King Charles visited Nairobi Street Kitchen, in Westlands, Nairobi to learn more about the British Council’s work in promoting arts and culture in Kenya.
During the visit, the King had an opportunity to meet with a diverse group of Kenyan creatives and gain insight into the Kenyan cultural and creative sectors through a well-curated and assorted exhibition and meet and greet.
During this engagement, His Majesty spoke to content artists in the music, fashion, podcasting, technology, and film sectors. In these conversations, they shared the value of Kenya-UK cultural exchange and home-grown innovations driving the growth of the creative industries in Kenya.
The King had an opportunity to engage with various Kenyan creatives including Shujaa Stories; Epica Jewellery; Genteel; and Avandu Vosi; Hisi Studio; Enda Shoes; Black Rhino who have been part of different cohorts of the British Council Creative DNA programme designed to support fashion businesses in Kenya develop skills, knowledge and networks in the fashion industry.
The King was accompanied by UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and British High Commissioner to Kenya Neil Wigan.
Sandra Chege, Head of Arts Kenya, British Council, said: “We were delighted to host His Majesty the King at Nairobi Street Kitchen where he met Kenyan creatives, and we had the opportunity to share some highlights from our arts and culture programmes in Kenya. Through our arts and culture programmes, the British Council works collaboratively with Kenyan and British creative talent to develop innovative, high-quality programmes and collaborations that strengthen cultural exchange and understanding. In Kenya, we focus most of our arts sector work on supporting creative industries through skills development, strengthening networks and creating opportunities for entrepreneurs and artists to make new work that they share with new audiences.”
Highlighting the British Council’s work in arts and culture, she added: “We are committed to supporting young people to grow their talents in the creative space. Through our artwork in East Africa, we promote new art, share the skills of creatives and ignite partnerships between the UK and East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Sudan).
The Creative DNA Fashion programme is designed to help emerging fashion designers, entrepreneurs, and industry professionals build successful and sustainable businesses. It provides them with the skills, knowledge, and networks they need to succeed in a competitive and rapidly changing global market.
