Epilogue: The Power of Arts for Future Making in East Africa: From Kakuma Refugee Camp and Beyond

Abstract

Through the example of migrants staying at the Kakuma Refugee Camp in north-western Kenya, I show what art consumption and production means for people living in marginalised and restricted places in East Africa. With its 30 years of existence Kakuma refugee camp has developed into a major city-camp and its residents are very active consumers and producers of art. In this context, as shown in this special issue, art has an important function of identity creation, connection to wider East African communities, to home and future places to stay as well as for the imagination, planning and making of alternative futures. This epilogue concludes the NJAS special issue "Art and Imagined Futures in Eastern Africa", edited by Alex Perullo, Claudia Böhme, and Christina Woolner, and has not been peer-reviewed.

Keywords

• art production
• Kakuma Refugee Camp
• Kenya
• future
• imagination