Tebere Arts Foundation is an innovative theatre and performance-arts organization that was founded in Uganda in 2018. Creating collaborative new theatre with artists and supporting artistic platforms across Eastern Africa, Tebere Arts pushes the boundaries of theatre-making by bridging the gap between professional and amateur creatives; bringing together young, performing arts students and established artists.
Image courtesy of Tebere Arts
Recently, the Tebere Arts team has offered exciting online events, including a conversation with the playwrights-in-residence – where the participants talked about their creative journey at the Tebere playwrights’ residency program – and a conversation on ‘How to create content during and post-Covid-19’.
In the run up to their next event on Thursday, 30th July at 4pm (EAT), which will explore the topic of the arts as a possibility of social change, we were delighted to have the opportunity to catch up with Walter Kahuma, a member of Tebere’s close-knit team, for his Words on the Times – an AiW Q&A series inspired by the spirit of community and resilience, intended to connect the blog’s communities through their experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The theatre-makers and leaders in conversation at Arts for Social Change will be Aroji Otieno (Director of Bold Theatre KE), Patience Nitumwesiga (Writer and Director, Shagika Tales), and Katie Christie (Founder and Director of Voices United). Register to join: https://bit.ly/3fLyKB8
Words on the Times with Walter Kahuma…
AiW: Can you tell us a bit about the ways that the COVID-19 pandemic has altered your plans?
WK: COVID-19 affected the way we work with playwrights, actors and actresses. Prior to the pandemic we would meet in auditoriums and practice with the creatives but that had to change since large gatherings in small spaces aren’t permitted.
We have had to switch to digital channels and rely on videos for some of our programming like our playwrights residency program.
AiW: In what ways are you working now that you weren’t before?
WK: We started using online platforms like Zoom which we hadn’t used in the past. This has helped us to hold open conversations with different content creators across the world and also gave us an opportunity to have a playwrights online recital. The world is now closer to us and global creatives feel more accessible.
AiW: What have you found most supportive and/or heart lifting in this time?
WK: The willingness of different content creators and theatre leaders around the world coming through to share their wisdom on our monthly Zoom calls.
AiW: How can our communities support you?
WK: Share our work with your community and attend our conversations! Our next one is on 30 July at 4PM EAT.
Follow Tebere Arts Foundation across social media platforms: on Facebook, on Twitter @teberearts and on Instagram. And check out the website: www.tebere.org
And for more Words on the Times – connecting writers, thinkers, curators, artists, creatives, makers in our experiences of the pandemic and current times, see the blog category here.
Don’t forget to register and join the conversation, Arts for Social Change, on Thursday, 30th July at 4pm (EAT): https://bit.ly/3fLyKB8
Tebere Arts, tebere.org.
Categories: Announcements, News, & Upcoming, Conversations with - interview, dialogue, Q&A, Words on the Times
Caine Prize 2020 & Africa Writes. Q&A: “[I]nvite our audiences to meditate on joy and re-center our humanity”: Ifeanyi Awachie’s Words on the Times 
africainwords.com 
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