Exhibition: Accumulating Signs by Mimi Cherono Ng’ok, Sept. 15-Oct. 12 2012 @ Goethe Institut Auditorium

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Exhibition Opening: Saturday, 15th July 2012
Venue: Goethe-Institut Auditorium
Time: 7 pm
Entrance: Free!

Exhibition Dates: September 18, 2012-October 12, 2012
Time: 1-6pm
Entry: Free

Goethe Institut exhibition series Sasa Nairobi is the basis of their work in the field of contemporary art. GI aims at working with artists from Kenya that have an advanced and innovative approach and often commission them to produce a new work. Since 2008, GI has exhibited around 30 artists, the last being a solo show by Mbuthia Maina. Goethe Institut now continue with their series with the Kenyan photographer Mimi Cherono Ng’ok.

Mimi Cherono Ng’ok graduated with a B.A. in Fine Arts majoring in photography at the University of Cape Town/South Africa. For her photograph ‘self portrait’, Cherono Ng’ok won the 3rd PhotoAfrica contest in Tarifa/Spain. In 2011 courtesy of IFA, Cherono Ng’ok was in residence at SAVVY Contemporary, in Berlin/Germany. Recently, she was selected as a 2013 Sacatar fellow in Bahia/Brazil. This exhibition is her first solo show in Kenya.

“Re: accumulating signs is about the process of beginning. It’s an installation/intervention that attempts to archive influences that have affected my practice as an artist and usually helped me take the first step in the making. Incorporating cinema, text, photographs, interviews, emails, conversations, music, this show functions as a library/face book wall/ tumblr page/pinterest board of all the objects, influences, moments, feelings and thoughts that intersect to begin my production process.”

Film: Images of Kenya, Sept. 11-13 2012 @ Goethe Institut

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Screenings will be from 11th to 13th September 2012
Venue: Goethe Institut Auditorium
Time: 5pm daily
Entry: Free

Images of Kenya is the popular annual showcase for documentary films produced in Kenya. It celebrated its 20th Anniversary in 2011. This mini-festival presents films covering a cross section of Kenya’s cultural and tourism potential in order to create awareness through films that address socio-cultural and development issues.
The event is held in conjunction with the Department of Film Services in the Ministry of Information and Communications. It was established in 1982 to formulate, coordinate and administer policy in the development of the film industry in Kenya, and is responsible for the production of films on Government development policies and programmes, and promotion of Kenya’s cultural identity, diversity and nationhood.

As usual, the last day of the screenings is dedicated to the final works of graduates of Kenya Institute of Mass Communication.

In cooperation with Department of Film Services and K.I.M.C.

We are the world – Nairobi International Children’s Art Exhibition, Sept. 12-30 2012 @ National Museum

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Dates: September 12 – 30, 2012
Venue: Cultural Dynamism Gallery, Nairobi National Museum
Entry: Museum Rates Apply

The theme of this exhibition is ‘We are the World‘

This is a biannual event that works with children from all over the world. Entries this year are from Kenya, Germany, England, Egypt, Belarus, Poland, Iraq, India, USA, Cyprus, Finland, Bulgaria, Spain and Austria.

The Nairobi International Children’s exhibition is organized by Juhudi Children’s Club and supported by National Museums of Kenya, The GoDown, Sports Station, A24 Media

Editors pick for @Storymoja: British Ambassador to Kenya Dr. Christian Turner – Session at #HayFestKe, Sept. 14 2012 @ National Museum

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The British Ambassador to Kenya Dr.Christian Turner will have a session on ‘the cultural and social transformative power of the internet and new technologies’

Date: September 14, 2012
Venue: British Council Court Yard
Time: 11 am

Festival Tickets: Kshs 1000/day and Kshs 1500/season

About
HE Dr. Christian Turner is the recently appointed British High Commissioner to the Republic of Kenya. This will be his first time at Storymoja Hay Festival

Dr Turner was previously the Director for the Middle East and North Africa at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, where he had responsibility for all UK policy and operations in that region. Prior to this he served variously in the British Embassy in Washington, as Private Secretary to the Prime Minister and in the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit.

For more information read: http://www.hayfestival.com/p-5327-the-google-platform-ory-okolloh-dr-christian-turner-and-john-kampfner.aspx

NairobiNow celebrates Bonifacemwangi: Recipient of 2012 Prince Claus Award

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Photo by Allan Gichigi: www.allangichigi.com
NairobiNow wishes to congratulate Boniface Mwangi for being a recipient of Prince Claus Award 2012. We take note of his ground breaking achievements and wish him all the best in his endeavors.

Excerpt from Prince Claus Awards Committee

Boniface Mwangi is awarded for his evocative photographs on challenging social issues; for creating a powerful new approach to processes of community and communal self-reflection and dialogue; for highlighting the importance of direct grassroots interaction to achieve post-conflict reconciliation; and for his brave efforts to reduce violence and build peace through culture.

About The Prince Claus Awards
The Prince Claus Awards honors outstanding achievements in the field of culture and development. The awards are presented annually to individuals, groups, organisations or institutions whose cultural actions have a wide and positive impact on the development of their societies.

Download report from the 2012 Prince Claus Award Committee: 2012 PCF JR English1

Exhibition: Come Baby Come – An Exhibition of paintings by Michael Soi, Sept 10-30 2012 @ National Museum’s Creativity Gallery

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Dates: September 10-30, 2012
Venue: Creativity Gallery, National Museum

This exhibition features recent work that has been created in the last few months ranging from pubs, the Olympics, Kenyan politics and other things.

NB: The show has been rated as General Exhibition so you can go with the kids

About MS
Michael Soi is a member of what is termed as the second generation of Kenyan artists that emerged through kuona trust in the late 90’s among a group of other notable artists of his generation. In 1996, he began his career soon after graduating from art school as a sculptor and subsequently refined his own visual and artistic vocabulary over the years. He begun work that was more of social commentary revolving around everyday life of the ordinary Kenyan and this work has been well received by Kenyans living here in Kenya and in the diaspora who the artist basically addresses in his work.

His work has been collected by the Casoria Museum of Contemporary Art in Napoli, Italy, the Standard Chartered Bank (UK) and individuals like Luis Moreno Ocampo, Michela Wrong, Atsango Chesoni, Robert Deveraux among others.
Michael is based in Nairobi at the GoDown arts centre. This exhibition addresses issues observed on the last five months from football, bars, the Olympics among other things.

Events to look out for @Storymoja #HayFestKe: Freedom of Expression, Sept. 14-16 2012 @ National Museum

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The Google Platform
Date: September 14, 2012
Venue: Louis Leakey Auditorium
Time: 11am

Ory Okolloh, Google’s head of policy and Government Relations, Africa, and John Kampfner, British Journalist and Freedom of Expression advocate discuss the cultural and social transformative power of the internet and new technologies.

They will be joined by Dr Christian Turner, former Director of the Middle East and North Africa in the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Dr Turner is now British High Commissioner to Kenya.

Apocalypse Cow
Date: September 15, 2012
Venue: Storymoja Amphitheatre
Time: 5-6pm

Scottish novelist and journalist, Michael Logan, talks about his first book Apocalypse Cow, which won the Terry Pratchet award ‘Anywhere But Here, Anywhere But Now Prize’.

Peeling Back the Mask
Date: September 16, 2012
Venue: Louis Leakey Auditorium
Time: 3-4pm

Lawyer and political analyst, Miguna Miguna, discusses the controversial, bestselling memoir that has taken Kenya by storm.

Also, don’t forget that the best second hand book sale continues at the Nairobi national Museum during the StoryMoja Hay Festival
Thursday 13 –  Sunday 16 September 2012, 10am – 4pm on all days.

Editors picks for @Storymoja #HayFestKe: Wangari Maathai Memorial Lecture & Hay 25, Sept. 15-16 2012 @ National Museum

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Wangari Maathai Memorial Lecture
Date: September 15, 2012
Venue: Louis Leakey Auditorium
Time: 3-4pm

The inaugural lecture honoring Kenya’s great Nobel Peace Laureate and Founder of the Green Belt Movement, will be given by Chinese writer and historian Jung Chang.

Jung Chang is the author of Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China (which the Asian Wall Street Journal called the most read book about China), and Mao: The unknown Story (with Jon Halliday).
Chang won the UK Writers’ Guild Best Non-Fiction in 1992 and Book of the year UK in 1993.
Her books have been translated into more than 40 languages and sold more than 15 million copies.

Hay 25
[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/42210898 w=500&h=281]

The way we live now from Hay Festival on Vimeo.

Date: September 16, 2012
Venue: BC Courtyard
Time: 3-4pm

Panel: Jung Chang, Giles Foden, Sitawa Namwale, Chief Nyamweya, John Sibi-Okumu and John Kampfner

To celebrate Hay Festival’s 25th anniversary we asked many of the writers we have worked with over the 25 years to pose 25 questions to Hay Festival audiences.

Kampfner chairs this session addressing three of these questions. Interactive, inquisitive and ground-breaking – have your say and post your replies at www.hayfestival.org/hay25

World Premier: Paths-Walk all Over Me, Sept. 8-9 2012 @ The Godown Arts Center

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Date: September 9, 2012
Venue: the GoDown Arts Centre
Time: 6pm
Tickets: Kshs 200

About
In a unique collaboration between the two creatives together with
Kenyan and Danish dancers they explore the theme PATHS, indicating that we as humans move, and therefore cut through each other’s inner and outer landscapes.

This production includes Muasya’s subjective visuals and theater based choreography under the artistic direction of Ondiege Matthew.

Music for the production is by Michel Ongaro, a leading Kenyan musician/singer and multi-instrumentalist.

This production has been made possible through the support of The Danish Cultural Fund.