We are the World Blogfest - #WATWB Hmb#1 – Vitiligo …

 As I'm continuing on with interesting, positive ideas … I'd spotted this article, and having decided that it's my continuance #WATWB Hmb#1 post … I thought I'd better find out more … and am found lamentable.

Hmb #1

Martin Senkubuge, from Uganda, is a young very talented artist … particularly adept at painting skin tones … displays the beauty of every skin in his drawings, using art to fight the stigma that surrounds vitiligo ...

... he is a hyperrealism artist, some of his works are identical to the photography that inspires them.

An example of Vitiligo

Vitiligo is a skin condition, caused by lack of melanin pigment, which leads to white patches on the skin or hair …

… understandably it can cause considerable emotional distress, particularly if it develops during childhood.

Martin showing a sponsor his art piece of
Isaac Kyoyeta, an events manager, in Kampala

In Africa people with Vitiligo face the added burden of being seen as “cursed” or “bewitched” … rebuffed and with the likelihood of becoming isolated within their communities …

I was shocked to learn that Michael Jackson had Vitiligo … I'd no idea … but I don't spend my time reading about celebrities – I'll skip usually, occasionally scan, information if it catches my eye … I knew Jackson had skin problems – but had no idea why … shame on me …

Isaac Kyoyeta's 'portrait'

Senkubuge having realised (see story in article link), decided to find out more, and thus about Vitiligo …

This knowledge affected Senkubuge … he now researches more, before he makes a judgement about an aspect of life. (He was judged and found wanting, as I'd been ... on reading about the artist himself) …

Senkubuge's 'Barrister':
Charcoal, Acrylic, Fabric and
Sand on Canvas (2020)
This 73 year old barrister - too young
to retire! supports artists and fights
for the rights of the uneducated and 
less privileged in our societies.

In September 2019, he founded the Part of Us Initiative, a visual campaign of creating awareness about the Vitiligo skin condition and other humanitarian causes in Uganda, Africa and the rest of the world – it's on Facebook, which I don't do …

The main objective is to visually amplify and raise Vitiligo voices, fight against stereotypes and stigma, and embrace Vitiligo as a natural and normal skin condition … getting the word out will help.

Eve Atukunda, 31, who has had 
Vitiligo since a child, was drawn by
Martin Senkubuge for an exhibition
to tackle the stigma of the condition.

I'm sure we will all be more aware of that condition … and be more empathetic in our approach to life …

We are the World Blogfest

In Darkness, Be Light

Peace and Compassion for Ukraine

and a happier world for us all in the years ahead

In this magazine article - you can read Martin Senkubuge's story ... and find the colourful side of Vitigilo - Monitor Magazine, Uganda.

Goethe-Zentrum - Centre for Art and Media

In 2019, his Vitiligo art project won a small grant worth $560 from Goethe-Zentrum Kampala after his concept was considered as unique and brilliant.

Since 2020, he has been running a campaign of inclusiveness for the pride of people living with Vitiligo in Uganda.

His inaugural Vitiligo Art Exhibition, Part of Us, was held last year at Goethe Zentrum Kampala's office – it was a showcase of his Vitiligo Art Project.

Daily Art Magazine on Martin Senkubuge ... 

PS - an interesting aside ... Blogger put a few of your comments into spam - yes!  Strange but true ... thank you - they're rescued ... 

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

We are the World Blogfest # 25: The Lemon Tree Trust ...

‘Growing Home’ … a way of giving life to a war-torn world … war gardeners brighten up the lives of those who have to live in imprisoned spaces …

 

c/o The Lemon Tree Trust site

… planting seeds to give colour, to let there be food, to have shelter in the dust of northern Iraq, or as the Royal Horticultural Society found in an internment camp a hundred years ago …

… the wheels of time go around, sadly nothing much changes, yet humans will always have hope and work towards improving themselves … wherever they are – even in ‘prison camps’.

"We had so many flowers in Syria.  This garden
makes me happy" ...

The Lemon Tree Trust, a not-for-profit organisation, active since 2014, supporting greening initiatives in forced migration camps … helps marginalised communities …

A haven for the children, who live or were born, in the camp

Urban agriculture, however limited, starts a process to create new and unrealised potential for those with nothing … 

One of the kits available for a household in
a refugee camp

... it gives them joy – a flower for its scent or delightful beauty, extra food – vegetables and fruits, dignity for the gardeners, hope for their families and others, and a sanctuary – a quiet personal space …

Ten gardens …

       Ten plus ‘war gardeners’ …

                Seeds were sown …

                        Greening started and was nourished …

                                Stories flowed, ideas spread …

                                        Insects and birds came …

        

A wondrous patch of land gave these hardworking gardeners some solace, where roots could be put down – even in their time of displacement … for many years ahead.

The video about the Liberation Garden is
on the Lemon Tree site

Domiz is a camp for Syrian refugees in Iraqi Kurdistan … which gives us an insight into the Trust’s work there … it is quite extraordinary and so wonderful to see …

A panorama of Ruhleben camp taken in 1917 by
Nico Jungmann, one of the detainees - who was
an Anglo-Dutch painter

…  man can be amazing, so generous, so adaptable, so accepting (in that there’s no choice) … the Trust gives them opportunities to personalise their lives within the patches of land available.

Please look at the videos on the Lemon Tree Trust’s site to see the wonderful little havens of love they have created for their families and community …

Archival photo inside Ruhleben's Horticultural
Society's Nursery

This Lemon Tree Trust link is to the Royal Horticultural Society’s video and information on the Ruhleben Internment Camp … where requests from the camp to the RHS mirror those being made today fromDomiz and other refugee camps …

This is the link to Wikipedia’s page on Refugee Camps – a long informative overview – with detail of the camps around the world.

We are the World  -  In Darkness, Be Light

The Lemon Tree Trust site includes a number of videos on the refugee gardeners, the gardens, about Domiz camp and more ... "Growing Home" video (10 minutes - well worth the watch)...

Please check out some of the videos and the gardens in Domiz - with some of the facts of life there ... it's informative and (sadly) interesting ... but heart-warming ... 

Lemon Tree - used by Tom Massey in
the RHS Chelsea's 2018 garden

Wiki page on Ruhleben Internment Camp - interesting to read the history on this camp in WW1 ... 

Tom Massey, the landscape and garden designer for The Lemon Tree Trust garden at the Royal Horticultural Society Garden, Chelse 2018 ... the details are here ...

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Kugali Comic Club, and ComicsVerse ...

My previous post on Afrofuturism introduced via Kugali, the African Comic Book, made me want to bring you a little more of this new African culture and how Kugali, which has only been going 3 years, came about …

Stretch yourself the Kugali way

The name Kugali is an alteration of the Kiswahili (Swahili) word ‘kujali’ … meaning to notice.   There’s more about their project at ‘This is Africa.Me’ site … and very interestingly about two new countries due to blunders from a well-known British airline, and the President of the free world … see featured article on the site.

Some of the main African languages

This link reminds you that Africa is not a country … and some other interesting facts … do you speak African? – well, neither do the over 1 billion people on the continent; 

... also reminding us Africa is home to 54 different nations (excluding the two mentioned on the ThisisAfrica.me site!), with more than 2,000 languages between them … and which have four of the world’s fastest growing economies …

Augmented Reality You Tube
the magic the kids can see
through story telling

Here in the UK it is also introducing kids (using Augmented Reality(AR)) to the magic that is Africa … through their outreach programmes, and elsewhere via the internet …

These YouTube videos open the doors to their world of AR - a real-world environment, which is enhanced by computer generated perceptual information …

… then there’s the Kugali Comic Club – to which you can

subscribe … there’s an offer valid until 23^rd June 2019 …

Justin Alba, CEO of ComicsVerse

I seem to remember the founders of Kugali being influenced by Justin Alba of ComicsVerse fame … he interested me as someone who had overcome adversity as a child … being bullied, not fitting in, etc … but who realised his strengths …

… so ComicsVerse uses comics to address social issues including minority representation in popular culture and politics.  Alba notes ‘that comics helped save his life, by teaching him how to cope with severe bullying and develop self-confidence’.

Alba’s bio is worthwhile noting to refer to as a self-help pep talk … we’re all in relatively privileged positions and I’m sure can pass on our positive thoughts to others struggling today …

African colours - a bright nation
of wonderful entrepreneurs

To me this is a worthwhile selection of content to look at, read, inwardly digest, watch and then think about … while remembering Kugali’s name as a front-runner in allowing the creativity in Africa to shine.

They seem to be opening their doors in Britain … perhaps because we are a very diverse and mixed country … with most of our schools catering to many peoples – and kids love to learn.

Kugali showcasing African stories

I’m not sure I’ve tied together all the elements in the post … but hope you get the gist … of introducing Kugali, Justin Alba of ComicsVerse with his skills of leadership, how new content is being created in Africa … and how we will all be the richer for our learning.  Enjoy!

The African comic hoping to take on Disney ... 

ThisisAfrica.Me - Kugali: Africa's largest comics networking site ... 

Get Ready for the Kugali Comic Club ...

Upfront - Reality check: Africa is not a country ... (2 minute video)

ComicsVerse CEO - Justin Alba Interview ... well worth reading ... 

and an extra ... as Sue Bursztynski mentioned about a Sudanese aide, who was able to help a 'Dinka' speaking child from the Arabian influence occurring in the Sudan ... 
BBC 'The art fuelling Sudan's revolution' ... wonderful story telling by the civilians on the walls around Khartoum ... waiting for democratic rule.   

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

We are the World Blogfest # 24: Kugali – the African Comic Book …

Afrofuturism – ever heard of it?  The new Science Fiction Comic Book genre … opening doors to, and introducing, African culture to the world …

Three African friends realised in Science Fiction there are few black people so they decided they would craft their own genre – Afrofuturism – where black people could create and publish their own innovative ideas …

The Kugali Anthology

… for example a Senegalese creates a space opera … but he uses fishing boats as his space ships, rather than the ubiquitous jet fighters …

… while their colours – just enhance the whole … reminding us Africa is many countries with lots of different cultures and voices …

Many Nations, a Multitude of different
cultures, oral traditions, waiting to
be told, stretching back millennia

It is essential that Africans tell their own stories … and that the world has an opportunity to learn the oral histories of the different peoples in Africa …

These three got together and reached out across the African Nation to musicians, writers and artists to develop a work … then crowd-funded to bring together Kugali the Anthology …

They would like to kick Disney’s arse in Africa … and by the look of their unconventional approach they are already reaching far and wide …

BBC video - 4 minutes showcase the Kugali project

Kugali showcases the best African stories by Africans using comics, art and animation. 

These are stories that respect the history of Africa, embrace the present and imagine the future.

An African Comics Anthology … 200 full colour pages; 15 incredibly talented creators; six amazing stories; and two wonderfully designed covers.  But above all: a comic book experience you won’t find anywhere else.

We are the World … In Darkness, Be Light

I’ll do another post highlighting other aspects I found while researching this #WAWTB post … (see my next post - thank you!)

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories