Looking back and reflecting on the last year, we find numerous highlights in our #BarkCloth and Indigenous #Crafts visiting course to #Uganda, where many of its moments have become beautiful sparks of connection, eye-level #Collaboration, and shared #Exploration. This autumn, we facilitated an intensive bark cloth course with Makerere University and Shenkar College and accompanied a group of Israeli #TextileDesign students to Uganda, where they met their exchange partners in person and encountered the diverse local craft and design scene.

This has been our first in-person student exchange in a while, and we were delighted to see not only the remarkable final presentations but also very valuable cross-cultural teamwork and innovative material research. Clearly, a special moment was the field trip to Masaka province, where the bark cloth #ProductionProcess came to life, and students observed its many stages, from tree planting to bark harvesting, boiling, meticulous hammering, and stretching. We thank our longstanding collaboration partners and the teams at Makerere University @makerere , Shenkar College @textile_shenkar , and Masaka Bark Cloth Center for these highlights, and wish you all a happy 2025! 🎆🎇✨

@african_studies_gallery
@shenkar_college
@michael.keidar @shirashoval @mrs.sengendo @dekel.tamar

Final presentations at the Toy Design course with Edward Balaba from Makerere University College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology and Shlomi Eiger from Bezalel Academy.

African Studies Gallery

With a slight delay, we are excited to share the final projects of this year’s #WoodCarving course at Bezalel Academy. Edward Balaba, Dr. Lilian Mary Nabulime, and Omri Nissin surpassed themselves in this short intensive course, and the Ceramic & Glass and Fine Art students participated enthusiastically.

Check out our feed for a short reel showing the last finishes and tweaks on the last workshop day before presenting the finished projects. We were delighted to see such diverse outcomes and the students’ #Professionalism and #Experimentation in engaging with the tactile qualities of #Wood. 👏

Thank you to our partners at Bezalel Academy, Makerere University, and the African Studies Gallery for your behind-the-scenes work in making this course such a success! 💯

המחלקה לעיצוב קרמי וזכוכית בצלאל Ceramics and Glass Department Bezalel African Studies Gallery Makerere University College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology

The Art Academy Exchange is back in person with a woodcarving and sculpture course hosting the very special Edward Balaba at Bezalel Academy. 🪵🛠

For years, Edward has been an integral part of the CoCuDi team, inspiring students and young professionals and facilitating many of our hybrid and online exchange programs from Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. He was excited to return to Bezalel for the first time since his 2018/19 apprenticeship there, and the team received him with an extremely warm welcome. 🎉 In this popular course, Edward, Dr. Lilian Nabulime, and Omri Nissim introduce local craft techniques and guide students from concept design to rough carving and refined finishes.

Over ten students from the Ceramic & Glass and Fine Art departments have eagerly joined this hands-on course, ready to experiment with the tactile qualities of #Wood and different techniques, tools, and equipment. The pictures show them learning about the work processes of important #Woodcarvers worldwide, developing their #Sculpture concepts, carving first soap models, and approaching their wooden workpieces. We are excited to see their final projects soon!

African Studies Gallery המחלקה לעיצוב קרמי וזכוכית בצלאל Ceramics and Glass Department Bezalel Makerere University College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology
בצלאל אקדמיה לאמנות ועיצוב ירושלים - of Arts and Design

We are proud to share three inspiring stories of women's #Entrepreneurship in Namutumba, Eastern Uganda. Last year, we founded ten Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) as part of the Namutumba project’s focus on enhancing community resilience and empowerment in the Abayudaya community and its neighbors. The groups have united women from the different religious groups in the region, supported their children’s education, and significantly improved health savings.

The recent founding of three women-led businesses speaks to the beauty of such initiatives and their ability to catalyze transformative change and pave the way for financial independence and community prosperity. Kawendeke Florence, from the Busambaiza Women Saving Group, used #VSLA support to start a hair salon business. Namukose Betty, from the Kantengerere Women Saving Group, embarked on an entrepreneurial journey by establishing a grocery shop. And the women of the Busambaiza group joined forces to create a cooperative shop, building a replicable collaboration model.

These stories echo the #Resilience and #Determination of Namutumba's women. Through entrepreneurship, they are not just shaping their own destinies but also inspiring their communities towards a brighter future. We congratulate Florence, Betty, and the Busambaiza group on their business establishments and wish them and all Namutumba VSLA groups much success!

#VSLASuccess #CommunityEmpowerment

“The unique properties of bark cloth extend an invitation to artists and designers who, like me, have become all too used to working digitally,” reflects Maria Erhard on her experiments with the traditional #Ugandan fabric and adds, “new materials can expand our artistic sense of self.” The Austrian designer joined our project coordination team last year and was excited to participate in this year’s artist residency with the #OldJaffaArtistResidency and learn from Doreen Namatovu about bark cloth, its traditional meaning, and contemporary redefinition. She printed on bark cloth, molded the fabric into a light fixture, explored various mixed-medium opportunities, guided students from #StudioAnkori through #OrganicDye experiments, and relished the #CreativeExchange with her fellow residents. We wish her much success in her creative and professional journey.

African Studies Gallery Makerere University College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology
JAR - Old Jaffa Artists Residency Maria Erhard Doreen Namatovu