THE KENYAN SPIRIT, HOW FOREIGNERS FIND SPACE IN THE KENYAN ART SCENE

The Kenyan art scene shows a certain element of universality not only in the kind of audience that attends the events but also in the kind of performers on stage. From visual arts to performance, Kenyan have always shown their ‘Karibu Kenya’ spirit.

Nigerian Vivian ofre on stage during grand slam poetry championship where she lost to Kenyan Timelines, photo courtesy of creative spills 

There was a scare in 2025/26 Grand Slam competition when a Kenyan and a Nigerian poet tied in the finals. Now, this brought in serious uncertainty among the organizers of Slam Poetry Competition in Kenya. If the Nigerian had to win the competition, she would have to represent Kenya in the 2026 World Poetry Slam Championships! Luckily for the organizers, the embarrassment was mitigated after a runoff between the Kenyan poet Timelines (Dennis Mwangi) and the Nigerian, Vivian Ofre saw Timelines crowned as the 67th slam king hence a representative of Kenya on the global stage. 

Ofre is not the only non-Kenyan to come close to representing Kenya on the global stage. Several non-kenyan creatives have given Kenyans a run for their money. In 2016, Kenya hosted hiphop streetdance semi-finals in Nairobi. Surprisingly, a new entrant- fresh immigrant from China- Bboy Lin clinched the top position in Breakdance and was given a chance to represent Kenya in the streetdance finals in Uganda. 

Kenyans have always been a hospitable people. This is observed in how they welcome guests with warmth while giving the guests that ‘feel at home’ vibe. This explains why colonialism did not receive hostile reception like it did in some parts of south and West Africa. The homeliness of Kenyans has always made Kenya a tourist destination and a place where some expats choose to stay long after their contracts have ended. For this reason, Kenya has metamorphosed into a small United States of America.

This welcoming spirit of Kenyans, is well felt in the Kenyan art scene. From Slam poetry to the visual arts, Kenya has shown a remarkable generosity to not only giving guest artists a platform but also affording them to compete alongside Kenyan creatives. Since 2016, in poetry, artists from Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Malawi, South Africa, South Sudan, Ghana, Cameroun and even Nigeria have competed alongside Kenyan poets in the Kenyan chapter of Slam Africa poetry. Their Voice on the Kenyan space exposed the universality of African problems while at the same time adding grandeur to the growing poetry scene.

Besides poetry, Circle Art Agency, One-Off Contemporary Art Gallery, Redhill Art Gallery and Banana Hill Art Gallery have on board a number of non-Kenyan artists in their spaces. Currently, the Circle Art Gallery in Nairobi is exhibiting works by Sudanese Artists Issam Hafiez, Amani Azari, Mohammed Morda, Adlan Yousif, Sanaad Shreef, Alsadig Mahmoud, Mahmoud Farah, Waleed Mohammed and Mohammed Essam. Besides the listed, Agnes Waruguru and Ethiopia’s Tiemar Tegene have their works on display at the Chicago Expo in the USA. Banana Hill, on the other hand the largest collection of works drawn from various East African Artists. These galleries are just extending the kindred spirit among Kenyan citizens. 

The history of Kenya’s open art scene goes back to the time of the likes of Poet Okot’ P Bitek who spent a lot of his time in Kenya. Kenya Veteran Artist Elimo Njau of the Paa ya Paa Art Gallery speaks fondly of the veteran Ugandan Poet Okot P’ Bitek with whom they had close camaraderie. Also Uganda Poet Austin Bukenya has penned a wonderful piece, ‘I met A thief’ about the mysterious Kenyan coast. Besides the two Ugandans, Malawian poet and diplomat David Rubadiri had deep roots not only in the Kenyan academia but also the poetry scene.