It takes a village! 5 East African Art Collectives You Should Know

Art has always functioned as part of community. The collective need to experience and appreciate art has existed for as long as humanity has lived. In East Africa our diverse set of talents and skills often goes unnoticed, but our collective power should not be unregarded. I spoke to 5 East African art collectives, involved in a variety of disciplines. From music, to photography, to visual artists, these people are using the power of the collective to share their stories and have impact on their local and even global communities. 

Malkia Collective - UGANDA

The Covid-19 pandemic with all its hardships inspired the creation of many innovations and exploits across the world. In Uganda’s capital city of Kampala, creative entrepreneurs Lynda Kansas and Amanda Lyimo banded together to bring Malkia Collective to life. Malkia, meaning “queen” in Kiswahili was created from the desire to see Uganda’s female artisans thriving within their creative ecosystem. Malkia’s founders believe in championing the divine feminine energy that exists within us all. And platforming Uganda’s diverse women and their divergent talents and strengths is a task they do not take lightly. 

Malkia is a space open to artists of all kinds, through the power of community and shared connection, they have effectively created a niche in Kampala with their curated events and networking opportunities. Malkia functions as a stage for the city’s diverse group of upcoming talents. Offering newer artists the freedom to test and work on their craft. And doing this they have become known as a launching pad for the careers of many of Kampala’s most inspiring DJs and performers, with many going on to play at festivals and larger stages worldwide. 

Malkia was made from love and its aim to act as an inclusive space for Kampala’s female artists has driven their influence in the local community to skyrocket. Next time you’re in Kampala make sure to check them out and embrace your own queenship. 

99 Gang - RWANDA

This group of 20 something rappers and producers have been together since the age of 12 years old. Connected by their love of music and sense of brotherhood, 99 Gang’s inception was just for the fun of it. Now 7 albums later, the group have managed to coral their sound and diligently put out work for the last 4 years. 

99 Gang, is a cohort of 6 young rappers, G Flag, Kellz, Skid, Trex, bRYAN and their producer The Illusionist. The gang all met in high school and began making music on an old laptop at G flag’s house after school. With no equipment to speak of, the gang recorded all their songs straight into the laptop and found satisfaction in being able to produce a piece of their vision. As their talent and resources grew, the group was able to acquire a church microphone to add to their minimal production set up. The group eventually left high school and had the opportunity to start creating music closer to their vision than ever before. With a cracked version of FL Studios and a dream the boys began putting out their music online. G Flag and The Illusionist would produce a beat and share it with the rest of their team, and each member would add their element. It is with this foolproof formula that they began gaining traction in the underground Kigali hip hop scene. 

The gang uses a go by the flow approach when releasing and creating music, as this spotlight wasn’t something they could have ever foreseen. Their dream to create sounds and tell stories relevant to their experiences was the main force behind their work and they use this inspiration to keep going today. But rest assured the group has new music coming to a streaming service near you, this year! 

The Rugbones - KENYA

Consisting of 8 members in total The Rugbones are a music collective based out of the comfortable suburbs of Nairobi. Mars’ Twin, Oukoseason, capespring., Trevor, Kay Khali, Brian Wachira, Leroy Okriwi, and FK makeup this artist collective’s members, with each of them playing a different but important role individually. The group carries a variety of artists, in that way they can exists in many spaces, some double as producers and writers, others singers and graphic designers, the groups array of talents keep them ever-growing and offer an extensive point of view.

Influenced by collectives like, BROCKHAMPTON, Wu Tang Clan and ODD FUTURE, these boys knew there was success in numbers. Each member of the group continues to exist as artists in their own right, only using The Rugbones as an opportunity to leverage their shared talent and audiences to create something new and special. The group has created space for their shared histories to mesh. Their alternative rap and new age hip hop sounds, are heavily influenced by the likes of Smino, Monte Booker, A Tribe Called Quest and many more as each member brings his own flavour to the group’s joint projects. 

As I spoke to the guys they expressed a realistic view of the content of their verses and songs. “We are a product of our environment.” They didn’t grow up in the “hood”, they’re not driving around in Benzes, they grew up on anime and Saturday morning cartoons. They are modern kids with stories influenced by their everyday experiences. The Rugbones creates music as a report on life, a summation of where they have reached in their young lives. Their first EP “GUMBO: BONEZ N’ ALL” was their first experiment at bringing all of their ideas together, with much of it being finished with some members not in the country. The group shares beats in a group chat and whoever might feel inspired records their part and sends it in. A digital connection stood as the pillar of their dynamic before they could get back into the studio together and begin performing last year. However as they’ve grown and become comfortable The Rugbones have been curating their work in-person building on the stories that originally brought them together. 

The Rugbones will be playing a show at The Mist, May 1st, make sure to get your tickets here.

Tigray Art Collective - TIGRAY

In response to the Tigray War and the ultimate genocide of the Tigrayan people in January of 2022, Gabriel Tesfaye and Mahder Tella got together to form the Tigray Artist Collective (TAC). Individually the two artists found themselves using their art to cope with the heavy weight of grief they felt. Incepted after a show Mahder had her photography showcased in, TAC was created as a way to use art as a form of advocacy. The voice of Tigrayans, and even less so Tigrayan artists is often muffled as their issues are little known across the globe. This platform serves as a megaphone for the struggle taking place back home. 

The Tigray Art Collective, currently comprises 26 artists based all around the world. Their unifying factor being their Tigrayan heritage, their shared connection to the land. As diasporans they have the unique opportunity to get their message across to folks who may have never heard about the real-time eradication of the Tigrayan people. A struggle that had been bubbling for decades. Bounded by their shared love and appreciation of art’s power to educate, TAC also serves as a nexus point for Tigrayans all across the globe, a bridge for people whose identities often exist in isolation. This collective functions not only as a place to platform art, but also connection. The genocide has birthed grief, depression, isolation in a way that few can understand, but TAC bridges folks with a similar story and allows them to share. 

Their work can be seen in various projects including galleries, art exhibitions, and protest art. Mahder receives work both digitally and physically, with artists whose work exists as physical pieces of art, shipping them over to her as she is based in the U.S and then she takes it to display to folks across the world. TAC has work displayed available for sale, thus also existing as an income generating opportunity. The Tigray Art Collective does function as a business, but a portion of all revenue generated goes to donations for various humanitarian aid organisations, helping displaced Tigrayans and people in need. 

The Tigray Art Collective can be an inspiration to us all. Showcasing the powerful effect of art and its ability to communicate our stories and realities across cultures. Through TAC, Mahder , their co-founder, will be releasing the first Tigrayan cookbook, featuring traditional Tigrayan culinary works. You can find out more on their website here. 

Mellow Couch - RWANDA

Consisting of audio engineer and music producer Reddy, and artists and songwriters, Sema Sole, Manzi Fleur, and Mwiza, mellow couch is an underground super power. Let it be known that they are not a band, but a creative collective. Each artist exists in their own right as an individual entity, creating music under their own names but using the advantage of their individual audiences to shed light on each of their work. Each member creates music with a slower, more melodic approach and each of them complementing each other, thus their name was born. Their music, like many modern artists, first found a home on Soundcloud creating playlists showcasing new and emerging artists in their creative scene. 

Mellow Couch maintains a drive to experiment with varying genres, never quite resting in one place. Their hope is that they can continue to offer their audiences differing musical experiences and open up their minds to new musical possibilities. While their individual desire to create music that moves them, they understand the value of listening to and hearing crucial feedback from their audience and peers. Recognising the importance of collaboration in their work. 

At the end of last year, the group put together their first ever Mellow Couch festival, boasting a line-up of some of Rwanda’s dopest underground artists. Make sure to keep an eye out because you can definitely expect much more from this exceptional group of young artists.