On line presence

I’ve been out of action. I had a stroke in December 2018. I’m still recovery and trying to understand what is the meaning of my life. When you experience a near ‘death’ experience you look at everything differently. I am different. The loss of memory has been profound but I realise that humanity is just …

Poet Ife mistook her stroke for a bad headache By Edgar R. Batte

She is a visually stark opposite of her former self. Under a half cover of blankets and bed sheets made visible by the golden sunlight peeping through the window, Ife Piankhi looks on, seemingly numb. After a few minutes, she attempts a dull smile. With a tinge of pain, she attempts to raise her hand …

Ife Piankhi Hospital Fund

On the morning of Friday 28th December 2018,  Ife Piankhi was admitted to hospital in Uganda after a suspected stroke and bleeding on the brain. This is a very serious situation and condition. Hospital services in Uganda are NOT free so Ife and her family will need assistance with meeting those fees to make sure …

Voicing Entebbe with Christine Ayo

Last week I ran a two day workshop with 15 women for the Voicing Entebbe project. Initiated by Ugandan artist Christine Ayo (www.christineayo.com) who fundraised to build a monument in rememberance of the 23 women brutally murdered in Entebbe last year. No suspects have been apprehended and its significant has been reduced to political partisan …

Thoughts on the Panther

I have just finished reading Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin. ‘It was a costume ball- such functions mostly were because people at that time liked costumes. they liked them almost as much as they liked uniforms. Both served the same end: to avoid being who you were. You could pretend to be someone else. You …

A Language and Grammar of Healing – A review by Erica Holum

  Ife Piankhi, Artist in Residence:  Ife Piankhi is currently an artist in residence at 32° East | Ugandan Arts Trust. Working as a performance artist, singer, poet, and creative facilitator for over 30 years, Ife has recently ventured into a creative practice where her craft has taken visual form through a textured, multi-media approach …

The Comfort Zone- an experiment of art in a public space (a chapati stand) with Mo Siira

  As part of KLA Art Labs I was involved with 2 workshops. 1 dealing with deepening our observation skills and a collaboration with performance artist Mo Seira about engaging with performance art in public spaces. Sometimes we resisted being directed, but it seems humans seek to be told what to do. We are comfortable …

To Be or Not 2B

  Earlier this year I was a participant on the East African Soul Train, traveling from Nairobi to Mombasa on the Lunatic Line. We were encouraged to collaborate with fellow artists in the confines of a moving train and create something that was reflective of our personal experiences. The theme of the residency which lasted …

Living in the Era of Trump

  Slowly the ink flows to the nib. A few shakes in the air and it begins to write. I am chronicling the Age of Trump. As it begins, who knows where it will end. But he’s given us a heads up. To make America great again, by any means necessary. What irony Is this …