History and Achievements

Young artists yearn for a creative space within which to perfect their art and a platform upon which they can express and showcase their skill. In Kenya such spaces and platforms weren't always easily accessible and particularly to the youth in low income neighborhoods; at least not until Sarakasi started its activities in 2001. In a country where unemployment levels were soaring and access to basic education and its accompanying advantages was becoming harder for the young and the poor, alternative methods of income generation were required. Sarakasi recognized this and followed through with the thought that one alternative was to be found in the performing arts.

The talent was already there and the only thing missing was the structure within which it could be nurtured; systems through which raw talent could be transformed into globally acceptable and eventually acclaimed and marketable cultural products. Sarakasi provided this opportunity through its creative space and training first at the Godown Arts Centre and since 2008 at the Sarakasi Dome. Jugglers, dancers, drummers, acrobats and others obtained a custom made practice space that they could access easily and at no cost. But their needs went beyond space; how could they support themselves in the long run?

The question of space answered, Sarakasi gave the artistes access to professional equipment, performance kits and training. Sarakasi also facilitated life skills workshops and social awareness programs that allowed the artists to be increasingly aware and involved with their communities.

Finally Sarakasi connected them with international culture practitioners; exchange programs through which they could raise their standards and enhance their repertoires. But most importantly, Sarakasi gave them the ultimate means of turning culture and the performing arts into a livelihood: opportunities and work contracts; paid concerts, in Kenya and abroad.

Training, equipment and exposure to global audiences and standards brought with it professionalism. Suddenly what had been touted as an alternative became the mainstream because Sarakasi as a nurturer of talent and the individuals it had supported were gaining international acclaim. With training centers situated right in the heart of Nairobi's neighborhoods, Sarakasi was paving the way for a new kind of role model: the young performing artist.

As the number of centers continues to grow, more and more youngsters are finding neighbors, friends and relatives who have made it in life through the performing arts and culture to look up to. With each passing year, with every new program, Sarakasi is not only nurturing dreams, it is turning them into reality.

In all of Sarakasi’s work for economic development and empowerment through culture, the organization is constantly faced with the reality that the majority of its constituents, because of their marginalized economic background, are completely un-provided for in the formal sector. The organization has entered a long-term program with its affiliated artists through a series of workshops designed to equip them with the “life-skills packages” that a formal education would have exposed them to. So far the organization assists every young artist to acquire all the legal identification documents that they will need including birth certificates, ID cards and passports. In addition, the organization has run several workshops on financial management and social and cultural issues as well as a health care series on HIV-AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.