Preparations are in full swing. Artists have been chosen. The pitch nearby has been measured out. Security has been ordered. Street closure has been applied for. Adverts are running. LaBa! is coming closer and determined to turn Mackinnon Road into a lively, artistic and colourful stage for all art genres.

What do you do as a minority community in a greater Uganda when you find yourself landless and your heritage about to be extinguished? The Benet people, high up on mount Elgon in the district of Kapchorwa, have chosen to tackle their fight for recognition and preservation of culture through art, being helped by two Dutch artists, Arno Peeters and Iris Honderdos. The exhibition ROOTED opens at Makerere Art Gallery Jan 18 2013.

September 19-October 14, 2012, Kampala Railway Station Gardens

This project includes an itinerant urban exhibition of contemporary African artistic practices, residencies for African artists, and workshops on the relation between art and the development of modern urban centres in Africa. One of its aims is to highlight the importance of culture and creativity as development tools. This initiative is part of the strategic partnership between the EU and the African Union.

The Bayimba International Festival of the Arts will be running from 21-23 September 2012, and this year’s theme will be celebrating 5 years of artistic inspiration. Na!ra, Jackie Akello and Hailee are some of the artists performing live on stage.

This year Uganda will celebrate its golden jubilee, and what better way to celebrate such a milestone other than with art! On June 9, Mackinnon road Nakasero will be ready for the sixth LaBa! Street Art Festival, once again organized by Goethe-Zentrum Kampala (GZK) / Ugandan German Cultural Society together with Ugandan artists.

On October 23rd the AKA Gallery at Tulifanya will put on an exhibition to commemorate the life of the late, great Geoffrey Mukasa. German artist and friend Klaus Betz salutes the work of Mukasa, and Ugandan artists Josephine Mukasa and Rose Kirumira tell the story about his life.

Imagine 80 talented young artists from five countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda coming together in one phenomenal two-hour performance at the Ndere centre. Expect drums and traditional East African instruments fusing with contemporary music, creating new soundscapes and rhythms. Look forward to be thrilled by fearless acrobatics, intense dancers, unbelievable contortionists and unstoppable jugglers. There you have the Umoja Festival.

Between the 16th and the 18th September, the National Theater and Dewington Road next to it will be a riotous blaze of sound, colour, fashion and the spoken word: The Bayimba Festival is coming to town. But the Bayimba Cultural Foundation is so much more than an annual festival. In this article, Bayimba explains why they host cultural workshops, fund artists, and initiate industry discussions.

A talented and multidimensional artist in his own right, Michael Ouma has been there and done that and lived to play the tune. His insight into music is almost legendary and gives one the sense that he plays from a totally otherworldly place compared to his peers. His passion for music and his desire to see the day when Uganda’s music and its instruments are recognized globally fuel his daily pursuit to become better at what he does.

What is “Street theatre” really all about? This writer grossed in wonder when hearing the phrase Street theatre performance. Is it like an acrobats show, or a magician act? Or a kind of voodoo done in public? How wrong one can be! The performance is an artistic potpourri that evokes important issues in our society. The first Street theatre performance was held on March 26th 2011, at the Bayimba Regional Festival of the Arts in Jinja. From April till September; there will be shows in Arua, Gulu, Mbarara, Mbale and Kampala.

The Weaver Bird Artist’s Village in Masaka is an attempt to develop a momentous centre for contemporary visual arts in Uganda. The founders believe bringing together artists’ workshops and residencies, community arts centre, handicraft projects, youth cultural troupes and children’s library will make the village tick. Encounter the ideas and discuss their future in this article.

The Sons of the Master is the title of the upcoming contemporary visual arts exhibition at the International School of Uganda (Entebbe Rd). The official opening of the exhibition is planned on March 18th 2011 at 6pm. The exhibition pays respect to Tingatinga painter David Mzuguno, who passed away last year. His four children, Rashid, Juma, Kipara and Mchana Mzuguno, have inherited their father’s talent, and they are now preparing their biggest exhibition so far.

Art and writing can play a crucial role in the process of psychosocial transformation. Written language has a big influence on all kinds of communication. Also, art has often been described as a universal language, which ability to communicate transcends age, race or colour, educational, religious, political or geographical background. FairPen Uganda Foundation explains how the kids can use to use the pen and the brush during elections.