NAIROBI, Kenya, June 1 – Italian visual artist Franz Cerami has unveiled a new art project in Nairobi that highlights the people behind Kenya’s coffee industry, using portraits to tell the stories of farmers, processors, scientists and other workers involved in the value chain.
The project, dubbed Jute Portraits, was launched as part of Italy’s National Day celebrations in Kenya and is supported by the Italian Embassy, the Italian Cultural Institute and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
Cerami travelled across Kenya earlier this year, photographing about 300 people involved in coffee production. He later transformed the images into artworks combining photography, watercolour, graphite and digital painting.
“Behind every cup of coffee are many hands and many stories,” Cerami said. “There are people who work the land, people who harvest the coffee, people who shape the flavour, people who process it and people who carry it through the value chain.”
The exhibition seeks to shift attention from coffee as a finished product to the individuals whose labour supports one of Kenya’s key agricultural exports.
The title Jute Portraits is inspired by the jute bags commonly used to transport coffee, symbolising the journey of the crop from farms to global markets.
Italian Ambassador to Kenya Vincenzo Del Monaco said the project highlights the human stories behind economic and cultural ties between Kenya and Italy.
“Coffee is not just a beverage. It is an economic story, a cultural story and a human story,” Del Monaco said. “Behind every cup of coffee there is a supply chain, and behind every supply chain there are human beings.”
He noted that Kenya and Italy share a strong connection through coffee, with Kenya producing some of the world’s most sought-after coffee while Italy is renowned for its coffee culture and processing expertise.
The ambassador also emphasized the role of cultural diplomacy in strengthening relations between the two countries.
“If we want the Italy–Kenya relationship to be resilient, we must go beyond government-to-government relations. We must reach communities, students, artists, farmers, entrepreneurs and families,” he said.
Organisers say the exhibition will be showcased at various cultural and institutional venues, including the National Museums of Kenya and other international platforms, giving wider visibility to the people who form the backbone of Kenya’s coffee sector.
The project comes at a time when Kenya is seeking to increase value addition in agriculture and strengthen its creative industries, while promoting the country’s cultural heritage on the global stage.
