Do you like expressing yourself about your surroundings? Are there always words to say what you feel? Imagine that for other children but also adults! Tell them the unity in diversity! One artist or art group can say for all, this is what adults called art universality, try to express it without naming it and it will express something else! With this, your unique feelings are shared in such a dimension that they can change the world to feel the beauty of diversity, and keep it.And you will travel in a great landscape as a gift.
The Nile is a shared river among 11 countries, and it is also a river that is located in your country. It has a magnificent biological diversity, and the populations have celebrated and are continuing to celebrate it, through gatherings, artistic production, e.g. literature such as oral or written tales and narratives, music and dances, etc...
The Nile Day celebration is the occasion for us, GWP Eastern Africa along with Nile Basin Initiative, to invite you to enjoy the Nile Day in Jinja, in presence of Ministers of waters, media, the Nile Basin Initiative as winners of a Nile art competition among children of Uganda and other countries. (If funding source can be found, then among children of 50 schools located in the basin countries) You are children in primary and secondary schools, and the winner can be a pupil or a team of pupils (2-4 children). You will tell us through art work what the river told you once you lived with, around and along it during a one day field trip, with your teacher. The rules for the competition, and the gift are explained here.
What is the Nile Day?
This year, the Nile Day celebrations will have a theme: ‘Water, Energy, Food: Importance of Nile Cooperation.’ The Nile Day event was created on the … to celebrate together with the groups of the basins, gathered in the Nile Basin Discourse, a special Day, for a special river, which unites 11 countries, with a rich diversity. The Nile Day is an international and regional event. At the same time, in each 11 country, other events happen. As part of a Ugandan school, you will represent your national day to the international event. (If other funding can be found, the competition will give the chance to international players.)
So, you see, your art installation will come along other activities to show the diversity of the ways to enjoy the river all together, such as tree planting, visit to Bujagali hydropower project, netball as well as a conference on the theme.
What are our questions for you?
The Nile basin will one day have a commission for the river. In the meantime, it has been and is being managed by the Nile Basin Initiative, which will transform into a permanent institution in the future. Protected areas for the protection of the Nile have been invented or maintained. In that view, states have brought their own way, and they have reflected altogether in the Nile Basin Initiative about common ways.
The Nile Transboundary Environmental Action Programme has been the most important environmental programme on the whole Nile to date. It has been carried out by the Nile Basin Initiative. Other activities will happen in the future to better protect the river, to know where and why it has to be protected, and glasses called ‘sustainability framework’, will guide their look. Two important questions for you to help to create the glasses are:
- What is the Nile river environment, is the environment of local rivers, streams, springs, wetlands, marshes, swamps, glaciers and/or lakes or ponds?
- Are you, your family and your friends be part of the river environment or do you see you, your family and your friends outside the river environment?
- How do you see the linkages between water, food, and energy?
Global Water Partnership and its friends of the Nile basin and Nile Basin Initiative would like to see you answering these two main questions through paintings, drawings, or other visual art using all environmental material from the river and around it. The production will be displayed during the Nile day celebrations, in Entebbe, Uganda, on the 20th of February, and the winners will be gifted by GWP Eastern Africa to go for a trip to visit national parks of Uganda.
Your teacher will guide you to explore the river and its environment, and will accompany you for the competition exhibition, upon funding by GWP. GWP will fund the trip to Entebbe for your class.
Mini guide questions
How do we know our river? Do we know how it was before?
Describe with your material (paintings, drawings) what you see from the river, when you walk along it and also around it? Who and what living species go to the river? Are there animals, plants, in which territories are there?
How does the river feed you, your family and your friends?
How does the river give you joy, happiness, and feelings?
How does the river link you up with your friends? Do they have the same views on it like you? What are the differences and how do you explain them?
What would you like to do with your friends so that the river can be for you, for him and for everybody who needs it?
Do you notice some areas which you would like to protect, how?
What are the issues that are important in these areas, and who are the important people in these areas? Do they meet altogether?
How the winner will be selected?
A committee will appreciate the art work based on:
- the answer to the two abovementioned questions to judge the expression of biological diversity, and linkages between the watercourse (stream, or ponds, or wetlands, or lake, or local river or Nile, or glaciers), land, forest, animals, and plants to the extend that theme ‘water, food and energy’ will be covered ;
- the material that will be used. No simple drawing or painting or other art pattern will be accepted, that has no material from the watercourse and its environment, e.g. sand, items the watercourse carries with it, animal items, soil items, food items, energy items.
The winner can be a 6-12-year-old individual or team of 2 to 4 pupils of a primary school, or a 12-16 year-old individual or team of 2 to 4 students of a secondary school.
How the winner will be contacted?
His or her teacher will be contacted by email.
How the winner will receive his gift?
The winner will be introduced during the Nile Day in Entebbe or Jinja, and will take part in the activities of the celebrations.
Afterwards, trip to a national park with GWP funding will be organized for the winner.
Conclusion
The results of the competition, i.e. winners artwork, will be displayed during the first local youth assembly project of the Nile Basin, to complement a radio programmme with a visual art-based discussion among the assembly. Please ask for our concept note.