Elijah Astute & Akon Deograce
Putting the Philosophy of Ubuntu into Practice
This is Day 7 of 61 days of Small Art Big Heart, focusing on RainMakers & ChangeMakers. It will be a short post because it’s a double portrait (and, it took me more than one try to draw these two!). While I will post about these two separately on a future Index Card Art Day, I felt called to do a double portrait of them today. A collaborative potrait for a collaborative duo.
Elijah Astute, of BioGreen, and AKON DEOGRACE of Young Talent Community, were my co-organizers, co-hosts, and co-facilitators for the June 1st Nakivale Young Artist Exposition. They are both Congolese refugees living at the Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda.
I wrote the other day, in a post called “When Worlds Collide” on my other Substack, Spaghetti Twisted Thoughts, about my experience planning for and participating in this online Art Expo, featuring ten young Refugee Artists living in the Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda.
We were, for the first time, live streaming an event out of a very challenging environment. A place where the power can be turned off or go out without notice. A place where internet data bundles needed for a 2-hour livestream are cost prohibitive and access to simple technology like laptops, cameras, and projectors is limited.
Simply put, it was incredible what they were able to pull off. It took effort, determination, sweat, long walks, grit, long days, a trip to Kampala, and more to pull of one two-hour live-streaming event. Against all odds, these two young organizers rallied their friends, artists, and audio/visual techies to help pull it off. They exhibited a high level of cooperation and resourcefulness as well as grace under pressure that was remarkable.
What they achieved and how they worked together was the perfect example of “Ubuntu.” While I’m new to the word, the African philosophy and mindset of “Ubuntu” is not hard to grasp, especially when you see it in action. Often translated simply as “I Am Because We Are,” the meaning behind it is quite deep.
Nelson Mandela gave this definition: “Ubuntu is the essence of being human. It is about compassion, understanding, reconciliation, forgiveness, and respect. It is about realizing that we are all interconnected and that we share a common humanity.”
A more in-depth definition can be found here on Ubuntu International’s website, an organization that is launching as a follow up to the release of the film by the same name. Check out the trailer for inspiration [click on YouTube video inserted below] and bookmark the Ubuntu Substack Page which will be launching soon! Also, visit Antoinette Rootsdawtah’s Substack - Rootsdawtah - she is the driving force, along with her husband Pato Banton, behind the movie and the organization!
Ubuntu - as a philosphy, a state of mind, and a way of being - does not come naturally (no surprise) to most people living in the competitive culture of the United States. And, I think we are worse off for it.
It seems like it came natural to these two - Elijah and Akon - and their group of collaborators. And, I want more of that in my own life.
More About These Two Collaborators
Elijah Astute, Age 24
Elijah Astute, Founder of Bio-Green and Nakivale Arts Collective. Astute is a 24-year-old Congolese refugee living in Uganda's Nakivale Refugee Settlement since 2016, Elijah is a multi-talented changemaker, leader, entrepreneur, and activist (not to mention a soap maker, yoga teacher, artist, and poet). "Born in Bukavu, Congo, I had dreams of becoming a software engineer or astronomer. However, the war forced me to flee, leaving my education behind. Overcoming adversity after arriving in Nakivale, I faced numerous challenges, including being refused by the Refugee Eligibility Committee and spending two years on the streets. Despite these obstacles, I discovered permaculture and earned certifications in Permaculture Design (PDC) and Mushroom cultivation." Elijah has raised funds to build an education and community center in Nakivale where he holds training in crafts, soap-making, and other skills to empower community members, especially women and youth.
To see and hear Elijah in his own words, check out this post below:
Akon Deograce, Age 22
Akon Deograce, Founder of Nakivale Young Talent Community. Deograce is the 22-year old founder and CEO of Nakivale young talents community. He left his origin country of the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2012 when he was 10, fleeing the chaos of war. His family, once a sanctuary of love and laughter for 14 souls, was tragically fragmented by the conflict, leaving only 7 survivors. Akon, alongside his remaining kin, embarked on a treacherous odyssey, finally finding refuge at the Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda. Always drawn to the arts, dance, modeling, drawing, and painting, Akon founded Nakivale Young Talent Community in 2021, an initiative where he could channel his passion for change into action. "It was a commitment to lift others as I climbed, to turn the tide of despair into waves of opportunity for the children, youth, women and teenage mothers of my community." At NYTC, Akon and his fellow activist/changemakers teach and practice drawing, painting, sewing, soapmaking and other skills.
To see and hear Akon in his own words, check out this post below:
What’s To Come
As of today, Akon and the artists he works with have raised enough money through June 1st Art Exhibit ticket sales, tips, art sales on Redbubble, and other donations to purchase 4 boxes of acrylic paints, canvasses, palette knives, and brushes (as well as the funds to travel to Kampala, the nearest big city to purchase supplies). Before now, they were out of paint and had no canvasses to create. It will be a joy to see them painting again!
Meanwhile Elijah is moving forward on his plans to build out a mushroom lab in his permaculture educational facility as well as teach young single mothers kitchen gardening, composting, soap making and crafts.
The future is certainly bright with these two. I count myself incredibly lucky to witness their adventures and support them.
Asante Sana!
(Thank You Very Much in Swahili)
We look forward to learning more about them and sharing their stories to the world.