About Urithi Wa Arts
Our story
Urithi wa Arts is a collective of creative cultural artists and entrepreneurs promoting a vibrant and diverse creative and culture arts sector with job creation, preserving cultural legacy and environmental stewardship and artistic initiatives in Uganda. Urithi wa Arts works with young creative and cultural artists in the fields of applied and visual arts, performing arts as well as creative writing and heritage history.
Our programs
Our programs include Creative entrepreneurs and hubs, Eco-Art and environment stewardiship, Culture Legacy and education and Culture and Health
Creative entrepreneurs and hubs
The creative enterpreneurs and collectives programs aims to increase production and promotion of products and services rooted in culture, art, heritage and environment stewardship for entrepreneurship, employment creation, incomes and cultural value. Urithi supports creatives to overcome challenges, fostering their growth and integration into the formal economy. We seek to empower young cultural creative artists in enterpreneurship of heritage-based arts to create jobs and make a sustainable living. Urithi focuses on strengthening the creative practice of participants through trainings to enhance the creative skills, business development as well as enhancing savings mobilization, financial literacy and marketing. Urithi wa Arts provides opportunities for young creatives to expand their market reach physically and through digital platforms at local, national and international markets. Urithi also empowers creatives to be more aware and utilise intellectual property tools.
Creatives and Savings is an initiative aimed to support creative groups in establishing bank accounts, mobilise savings to grow their capital for investment. It also enables them in building their businesses as they look out for financial services provided by banks for small enterprises. Urithi also foster talents and developing proficiencies that align with existing and emerging opportunities in the job market.
The Katale for creatives is an art fair of crafts, visual and written arts aimed to establish clear connections between skills development, actual employment opportunities as well as promoting cultural heritage, artistry and community cohension. Katale means market place. Activities include workshops, artists sharing their knowledge and skills, cultural films, storytelling and performances. These hands-on experiences promote cultural appreciation and business as well as provide participants with a deeper understanding of the craftsmanship and history behind these art forms. Katale for Youth creatives also underscores the importance of art in fostering social change and community development. By investing in skills development, market access, and value chain integration, Urithi contributes to growth of the artisanal sector and create sustainable livelihoods for artisans.
Eco-Art and environment stewardship
Urithi wa Arts blends blends creativity and environmental consciousness for creatives to use eco-friendly materials and practices including upcycling to inspire and drive sustainable actions. Urithi supports contemporary cultural artists to adopt eco-friendly materials to reduce the environmental footprint. This includes using recycled or upcycled materials, non-toxic paints, and natural dyes such as reclaimed, wood or metal, recycled plastics, glass up art for economic development and environment protection. Through showcases, audio visual media, performing arts and written narratives, Urithi uses Eco-Art to catalyse mindset change and policy implementation in the critical fight against environmental degradation and climate change while fostering employment opportunities for creatives.
Culture Legacy and education
Urithi’s culture legacy emphasizes preservation of cultural resources such as social practices, dances, traditional sites, legends, folklore, traditional medicines and culinaries through awareness raising and archiving for socio-economic development and identity. Our culture legacy program addresses the lack of awareness of the importance of cultural heritage, limited political will and resources to develop and promote heritage and limited implementation of policies and strategies protect cultural heritage. Urithi holds ‘Bantu forums’ these are community spaces for learning and sharing traditional knowledge as well as advocate for better access to resources resources for livelihood, cultural legacy, environment preservation and participate in decision making. Urithi promotes archiving of cultural resources through training creatives in documentation including writing, audio and visual media to produce the information. Urithi also works with schools for students and teachers to combine storytelling with visual, performing art and writing to create a vibrant representation of a culture.
Culture and Health
The culture and health program contributes to health and well-being of individuals and communities through participatory arts. Focusing on enhancing better reproductive and mental health with a gender and disability lens, Urithi uses arts-based health interventions as valuable tools for improving community health and well-being by integrating creative practices such as music, visual arts, and performance into healthcare settings. These interventions provide a unique way to address health disparities and engage communities. The program also addresses culturally-rooted behaviors on health-seeking behavior, perceptions of health issues and responses to health interventions.
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