Acrylic on a 60x60cm canvas. For sale on my online shop .
UPENDO means “Love” in Swahili. The word was chosen by Emme, a 15 year old Congolese refugee living in Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda.
Tag: art
New video out now!
Check out the video of Share The Word Project in Nakivale Refugee Settlement on youtube! (sous-titres en français disponibles)
Share The Word Project in Uganda
I spent 5 weeks in Uganda, painting in a refugee settlement which is home to 100 000 refugees who mainly come from the DR Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea.
I painted in a predominantly Congolese neighbourhood, with a community who mainly come from the Eastern Congolese regions of North Kivu and South Kivu. They had fled violences that have been taken place for years with different milicia raiding villages and taking control of gold, diamond and coltan mines.
Samar chose the word “Jaffa” (pronounced “yafa”). Jaffa, which today is part of Tel Aviv, is the city from which most families here in Balata come from, before being made refugees in 1948. She chose this word because she wants the young generations to know where their real homeland is.
Mira (15 years old) chose the word “Shajaah” (bravery in arabic). She told me that you have to be brave to live in Balata. There’s constant tension in the Camp, shootings waking you up at night, and incertainty when it come to the future.
Share The Word Project in Palestine
New episode of Share The Word Project in Palestine! Just arrived in Balata, Nablus, where I’ll be painting words that people will give me!
Maimuna chose the word YARINTA ( = childhood in Hausa ). Maimuna’s childhood ended prematurely when she got married at the age of 12 and had to leave school. She became pregnant straight away and her first child was born when she was only 13 years old. She regrets not having had a proper childhood and a proper education. Her wish is for all children to be able to go to school until they complete their education and only start a family life afterwards. She hopes society will change in that way.
I just painted this mural inside the “Centre Culturel Jean-Rouch”, the French-Nigerien cultural center based in Niamey, Niger. I’ve been staying here for the last 4 weeks, and have been welcomed so generously by its staff.
Jean Rouch was a French filmmaker and anthropologist who worked a lot in Niger during the 20th century. I painted this for the opening of a new exhibition on the his work called “Jean Rouch, l’aventure continue”. Thank you to Olivia Marsaud for the picture!
“I would like you to paint the word “Sabu” which means “praise be to god” in Zerma. I went to a school set up by the mission during the colonial era and I was a christan like my father. When I got married I became a muslim, but whatever I call my god, and regardless of how I pray, I’ve always thanked god for the life he’s given me. I have 5 children and 6 grandchildren and everyday I say “Sabu”. ” – Yvonne in the slum of Kombo, in Niamey, Niger.
Sourou (=Patience in Zerma) was chosen by Koda La Cadette. “Patience is a necessary vertue here as nothing comes quickly and easily.” It’s the 145th mural I’ve painted as part of Share The Word Project and it’s the first time that the word “Patience” is given to me!
Seb Toussaint 