AFRIKA, DESIGN! ep.2: Eugene Kavuma
Eugene Kavuma is the founder and director of Kampala Design Week.
We caught up during the second festival at his home in Uganda.
We discuss the trials and tribulations of starting a design festival, his design travels, collaborations with the British council and NEON Studio and how they turned 100 wooden stalls into the centerpiece of last year’s Kampala Design Week.
He also talks about why he bet $700 on his own exhibition, meeting & curating Uganda’s creatives and highlights from KDW2019.
You can find Eugene at @kavumae & @kampaladesignweek on instagram.
Recorded Q4 2019.
🎶Intro & Outro: GOLD by the talented Bakhita
"It's valuable to have theoretical education alongside, practical education... ...the fellows out of that will create things that will contribute to the design weeks that come up."
Topics covered include:
Starting and running a design festival, building a team, learning his leadership style.
His passion for design education, fellowships and working with university students.
Thoughts on building a creative ecosystem, makerspaces and his vision for the future of design in Uganda .
Why he made a $700 bet with a friend about his own exhibition!
Eugene Kavuma is the Team Lead and Founder of Kampala Design Week, an annual festival that highlights and defines the value and role of good design within the Ugandan context; champions for the upskilling, and better pay for Ugandan designers. To do this, KDW runs the only annual design festival in Uganda, Kampala Design Week; a monthly knowledge-sharing platform for designers, The Design Garage as well as a fellowship to upskill designers in our community, The Kola Design Fellowship.
At Kampala Design Week, Eugene leads the core team and is responsible for fundraising, partnerships, programs, and community development. His speaker duties have had him share his knowledge at the 2nd African Crossroads in Mombasa; at Uganda Martyrs University among other places.
Eugene is also a self-taught sound designer and content creator who has created communication material for brands like Andela, Mercy Corp, Moneygram and Great Lakes Coffee. He is a trained social worker that has run youth worker training, and conflict resolution programs among South Sudanese Refugees in Uganda with Youthworx East Africa, a UK Charity.
Eugene is a lover of good sound and in his free time you will find him recording podcasts or listening to one. Witty dry dad jokes are his favorite.
THANK YOU FOR TUNING IN TO 'AFRIKA, DESIGN!'
BROUGHT TO YOU BY NAIROBI DESIGN WEEK
Recent Posts
Mbira Google doodle drops just in time for Africa Day.
Mbira Google doodle celebrates the Zimbabwean instrument just before Africa Day Check out the mini-documentary and mbira music from the project. 11am (EAT), 25th May
UGANDA’S DESIGN FUTURE, British Council Connections & bets! | Eugene Kavuma 🎧 AFRIKA, DESIGN! ep.2
AFRIKA, DESIGN! ep.2: Eugene Kavuma WATCH LISTEN Eugene Kavuma is the founder and director of Kampala Design Week. We caught up during the second festival