Indeed public space can even be defined as a space for open contestation, and thus the distillation of democracy. For this discussion we bring together a cocktail of characters (hopefully not of the molotov variety) to share some perspectives and positions about about politics and policing, the safety and security, the art and the artifice of Nairobi’s public spaces.
thursday: conversation:

The future of urban public space & development

Town planners and rappers might not seem like the most likely companions but the correlation between art, culture and urban ‘regeneration’ is becoming increasingly obvious in cities around the world. Nevertheless, this is not an unproblematic relationship. It is true that the inclusion  of community groups, local artists and musicians in the creation of an urban identity ultimately leads to a more imaginative and potent urban code emerging. At the same time, this relationship between  artists and city officials is not always an equal one, and there is always the risk that artists are merely being instrumentalised. ‘Even ‘regeneration’ itself has become synonymous with a kind of gentrification, creating ‘beautiful’ neighbourhoods for the middle classes.
saturday or sunday:

Massai Mbili Art Centre, opening

finissage:04th March

Visit to the Cave? Contributions from contemporary artists into public space, often happens on the fragile borders of urban space. Jacob was asked and hired
to turn the entrence of an restaurant into an installation. A kind of semi public space. We want to invite you to visit that place, and also our newspaper “african maximalism”

Lukas Pusch is an artist and co-founder of Slum TV. He lives in his beloved Vienna.

Samson (George Ndirango), Jackson Wamai, Charles Ndiritu, Ronnie Keya, Wallace Anyiga and Jackson Kilonzo, six of the photographers who work at the Monument, can be seen in the montage above (Sam Hopkins)

The workshop was organised and facilitated by Kuona Trust, and the concept was developed by Sam Hopkins.

Participating artists included: Nayari Castillo, Marieke Coenan, Mihret Kebede, Sheila Nakitende, Gordon Shamulenge,, Isaac Chibua, Eveginia Golant, Michelle Browne, Cultural Video Foundation, Max Mason, Charles Matathia, Barbara Minishi, Samuel Koigi, Ato Malinda, Otieno Kota, Cyrus Nganga, Michael Makoha, Ukoo Flani.

The Partnership for Change is an open initiative of Mars Group Kenya and other like-minded organizations, Civil Society Agencies, NGO’s, Youth groups, Faith Based Organisations, Social Movements and grass roots
organization and Networks from all of the eight provinces of Kenya.

The mission of the Partnership for Change is to advance the strategic use of non-violent action in calling upon the Kenyan Citizen to demand the End of Impunity, Restore Democratic accountability and to end Dictatorship in
Kenya.

It started activities in Nairobi on November 5th 2008 and is now active in 8 provinces and 210 constituencies.

Today Maasai Mbili has eight active members, and a group of six promising students/apspirant members closely connected to the core group. In 2003 M2 accquired a space, a two storey structure, originally a pub, and turned it into a studio and a gallery. The centre is situated along Kibera Drive, just After
Ayany Junction, and almost all the M2 activities are focused at Kiberan development, through community interaction.

Maasai Mbili is not yet registred as an organisation. Procedures have started, but is is an issue that has been pushed forward and postponed a number of times, earlier due to heavy workload, recently because of the turbulent post-election period.
However, Maasai Mbili has for years been a strong, independent, active and well-known force of Kibera based community development and has time after time during the years recieved many proofs of popularity and respect, lately by the American Ambassador, who visited the M2 Art Centre to thank for peace-keeping activities during the post-election violence.

When Maasai Mbili was started in 2001 the group was small, and working on the streets. The purpose with M2 was therefore

- to gather likeminded artists and by the strength of the
group improve income and working conditions for the
members and

- increasing the understanding of how Fine Arts and
cultural activities could bring equal strength into the
communities in Kibera.

As soon as M2 got a chance to work from its “own” base, the ideology and objective of the group was extending. The reach-out profile of the group became stronger and the task of promoting culture as tools for development turned into a mission. Hence, M2 has since the start of
Maasai Mibili Arts Centre been focused at nurturing and developing art for both aspiring and young artists in Kibera. One important coordinate in that relation is the government decision to scrap art in primary school, a fact that made M2 extend and put more strength in its workshops with Kiberan children.

Another aim has always been to enable artists to have one voice, through which they could create awareness of the various issues concering the community, i. e. HIV, crime and other social problems. This objective has made M2 tenaously active with community outreach projects, involving the artists and other community members in interactive efforts where Fone Arts has been made the hub and main tool for result.

Among the things M2 has accomplished since start are; A number of community outreach projects, where the most recent (and famous) was the Art4Peace Healing Project, aiming at healing and restoration of peace through art. The project involved worksshops with children, painting of the ruins, printing of Peace T-shirts, a peace focused grafitti effort along Kibera Drive etc.
Other, less well-known M2 efforts are to be found in primary schools around Kibera and at the M2 Art Centre, where a long row of children’s workshops has been held.

Maasai Mbili Art Centre l P.O. Box 54820, 00200 Nairobi, Kenya l phone 0723 618 160 l m2artstudio@yahoo.com l www.Art4Peace.org

Maasai Mbili has also delivered ellaborate Ghetto Art lessons at a number of higher educations.
Except the interactive outreach projects, the M2 members have held a number of exhibitions of more traditional profile as well as workshops around speciefied subjects outside Nairobi, bodymapping seminars in Mehru, Ghetto Art workshops in Mombasa etc.
Maasai Mbili has through the years developed sustainability through the introduction of a 20 percent group commission on individually sold work. This has enabled the group to raise rent money for the studio art funds to supply with material for members and
some youth workshops. No funds are coming to Maasai Mbili from outside…