Kiganda Dance Gratitude

Visiting James and Appapat from The Portico Library, Manchester

I finally made it to The Portico Library in Manchester and met the wonderful curatorial team: James and Appapat! My my Hiplet Ballerinas and Kiganda Dancers were part of the Fun and Games exhibition from Nov 2020 to May this year.

Did you know the Kiganda Dancers piece has healing powers? Because of it The Portico Library commissioned me to make a film about the dance, for which I turned to Mercy Nabirye for support, who connected me to Aminah Namakula who did an incredible job as producer, director and the star. Working with Mercy changed my whole year as she brought me into her phenomenal Kauma Arts team and we produced "Connecting Communities", an 8 day dance festival for the Royal Borough of Greenwich. I *had* to dance as part of my role as Project Assistant and workshop facilitator!

At the beginning of the year, I was so disassociated from my body and mind, I actually had no idea I had slipped back into depression. Getting fired whilst depressed and severely anxious was *actually* the best thing that happened to me. Depression and anxiety had a purpose and redirected me to connect to my community and move through my feelings in a different way. Working with so many talented dance artists local to me brought me back into my body and mind in such a gentle and yet powerful way.

All artistic forms of expression so powerful. I am absolutely brimming with gratitude to know that I can generate my own joy and healing. And thrilled to have the family, friends, collectors, curators and collaborator who see me and support my expression.

Heart full!

#KigandaDance #Buganda #AfricanDance #Dance #Hiplet #DanceArt #DanceTherapy #MovingThroughDepression #MindfulArt #ArtTherapy #FigurativeArt #MixedMediaCollage #MentalHealth

Making Art to Relax

“If you are looking for some “me” time, I thoughly recommend Birungi’s art class. It’s a great way to destress as you’re completely focussed on the piece of art you are creating”

— D.G. (Workshop participant)

The lovely people who join my Mindful African art classes and online Creative Collage sessions are both excited and nervous to experiment with collage - I love holding space for absolute beginners to paint with African print textiles and make art they are proud of.

I remind everyone, that collage is a made-up art-form: you can make your own rules and there are no mistakes! I fully understand the nerves that arise, to help myself relax when making art. I like a backdrop of motivational and uplifting music like Beyonce’s Homecoming live album - it’s energising and reminds me that with focus I can achieve anything! I also really enjoy the soothing guitar riffs of Khruangbin which help me to become mindful. Fluff reality TV programmes are great too as I don’t need to concentrate on them!

Another relaxation technique i use is to experiment with a sketching exercise to help myself get over the initial anxiety of drawing; I also use this technique in my art classes to help soothe my participants. Very quickly, I find they relax, focus and become curious about what they can achieve through making their art.

Collage art is very accessible. Talking to other artists who paint, sculpt and use specific materials, they are often held back by the fear of making mistakes on expensive materials; using recycled household materials like magazine paper, wallpaper, photos and old fabric make experimentation fun, with no pressure to get it ‘right’ the first time.

In my class, I observe that being together with a shared purpose helps people to support each other to create. Participants chat to each and learn from each other and experiment with different ways to layer paper and card to achieve their creative vision.

There are endless possibilities with creative collage. I find that participants love the freedom that comes with collage and it improves their wellbeing and self-esteem. My Mindful African art classes are always encouraging spaces for all to create art mindfully.