Entertainment

28 August 2024

• The Catalyst Grants will support a range of diverse projects and themes, including a joint theatre production between Kenyan and UK theatre companies.

The British Council has selected 19 innovative projects to receive Catalyst Grants.

These grants mark a significant step toward the upcoming 2025 UK/Kenya Season. They aim to catalyse new connections, exchanges, and collaborations between artists, creative practitioners, and cultural organisations in the UK and Kenya.

Joyce Nzovu, Arts Project Manager - Kenya, commented, “The Catalyst Grants are an essential step in fostering cultural exchange and creative collaboration between the UK and Kenya. Supporting these exchanges enables artists from diverse cultures to connect, innovate, and share ideas. The wide range of art forms creates meaningful opportunities for artists to engage, learn from one another’s experiences, explore new ways of working together, and spark fresh ideas that can inspire future innovation in the arts.”

The Catalyst Grants will support a range of diverse projects and themes, including a joint theatre production between Kenyan and UK theatre companies.

Noteworthy projects include "Making Space," a collaboration between Transform Festival in the UK, and The Godown Arts in Kenya, which will explore young people's relationships with public spaces in Leeds and Nairobi.

Another project, the Nairobi to Manchester Standup Comedy Exchange, led by Kenya’s Douglas Mutai of Standup Collective and Creatures Comedy (UK), aims to bridge comedy scenes and promote cultural exchange between Nairobi and Manchester through live showcases, workshops, and discussions.

"The Power of The Sound System," led by Outlook Festival (UK) and Umojah Sound System (Kenya), will address challenges in the Kenyan music industry, partner with the Deaf Centre, and investigate new music production technologies.

Kenya’s Afrigamer and 492Korna Klub from the UK will explore the potential of gaming to promote social activism and address climate change issues. The project will raise awareness among young gamers and developers in Kenya through participatory theatre, storytelling, and role-playing exercises.

This grant also promotes cultural exchange and dialogue among gamers, artists, developers, and climate change activists. The partners will collaborate, experiment, and innovate beyond traditional game design. They aim to find the right game developers and artists with the support of Afrigamers and their network.

Tom Porter, British Council's Country Director and East African Cluster Lead, commented, “The Catalyst Grants showcase a diverse range of art forms — photography, theatre, visual arts, music, comedy among others — highlighting the rich creativity of Kenya and the UK. We are excited to see the impactful outcomes of these collaborations.” 2

The 2025 UK/Kenya Season, presented by the British Council in partnership with UK and Kenyan organisations, will celebrate creativity, innovation, and the strong cultural ties between the two countries. It will catalyse new partnerships and showcase Kenyan work in the UK, and vice versa through increased investment.

Click link to view the full list of the Kenya and UK grantees and their projects.