2023 started with major festivities for ViaVia Entebbe, celebrating the cooperation with Belgian artist Koen Vanmechelen (La Biomista) to set up two ambitious art-community-science projects in Entebbe, Uganda: the CosmoGolem Project and the Planetary Community Chicken Project.
Koen Vanmechelen and ViaVia Entebbe will build a giant CosmoGolem with and for the children of the community. The CosmoGolem is a wooden giant that strives to be a symbol of hope and evolution. This giant will be a place where children can dream, play and share their thoughts and feelings. Dance, poetry, stories, visual arts, … every form of expression is possible, combining art with children rights for a more just and sustainable world.
During spring the CosmoGolem will be built together with the children, local entrepreneurs and people from the community. Then several workshops will be organised for the children to stimulate them to express their thoughts and emotions.
At the same time chickens of Koen Vanmechelen’s Cosmopolitan Chicken Project will be introduced in the community. By crossing them with local hens, a more sustainable chicken will be created: the Planetary Community Chicken, enhancing the resilience and diversity of the birds. These Planetary Community Chickens will be distrubuted to local househoulds, providing them with eggs, meat and extra income.
On January 4th the official launch of both projects in Entebbe was celebrated in the presence of Koen Van Mechelen, founder of Joker Reizen Bob Elsen, Pieter & Lobke of ViaVia Entebbe and many local guests.
Both projects aim to address global challenges to sustainable food systems through diversity and activate the power of creativity as motor for development.
Read all about both projects here.