Pat Sabag, Art for Positive Change Center, Nakivale Refugee Settlement, Uganda
Healing Hearts, Empowering Youth & Encouraging Peace through the Arts and Music
Half-time break! It’s Day 30 of this 61-day art and storytelling series featuring RainMakers & ChangeMakers making big impacts in their communities with minimal resources. It has become clear over these last thirty days that the people who are behind the amazing work I’ve been showcasing could use a boost. If you have enjoyed this series and want to help support these groups, I have set up a “Buy Me A Coffee” site (button below). All proceeds received over the next thirty days will be received and managed by me. And, then I will match the contributions, dollar for dollar. I will split whatever is in the pool equally amongst the groups featured here at the end of the series!
Now, back to Day 30!
Meet Issa M Patrick, aka Pat Sabag (his artist stage name). Pat is a Congolese refugee who fled the decades-long war in his home country of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2017 when he was 19. He found safety and community at the Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda. Now, at age 26, he is a creative leader and ChangeMaker in the Settlement using arts, music and crafts to help young people develop the skills, talent, and confidence to build a brighter future for themselves.
He is the founder and director of Art for Positive Change Center, a non-profit organization established in August 2019 and recognized as an official Community-Based Organization by the Republic of Uganda.
APCC works with professional and amateur artists from all over the Nakivale Refugee Settlement and Uganda to provide education through different types of art.
APCC’s premise is that one powerful response to the world’s challenges and restoration of peace is the promotion of arts. It is founded on the belief that arts can empower people living under hopeless circumstances through engagement with self-expression and the creative arts.
“We believe that there is immense value in arts in confronting and dealing with different conflicts, pain, grief, loss and trauma,” says Pat.
APCC serves 75 children ages 6 to 14 years old and 45 youth ages 15 to 22 years old. “We separate them according to their skill level and their desire to learn,” Pat explained. I asked Pat about the art work on the walls in the photos; all of it is his and the work of students.
Pat’s current project at APCC is “Arts Heals Hearts Project” which provides arts and music skills to young refugees, giving them the space to express themselves through peace concerts and open mic sessions. Each session is organized in a different village of the Nakivale Settlement every three months to bring people together.
“These sessions are for cultural and celebratory moments,” Pat says. “Bringing participants far from their daily problems and the effects of war, creating e a place where refugees from different nationalities can meet and start to build a new way forward together.”
Pat also engages in Healing Circle Work as an organizer and facilitator to help refugees address mental health issues as a result of trauma. In June, Pat and others started a 6-session training of trainers in Kultchafi Healing Circle methodology. Kultchafi healing circles are a healing process based on ancient Aboriginal traditions in Australia. According to the Kultchafi website, Kultchafi provides 21st-century healing solutions based on ancient wisdoms that empower individuals, communities and organisations, building capacity and resilience through appreciation of culture and connectedness
A Musician At Heart - With A Mission
Pat is a musician and lyricist. He plays guitar and sings. He also makes music videos that make strong statements encouraging human rights, peace, and an end to conflict. His first song and video made with children of Nakivale addresses the protection of children’s rights.
More recently, Pat recorded a new song entitled “Call For Peace” which was produced to promote peace and world equality. Pat will perform the song on July 21, 2024 at the Refugee Call for Peace Concert in the Nakivale Refugee Settlement.
July 21st Refugee Call For Peace Concert
Through his Arts for Positive Change Center and in cooperation with Alliance Francaise Kampala, Pat is organizing a Refugee Call for Peace Concert on July 21st in the Settlement. The theme of the event is “PEACE STARTS WITH ME” and will include a concert to engage the whole refugee community. The purpose of the event is to provide refugees with a space to express themselves, facilitate cultural exchange and unity among the different nationalities living in the refugee camp, as well as promote peace between refugee settlement residents and the local Ugandan host community.
Advice to Aspiring ChangeMakers
I asked Pat what advice he would give to aspiring ChangeMakers. “Do not be afraid to do something that you think can change your community positively.”
Pat’s ChangeMaker - Paul Harris, Founder of Rotary International
Like most ChangeMakers, Pat is a networker and a collaborator, working with other local, national and international organizations like the Rotary club. In fact, he is a member of the local Rotaract Club, an arm of Rotary International for young adults ages 18 and over. The Rotaract Club in Nakivale Refugee Settlement was founded in June 2017, the first Rotaract to be established in a refugee settlement in the World. Pat has been a member for seven years, making him one of the first members of the club.
Pat named Paul Harris, the Founder of Rotary International, as his ChangeMaker. Rotary International has 1.4 million members worldwide, of which approximately 45,000 live in Africa.
I asked Pat what the Rotary membership has meant to him. “Through Rotary, I was so inpsired and learned how to live with every one and accept them as your family,” Pat says.
Where in the World is Pat?
Peace builders across the world unite! Great work, Pat. You are making a difference. Thanks for creating awareness, Emily. 🌻
yet another amazing human <3