PRESS RELEASE
DUOS FESTIVAL RETURNS TO KILIFI
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AIMS AT FEMALE EMPOWERMENT ART
Kilifi, Kenya (Aug. 16) Artists from Poland and Kenya will exchange ideas and practices with students and the community in the second DU OS Festival, to be held in Ki li fit own. Taking Women Power as its theme, the festival will feature pairings of artists from Ki lifi County and artist/ instructors from the Art Academy of Szczecin, a city in northwestern Poland.
The festival is part of the Transcultural Perspectives in Art and Art Education (TPAAE) project and will take place Sept .3-4, at venues around Kilifi Town and include a Kids Session for children. Kenyan artists in November will travel to northwest Poland for a corresponding exhibition of works at the National Museum in Szczecin from both the upcoming DUOS Festival and a DUOS event that was staged in Kilifi in March.
The DUOS Festivals sees artists from Poland and Kenya showing works they made together with students from Pwani University in Kilifi. The events are a practical element of the TPAAE project, one result of which is the creation of degree programmes in Fine Arts and Design at Pwani University.
Funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, TPAAE uses Contemporary Art from Europe and East Africa as the foundation for community and social development. As part of its multipronged approach, the practical aspect of the DUOS Festivals is complemented by the work of professors from the Art Academy of Szczecin, Università di Macerata in Macerata, Italy, and from Kenyata University in Nairobi, who are working to create a curriculum for the degree programs.
With Kilifi County suffering both from high rates of violence against women and teenage pregnancies, the second DUOS Festival will raise consciousness and provide attendees with ideas and avenues for combatting these serious issues. Taking Mijikenda warrior Mekatilili wa Menza as their honorary patron, eight Polish and Kenyan duos are spending the month of August in Kilifi, creating the works that will be presented both in Kenya and in Poland.
These artists will showcase the heritage left by Mekatilili and her essence of sisterhood using art and culture as sources for female empowerment. Their exchange of knowledge and practices will open avenues of creativity for students and raise consciousness about these important issues in the community. Their threeweek cooperation concludes with three days of presentations, including studio visits, an open-air cinema, concerts, performances, and games and activities for children. Guided tours also will be conducted and artists and performers will be available to discuss their practices and works displayed in Kilifi town.
The DUOS Festival Kids Session takes place at Seahorse School Dockers School and extends these meaningful artistic experiences to children, who learn by using new materials, colours and languages to explore their creativity. With the participation of artists, teachers and volunteers, this artistic treasure hunt provides a model for workshops and educational activities in schools and community centres.
Festival events will run from 10 am to 4 pm on Friday and Saturday, with artists present from 10 am to 2 pm. Final presentations of music and animation duos will take place Friday from 5 pm to 9 pm at Tribe Bandas, with DJ Anita providing musical entertainment after 8 pm. Events Saturday conclude at the Distant Relatives hostel with the final presentation of the dance duo and a performance by hip-hop group From Men to Women beginning at 7 pm.
The DUOS Festival is produced in conjunction with Beneath The Baobabs Events, Ltd. Admission is free-of-charge and organizers encourage members of the community to attend, contribute and join in the fun!