MKE Creatives: August 2017: Uganda to Milwaukee, via dance

(click the pics to see them bigger)

I probably say that each MKE Creatives meetup is “very special”, but sincerely, I believe that. The women and men who come talk to us, the connections made between the attendees each month…this stuff IS special. The August meetup had a special “first” for us, though – our first international presenter! Those in attendance got to have their perspectives shifted by 15-year old Talemwa Joel, a dance-artist from Uganda, who spent two months here in Milwaukee.

Talemwa is a part of the Gujja Ting African Arts organization, a Milwaukee-based non-profit started by two friends of mine. One of those friends, Laura Kolar, now is the States-side admin of that organization, while Joel, another dancer named Robert, and others, run the org in Uganda. Gujja Ting works to give kids in Uganda an after-school place to be, where they can learn various art practices. Significantly, Gujja Ting also raises funds to help its kids pay school fees, so they can stay in school. In Uganda, whether going to public or private school, there are fees to be paid, and many of the kids in the ghetto cannot afford those fees. So, Gujja Ting (“Good Thing”) is there to help.

Joel and Robert were here to visit America for the first time, and to spread the word about Ugandan dance. They each led numerous workshops while here and introduced many people to Ugandan traditional dance, breakdancing, and afrohouse dance! I was lucky enough to get to spend some time with these talented young men – attending a “welcome picnic”, seeing a dance performance of theirs at Danceworks, having Joel to MKE Creatives, and bringing Joel to Mayville’s TAG Center for a dance workshop – Vid 1, Vid 2, Vid 3 (and also out to the Horicon Ledge (pic below)!

Here is is some of what Joel had to share with us about life and dance and growing up in Uganda…

+when growing up in the ghetto of Kampala, Uganda, “…the teachers all want you to aim for being one of four things – a doctor, lawyer, engineer, or pilot…”. Joel wanted to be a soccer player, but that was a school-associated team, and Joel couldn’t attend at the time. He did hear about a dance organization though, and went to check that out. He tried dancing, and by his own admission, failed horribly, embarrassing himself. Joel didn’t give up though, and went back a month later to try again, and has been dancing ever since. He started breakdancing, and not long after that was competing in “battles” with other dancers.

+”If you grow up in the ghetto, you lose hope…it doesn’t seem like anything will change. Dance has given hope to kids and helps them learn to see things differently.” Joel realized that dance was a way to change how people see the world and their assumptions about it.

+”…the ghetto here (in the US), the ghetto in Uganda – they are both the same; we are all dying.”

+”…with art, you can get big opportunities…when you get ito art, opportunities can be very near to you.” (though this was Joel’s first trip to the US, he has twice been to Europe for dance conferences)

+”…if you don’t do something you like, you don’t smile.”

+”…Luganda is the language of Uganda, but in schools they make us speak English, and that is sad because…that is not our language.”

+Joel spoke about being young, and in the Kampala ghetto, and how it was easy to grow very jaded, and resentful of those who had more. He then talked about how he’s been working hard to cultivate more empathy for others, as those feelings of resentment “don’t help anyone…”.

Everyone at the meeting learned a lot and were completely attentive to what Joel had to share. In attendance were the founder of ZIP MKE, a storyteller, a UI designer/graphic designer/runner, a 1st grade teacher, a small-biz IT specialist, an artist/author/creative biz consultant, an artist, an adventure photog/writer, and me!