Yole!Africa

History
Yole!Africa was founded in Kampala in August 2000 as a centre for art and cultural exchange.
It welcomes young people from all nationalities and backgrounds to participate in its artistic
and cultural activities. The initiative for creating Yole!Africa came from three young people living Kampala - Petna Ndaliko and Samy Kambale Tawite, artists from Congo, and Ellen Lammers,
researcher from the Netherlands. The research conducted by Ellen Lammers focuses on the lives of young refugees from the Great Lakes Region and the Horn of Africa currently living in the city of Kampala. It has shown that, in addition to the severe difficulties that young refugees face in assuring daily survival, they also desperately lack the space to express themselves and to develop their skills and artistic talents. Based on the shared recognition of the value that artistic expression can have for
young people living in harsh circumstances, and building on the experience
Petna Ndaliko brought with him from Congo, it was decided to create Yole!Africa.

Meaning
Yole! is a cry used by cattle keepers in Central Africa to keep their herds together.
Yole!Africa is meant to appeal to people in Africa to come together and build a united world.

Objective
The objective of Yole!Africa is threefold.
Firstly, through its activities, Yole!Africa aims to bring together and unite young people for the purpose of promoting African artistic culture, as well as to encourage cultural exchange between people from different nationalities and backgrounds.
Secondly, Yole!Africa aims to provide a space for young refugees in Kampala where they are welcome to share their experiences and have the opportunity to develop their skills and talents.
Thirdly, Yole!Africa aims to play an important role in advocacy and awareness building concerning the plight of refugees and related human rights issues.

Activities
· plastic arts
· drama, dance & music
· audio-visual art
· workshops & seminars
· library


Target group
Young people interested in art.

Partner
Refugee Law Project (RLP), Faculty of                                                                                            Law, Makerere University.                          Languages
                                                                English, French, Swahili
Membership
Membership is open to all people interested in Yole!Africa's objective and activities. Members enjoy free information about all activities, discount on entrance fees for performances and workshops, and are welcome to attend general meetings.

Funding
Funding for Yole!Africa comes from various                                                                                     sources: external sponsors and partners,                                                                                           membership fees, entrance fees for                                                                                                  performances and workshops, percentage of                                                                                     sales from art work.