From Berlin to Nairobi

Giraffes at the Nairobi National Park

The first week in December I set off to Kenya with my German colleague Ute to attend a conference on the creative economy in Africa. The conference brought together creatives from over 30 African countries to discuss the state of the cultural and creative industries. I learned a great deal (if you’re curious to learn more about the creative economy check out this report, for more on the organization that convened the conference, click here). 

The cultural economy conference

 The conference was intense, but luckily Ute and I had a little time to explore. Nairobi was a bustling city with new constructions going up everywhere we turned. This rapid development is happening alongside extreme poverty, which we only caught glimpses of from position as conference attendees staying in a nice hotel in the wealthy part of time. 

Me and my colleague Ute in Nairobi

The highlight of our visit was a tour of the Nairobi National Park, which takes up 117 sq. km. just outside of the city center. Ute and I took a Land Cruiser tour along the park’s rugged roads and got to see all sorts of large animals—several types of antelope, giraffes, white and black rhinos, buffalo, gnus, and boars. Sadly, no lions.

Artist workshops at the GoDown Center in Nairobi

We also got to visit a really cool arts space in Nairobi, The GoDown Center. GoDown converted an old industrial space into offices and studios for nonprofit arts organizations, artists, dance and music companies, etc. It was impressive to see how this cluster of creative enterprises was beginning to reshape and revitalize Nairobi's industrial neighborhood.