AMAANYI GA NABUGI (Gamukubya akyali muto)

The title of the work Amaangyi Ga Nabugi (Gamukubya akyali muto) is a Luganda proverb, meaning “Nabugi is strong because it is processed at an early stage”, or in other words, prevent complicated situations before they get out of hand.” Nabugi is a material for beautiful bark textile and its production process is registered as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. It is harvested at the young tree stage because the bark becomes hard. The artist applied the proverb to this festival which aspires to solve the challenges of the region. Using Uganda’s barkcloth, which is processed through technology to regenerate trees without cutting them down, combined with something that represents the culinary culture of Omachi such as miso barrel and rice seedling box, the installation expresses the bliss of nature and local lifestyle which has been inherited over generations.