Nairobi’s “artivists” are planning the city’s first biennial

Patrick Othieno and Jamey Ponte in an interview with Katharina Wilhelm Otieno

What gap in East Africa’s art landscape are you trying to fill?

Jamey Ponte: From the start, we saw a lack of real collaboration. For many years, both the community and the wider art scene in East Africa did not seem ready for a project like this. Too many artistic projects were driven more by funding applications than by a genuine shared purpose, and Kenya’s previous regimes were not necessarily sympathetic towards the arts scene. There was a great deal of arrogance.
That began to change when we saw new spaces bringing together artists from different classes, backgrounds and training paths. We realised there was finally enough openness and energy to build something collective. KAD grew out of that moment, after we had been thinking about the project for around 15 years. But we did not want to impose it on the community. We wanted people in Kibera to be ready to lead it themselves.

How did the project actually begin?

Ponte: We wanted to start by building a gallery in Kibera. Covid-19 delayed everything, and funding collapsed. But when we returned to the plan in 2022, community leaders insisted that we should not build a temporary iron-sheet structure. They wanted a permanent building. That was a major step and also a risk, as it was the first permanent building in this area. But it showed how strongly the community believed in the project.

How important was the community in making the project work?

Patrick Othieno: It was essential. After all, we are doing “community-based art”. We regard this as an art form in its own right, just like “painting” or “sculpture”. KAD was never meant to belong solely to the two of us. The idea was always to sow a seed that the community would nurture and help to grow – under its own leadership. 

That is also why the project has survived and grown faster than we expected. The community supports events, helps with security, contributes to cleaning and organisation and takes responsibility for the space. KAD works because local people see it as their own.

Kibera is often portrayed mainly through poverty and stereotypes. How do you navigate that?

Ponte: I have lived here for almost 20 years. Kibera is a complex place, and the stereotypes are true insofar as poverty, insecurity and marginalisation do indeed exist here. But that is not the whole story. Our aim is not to “fix” Kibera in some abstract way. We want to confront the reality in Kibera, one person at a time, and show that change is possible.

At the start, we concentrated our workshops along a single street, just under a kilometre long. It used to have a high crime rate, with many vacant or unused business units and hardly any sense of safety or pride. Today, most of these spaces are active businesses; the street is cleaner and has been tarmacked. This was also the first street that had solar-powered streetlamps in Kibera. I am sure this has also contributed to the fact that there has not been a single police operation in KAD for almost two years. 

However, whilst art was the means for this change, it was the people who drove it forward. Technically speaking, we are not a non-profit organisation; we see ourselves as a movement. And that is why our success is not measured by more profitable businesses in the area or greater security, but by the fact that the people of Kibera are more self-confident and prouder, and they believe in themselves and their neighbourhood.

Othieno: And that is particularly remarkable when you consider that Kibera was one of the places hardest hit by the violence that followed the 2007 elections, which brought Kenya to the brink of civil war. I was born in Mathare, another large slum in Nairobi, and moved from there to Kibera. And in many places like Kibera and Mathare, people are still traumatised by the events of 20 years ago. But that also means that today’s community leaders are doing their utmost to prevent such things from happening again. At least, that is what we hope and what we’ve also tried to nurture with “House of Friends”.

What is House of Friends?

Othieno: KAD actually sort of grew out of House of Friends, which itself emerged after the 2007–2008 post-election violence. At that time, many children had lost their parents, and there were numerous external groups trying to help without really understanding how Kibera worked. Local leaders began sending them to the place where Jamey and, partly, I lived, as we have backgrounds in activism and human rights work. Over time, the community began to refer to the place as the “House of Friends”. Eventually, House of Friends became a safe space for community work, youth support and activism. It grew organically out of local relationships and years of work in Kibera.

How did activism shape your path into art?

Ponte: Initially, our work had a much more direct political focus. Following the violent riots that erupted after the elections, House of Friends became involved in peace campaigns and in the areas of human rights and governance. Art was always a key component of this, as activism needs language, images, design and performance to communicate. Having a background in graphic design and advertising myself, this was always clear to me. Patrick acts more as a manager for the creative people he has met through his activism.

That is how art became central for us, and we started to call ourselves “artivists”. We began to see it as a way to engage people, create dialogue and build community without losing the social-justice focus. We sometimes joke that this is our retirement, because it is less dangerous than some of the activism we used to do.

Why did you decide to do a biennial and why now?

Ponte: At first, the idea of a biennial began almost as a joke. We spoke about doing a small “Kibera Arts Biennale” at a time when Kenyan artists were starting to appear in events like the Venice Biennale. But behind the joke was a serious ambition: to build something that could eventually grow into a citywide and national platform.

In the end, we decided to go straight to the Nairobi Arts Biennale. We felt the movement was growing faster than expected and that the time was right. We were also responding to a moment of deep global uncertainty. I feel that humanity has just reached the lowest point I have ever witnessed in my lifetime. 

Economic conditions are shifting; Kenya is feeling those changes strongly, and funding streams have become far less reliable. For us, those are not reasons to wait. On the contrary, it seemed like exactly the moment when the arts community needed to step forward instead of standing still.

Othieno: That is also why the lack of funding did not stop us. Of course, a project like this needs money, and we believe support will come. But we did not want to build the biennale around fundraising alone. Too often, in Kenya and elsewhere, projects start by chasing money and lose their core purpose in the process. We wanted the arts community to claim ownership first.

What should a biennial make possible that single exhibitions or festivals cannot?

Ponte: A biennial creates a larger framework. It is not just a single event but a platform that can strengthen networks, raise standards and build lasting momentum. For us, it is also a way to say that Nairobi’s art scene has reached a new point. Nairobi is the strongest arts hub in East Africa, but compared with major cities elsewhere on the continent, it still has ground to make up. The biennial is a way to change that.

What role does artivism play in the biennial?

Othieno: Artivism is at the core of it. We see art as a way to use one’s own voice and speak about social justice, peace, inequality and the realities people face in their communities. The biennial is meant to give artists space to use their voice in that way.

Ponte: The theme, “Our Art, Our Future, Your True Experience”, reflects that thinking. It starts with artists taking responsibility for their own scene. It asks what future they want to build. And it invites audiences into something real rather than polished or pretentious.

How will you make the biennial accessible?

Othieno: The basic principle is that there will be no general ticketing barrier. Most venues and installations should be accessible free of charge, at least part of the time. Some venues, such as museums, may still charge their usual entry fees, and some special events may have their own pricing.

We are also working on practical access. That includes mapping venues, planning transport options, as traffic in Nairobi is a problem, and possibly creating an app and partnerships to help people move between sites more easily. Accessibility is not only about cost but also about safety, navigation and feeling welcome.

How do you prevent the biennial from becoming a form of poverty tourism or contributing to gentrification in certain neighbourhoods?

Ponte: For us, that starts with the fact that we are not outsiders using the community as a backdrop. We live here, work here and are accountable here. The project is rooted in relationships that go back many years.

Othieno: We also talk openly with the community about these issues. People understand that visitors may arrive with limited knowledge or problematic attitudes, but the response is to engage them and shift the narrative. That is part of the work. In our view, the stronger the community’s ownership, the less likely it is that others can define it from outside.

What would count as success for the biennial?

Ponte: In some ways, it is already a success because of the momentum it has created. The real achievement so far is that artists, venues, hotels, curators and community actors have all started to see it as theirs.

Looking ahead, success means broad participation across the arts ecosystem and across social groups. It means East African artists taking part, Nairobi audiences showing up and the event feeling genuinely open to different communities. Even a relatively small number of international visitors who come specifically because of the biennial would matter, because every major platform has to start somewhere.

Patrick Othieno is an activist with a focus on managing and organising communities and has nearly 15 years of experience in East Africa in the fields of systemic change, social justice, the environment and wildlife. He is the co-founder of House of Friends Kenya (HOF) and the Kibera Arts District (KAD).
patothieno491@gmail.com 

Jamey Ponte is an “artivist” and co-founder of House of Friends Kenya (HOF) and the Kibera Arts District (KAD). With over two decades of experience in East Africa, Ponte has pioneered the use of art as a tool for systemic change, social justice, the environment and wildlife. 
jamey@houseoffriendskenya.com