Sylvia Damalie Owori
Director @ OWC
Built by creatives. Built for Northern Uganda's creative economy.
WALK Creative Arts Foundation brings together creatives from West Nile, Acholi, Lango and Karamoja to strengthen the role of the creative sector in the social and economic development of Northern Uganda. We work across the creative value chain, from music, performing arts and film to publishing, technology, cultural heritage, visual arts, crafts and the services that support creative work.
WALK Creative Arts Foundation was formed from a simple concern: Northern Uganda has enormous creative and cultural potential, but many creatives still work with limited access to professional development, infrastructure, markets, finance and opportunities to turn their work into sustainable livelihoods.
WALK was developed through a bottom-up process involving creatives from across West Nile, Acholi, Lango and Karamoja. The Foundation brings different parts of the creative sector together so that musicians, filmmakers, performers, writers, designers, craftspeople, innovators, cultural practitioners and the people who support their work can have a common platform for development.
Our approach is inclusive. We do not build the creative economy around one art form or one category of creatives. We work across the wider creative value chain.
Across Northern Uganda, creative work already provides livelihoods and creates opportunities in music, film, crafts, fashion, digital media, tourism and many other fields.
But the sector has not reached its potential.
Creative professionals continue to face limited infrastructure, unemployment and limited economic opportunities, while many cultural resources remain underused. WALK was established to help create the conditions in which creative talent can develop into stronger enterprises, jobs, cultural products and opportunities for communities.
For us, developing the creative sector means connecting creativity with practical economic opportunities: better skills, places to create and produce, access to markets, stronger businesses, financial access, cultural preservation and a stronger voice for creatives.
WALK stands for W — West Nile, A — Acholi, L — Lango and K — Karamoja. Each sub-region has distinct cultures, languages, creative traditions and economic realities. WALK provides a common platform through which creatives across the region can organise, learn, collaborate and pursue opportunities while maintaining their own cultural identities.
These four sub-regions carry rich creative traditions — from music, dance and storytelling to craft, design, film and digital innovation. Their economic realities differ, but the opportunities and challenges facing creatives are shared across the region.
WALK brings these communities together so that creative talent from any of the four sub-regions can access the same platforms, networks and opportunities for growth.
WALK's long-term work is centred on several practical areas that respond to the real conditions of creative work in the region.
We want creatives to have better spaces and equipment for production, collaboration, learning, performance and showcasing their work. The Foundation's vision includes creative hubs and centres that can bring facilities such as studios, multimedia spaces, galleries, libraries, performance spaces and business services closer to creatives.
Creative talent needs technical, artistic and business capacity. WALK's approach includes workshops, mentorship and training in areas such as creative practice, digital skills, financial literacy, entrepreneurship and cultural heritage, helping creatives develop sustainable enterprises and greater economic independence.
Creative work must reach audiences and buyers. WALK seeks to create more opportunities for creatives to showcase, promote and commercialise their work, including through events, marketplaces, tourism and connections beyond their immediate communities.
Northern Uganda's cultural heritage is itself an important creative resource. WALK seeks to support its preservation and responsible promotion while creating opportunities around cultural expression, arts and tourism, connecting creative-sector development with cultural preservation.
The Foundation wants creative work to contribute more directly to employment, entrepreneurship and household livelihoods. That includes helping creatives strengthen their enterprises and access appropriate financial opportunities.
Financial inclusion is one part of this wider work. WALK SACCO was developed to help eligible creatives access savings, credit and financial services suited to their work and livelihoods.
Visit WALK SACCOWALK also provides a platform through which the creative community can engage institutions, participate in discussions affecting the sector and contribute to an environment in which creative enterprises can grow. Policy engagement and advocacy are part of developing the sector.
WALK works across nine recognised areas of the creative sector. These domains include a much wider range of people than artists alone — producers, DJs, actors, directors, writers, bloggers, podcasters, programmers, app developers, photographers, designers, promoters, event producers, cultural institutions and other professionals involved in creating and supporting creative work.
Artists, vocalists, producers, DJs and music professionals.
Comedy, drama, theatre, dance, poetry and live performance.
Actors, directors, producers, filmmakers and screen professionals.
Talent managers, promoters, emcees and event professionals.
Writers, publishers, bloggers, columnists and podcasters.
Developers, designers, gaming professionals and innovators.
Museums, galleries, libraries, tourism and indigenous cultural work.
Artists, photographers, fashion creatives, designers and craftspeople.
Organisations managing copyright and related rights for creators.
WALK was developed with input from creatives across the four sub-regions rather than designing an institution around a single creative category. This is a bottom-up approach, intended to make the Foundation's priorities reflect the interests of the creative community itself. That principle remains important to how WALK works.
Different creative fields face different challenges. A filmmaker may need production equipment. A craft producer may need market access. A musician may need professional production and intellectual-property support. A software developer may need business and market opportunities. A cultural practitioner may be concerned with preserving knowledge that could otherwise disappear.
WALK creates a common institution through which those different needs can be organised and addressed without treating one creative field as the whole sector.
The Foundation sees creativity as both cultural expression and economic activity.
Our work therefore connects creative development with entrepreneurship, employment and other livelihood opportunities. We also recognise that creatives do not necessarily earn income from one source throughout the year. Supporting stronger livelihoods can include helping people build complementary economic activities while continuing to develop their creative careers.
Northern Uganda has deep cultural traditions expressed through music, dance, storytelling, crafts, performance and other forms of creative practice.
WALK wants economic development of the sector to strengthen rather than disconnect creatives from this heritage.
The Foundation therefore sees the creative sector as having a role in preserving culture, strengthening community identity and social cohesion, and creating opportunities for communities to share their culture with wider audiences.
WALK's ambition is long-term. We want Northern Uganda to have a creative sector where people can develop professional skills, access the tools and spaces they need, build sustainable enterprises, reach wider markets, preserve cultural knowledge and participate meaningfully in decisions affecting their industry.
That requires collaboration. The Foundation's work anticipates partnering with government institutions, the private sector, communities and other partners while developing sustainable mechanisms that can continue supporting creative-sector development over time.
West Nile · Acholi · Lango · Karamoja
WALK Creative Arts Foundation Ltd is guided by an overall patron, a board leadership structure, and regional directors representing the creative community across Northern Uganda.
Director @ OWC
Chairman, Board of Directors
Vice Chairman
Regional Director, Karamoja Subregion
Secretary, Board of Directors
Treasurer
Regional Director, Lango
Director F/A
Regional Director, West Nile
PRO
Regional Director, Acholi
Regional Director, Lango
Treasurer
Regional Director, West Nile
PRO
Regional Director, Karamoja Subregion
Vice Chairman
Regional Director, Acholi