The U.S. Mission in Uganda in partnership with Breakdance Project Uganda (BPU) has organised a set of events dubbed ‘Arts Envoy 2018’ to be held in Kampala, Wakiso, Masaka and Jinja this August.
The activities are meant to support the development of the arts industry in Uganda and they will include arts business workshops, an art forum about copyrights and related issues.
The forum will be held at The Square in Industrial Area, Kampala on August 9 while concerts will take place at Bax in Jinja on August 4 and on August 11 at YMCA, Wandegeya, Kampala.
A call for applications was released last month to any Ugandan involved in the arts and entertainment industry who wanted to participate in the arts business mentoring workshops led by the American group “Rhyme Like A Girl,” made up of U.S. artists Toni Blackman, Trinise L. Crowder and Denise Stephanie Garcia.
Organizers say the Arts Envoy 2018 was created for young Ugandans who are making their way in the music and entertainment business, from artist managers and promoters to artists themselves, especially those into hiphop.
Workshops will focus on subjects like: building your brand and business, mental health and wellbeing, media promotion, earning from creativity, copyright issues, gender and the entertainment industry, promoting exchange between artists and will include hiphop coaching and collaboration in studio.
The Art Forum will focus on the issue of copyright protection and how to earn from the arts business. It will include presentations by Ugandan artist and lawyer specializing in copyright, Silver Kyagulanyi, as well as representatives from the Uganda Performing Rights Society and the American envoy.
This will be followed by a panel discussion including the above specialists as well as copyright activist Richard Kaweesa, among others.
The free concerts in Jinja and Kampala, will be fun events open to all fans and artsy people in Uganda’s entertainment industry, where foreign and local artists will come together on one stage to collaborate and celebrate the industry.