Impact of Multimedia Artist Syowia Kyambi on The Exposure Of African Socio-Economic, Cultural and Political Themes

Abstract

The world is ever-changing and so is culture. We are living in a world where cities are bustling with a variety of people and there is more racial acceptance. However, in the same world, there are people who are racially ignorant and insensitive. There is also a lot of hidden history of horrendous past events and neo-colonialism is still a practice. As a people we still have a lot of growth ahead of us and that is where multimedia artists come in. Artists such as Syowia Kyambi are breaking barriers by speaking about these issues and enlightening people on historical, political and cultural themes. Objective: This paper aims to elaborate how Syowia Kyambi, a Kenyan installation and multimedia artist, is using her art to shed light on African themes. The research aims to elaborate how her work is teaching people about African cultural and political history, race and gender and how these themes connect the past and contemporary society. Analysis of her work shall be done to show how she achieves this. Design: The use of qualitative data obtained from desktop research was employed. Subject: It focuses on one sole subject, who is Syowia Kyambi. Result: The research revealed that Syowia Kyambi uses artefacts made of indigenous Kenyan materials to link the stories she gives with the place of origin. She also uses the artefacts in her performances and photographs to tell her stories and create symbolism. Emotions are a major part of her work as she believes in justice for all which is clearly seen in how she puts across themes such as colonialism. She aims to bring empathy and awareness of past and present African plights as well as educate the masses through installation and multimedia art. This distinguishes her and solidifies her impact as an East African artist.