FormFora.

Arguments have been made by artists that violence is a viable tool to produce art and have audiences interact with it in “authenticity”. The artists who make this claim cite artistic licence.They feel that they are not responsible for the effects their art will produce because “that is the art”. My own experience with such productions was with Isaac Nabwana’s production team as they filmed scenes at a music festival that included very disturbing gore. They put out a video (1) that if you observe, you’ll see audiences around them shocked and terrified. But these aren’t actors or extras, these were the festival attendants. Isaac saw it fit to create an environment of terror for cinematic effect.

FormFora celebrates Uganda’s 60th Independence anniversary through a tribute to Kaddu Wasswa a teacher, social worker and cultural actor, his work to make this country culturally diverse and inclusive is admirable, it inspires all of us to further the progress towards liberation.

Subject matter in art forms is greatly influenced by what is deemed profound or important which leads to my next statement that the artwork maybe a confrontation or a witnessing.

Erinah Babirye’s work is about plants, she paints leaves and flowers in a variety of colors and forms, she abstracts some and “figurates” others, the work attempts to examine the history and memory of the plant outside its utility

To understand Leilah Babirye’s work you have to understand where she comes from,
you have to understand the cultural landscape of Uganda,
you have to understand the way her Buganda culture is set-up,