When Vanesa Simon was facing the bleak prospect of losing both her breasts due to a diagnosis of cancer, she found herself wondering why the mastectomy had to happen in equally bleak surroundings.
All her life, she had loved colour, life, natural light but when she most needed it to feel good as she battled for her life, she was shut off from it.
Simon realised that, in between waiting for results in the hospital, she was happiest when she was filling her time with her creative endeavours.
She soon noticed that other patients in the hospital seemed to be drawn to her because of the art she was creating. In fact, the sicker the patients were, the greater the urge to defy ill health with creating something seemed to be.
This is when, she says, she realised that art is as necessary to good health as medicine. A message she has now dedicated her life to spreading all over the world. A message she brought to the Global South Arts and Health Week (GSAHW) Uganda Pavilion team together with Muumba Collective, Keepers XR and African Health Grid Foundation.
The event had been hosted by students and professionals during the physical closing ceremony of the Global South Arts & Health Week (GSAHW) Uganda Pavilion 2024 at Kiggundu Art Studio in Ndejje Wakiso.
The theme of the event was, “Empowering Connections through Art & Mindfulness and gamified learning”
The GSAHW Uganda Pavilion 2024 is part of the Global South Arts and Health Week an international arts and health movement, a creative health festival and initiative of the Global Arts In Medicine Fellowship. GSAHW was founded in 2023 collaboration with WHO-Jameel Arts and Health Lab with 20 countries in the global south.
The event itself was held Saturday, June 29, 2024. GSAHW Uganda Pavilion had hosted the week between 20th and 30th June 2024.
The closing event atracted over 50 guests from various backgrounds including professionals, students, content creators, doctors, teachers among others. 15 of these 50 guests were Art students who came from the Studio’s neighboring Secondary School called Bank Hill College School Ndejje which was an exciting moment for students to learn what art can be beyond the classroom.
Dr. Pius Atwau, a speaker at the opening ceremony, reiterated the urgency of Arts in creating awareness about different health challenges faced in society on a daily. He added that Art isn’t a stand-alone and should co-exist with health because that is part of culture and wellbeing.
Kunle Adewale the lead Curator for the GSAHW during his presentation also shared that, “A litle drop of the arts in a health care seeing can create an ocean of healing for patients, family members and hospital staff.”
Creator of Healing through the Arts, Owner Mariposa Arts and 2024 Global South Arts and Health Vanesa Simon, emphasized the role art and creativity has in shaping our minds, “I believe the arts and creativity helps us to express our humanity and helps to process our experiences and emotions in ways talking is lacking. When we invite creativity into our lives, We invite play and access subconscious parts of ourselves that help us to heal and thrive.”
The pavillion explored the importance of integrating Art therapy education in Ugandan Academic Institutions and universities with guest speakers: Dr. Lynda Nakalawa Kilabakoa Clinical Psychologist and Lecturer School of Psychology, Makerere University; Bruno Sserunkuma a Ceramist and Senior Lecturer at School of Fine Art Makerere University and Trish Bedford a licensed UK & Qatar Art Therapist who delved into the importance of diverse therapeutic interventions beyond traditional talk therapy.
Dr. Nakalawa said for an academic setting in Uganda to bring on board any course or program, it is important to take the people who are to teach that course through immense training to let them experience the benefits of the program. This becomes easy for them to disseminate it to the learners since the informaon will be coming from an informed perspective.
All these interactions, conversations and events highlighted the significance of Arts in improving people’s wellbeing and health and proved Ugandans are actually building grounds and connections for immense integration of Arts and health.
When people engage in creative activities, immersive experiences & gamified learning, it increases their retention levels as it makes learning engaging and enjoyable.