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Interview with James Nsamba
James Nsamba is one of the founders of Ugandart. He also directs activities for children at Namungoona Childrens Art Center in Kampala. The interview was posted on YouTube 3 March 2023.

Today's language lesson: Listen to the pronunciation of Namungoona. The ng in the middle of the word is pronounced as it would be at the end of an English word, which is a bit tricky the first few times, but it gets easier. Listen to the sounds of other languages and adopt correct pronunciation, and magically your native English will also improve. —RC

Ugandart Member Mathias Tusiime Dedicated to his Art (Video)
Thirty-eight year-old Mathias Tusiime is one whose love for fine Art is overwhelming. Tusiime started working as a janitor at the Margaret Trowell School of industrial and fine arts Makerere University in 1999.

Tusiime has attended APEXart and University of Florida programs and has taught seminars in the USA on art therapy. He is a founding member of Uganda Art Consortium.




Ed.: Most of Ugandart's creative members have more than one vocation. Purchases via this site help support their professional and charitable activities.

View the Video at YouTube

Two members win scholarships to Florida arts program
Kizito Fred Kakinda and Mathias Tusiime have been awarded full scholarships to 12th Annual Arts in Healthcare Summer Intensive at the University of Florida July 8-19. Jill Sonke, Director of the program said that Kakinda and Tusiime were selected because of their innovation and leadership in Uganda in using arts in health care. Kakinda has been working with HIV Patients and orphans since 2005. Tusiime has developed programs linking art to environmental concerns and recycling as well as health issues. Kakinda and Tusiime were key organizers of the Arts in Health Care Conference held at Makerere University in October 2012.
Uganda Art Consortium Sponsors Arts in Health Care Conference At Makerere U.
Report By Mathias Tusiime

Over 50 Uganda art teachers and practitioners attended a workshop on Using Arts in Health Care October 5th and 6th, at the Makerere University art Gallery in Kampala. The conference was sponsored jointly by Uganda Art Consortium and the Margaret Trowell School of Industrial and Fine Art at Makerere University.


Click for more conference photos


The main objective of the consultative workshop was to enable artists who are involved in art and health related issues to come together in a round table to exchange ideas and experiences for using art therapy and teaching as important part of medical care and healing.

The presenters included Dr.Nabulime Lillian, Professor Kwesiga Philip, Mr. Sserunkuuma Bruno, Dr. Nakazibwe Venny, Ms Kekimuli Joan, Mr. James Nsamba, Mr. Fred Kizito Kakinda, Agnes Apio, Kagwa Charles from Nkumba University, Dr.Kizito Kasule from Nagenda International Academy of Arts and Design (NIAAD), Hassan Mukiibi from the UGANDA Arts Consortium and Mr.Banga Simon among others. Several doctors and administrators from Mulago Infectious Disease Institute (IDI) also shared their experiences.

Keynote speaker for the Conference was Jill Sonke, Director of the Center for Arts in Healthcare Research and Education, University of Florida.

My experience during the two-day consultative workshop was one of great respect for the new and interesting ideas and concepts I learned from the presenters.

The turn out of those invited for the works shop was very good, actually it exceeded my expectations. The presentations were engaging, and many presenters used power point and other visual aids.

Much of the material at the conference was focused on orphans and single parent families…the groups in our society with the most serious health challenges. Over 2 million children in Uganda have lost one or both parents. These children and single mothers are usually living in poverty and suffer more than their share of disease due to poor nutrition, unsanitary conditions and lack of preventive care. The conference strengthened my personal goal which is to enrich the lives of these children and their families through art.

Some of the outstanding presentations for me were:

--Simon Banga, who talked about his work in Karamoja, helping young people overcome the traumas from decades of war.

--Dr Lillian Nabulime shared how art can be used as a tool for communication and counseling of HIV patients.

--Dr Apio Agnes explained how art can be used to speed the return-to-health of patients recovering from long illnesses.

--Charles Kagwa described the HIV-AIDS epidemic affecting women in the little fishing villages in Ssese Islands. Dr Kagwa is working to hold workshops in the Islands to help the women without sources of income to gain skills in the production of crafts that could be marketed both at local and international levels. Once these vulnerable women find a more stable source of income then they would not easily seek sexual favors from the fishermen and risk being infected with the HIV virus.

These are just a few of the unique programs going on in Uganda today that were shared at our conference. We have decided to hold a larger, more inclusive conference in 2013 where we will bring arts-in -health practitioners from all over East Africa, to share ideas and experiences in improving health through art.