Art, Community & Regeneration

Sparked by artists, shaped by community.

A central sculpture, built collectively out of reclaimed materials, over eleven weeks, by whoever walks in.

Dates
9 Sept – 28 Nov 2026Finale Saturday 28 November
Where
Africa Nomads Art SpaceKilima Road, Mombasa, Kenya
Cost
No entry feeGift economy and donations welcome
Who can join
EveryoneNo experience or permission needed.
A dance session on the open terrace at Africa Nomads Art Space, with adults and children following a lead dancer.

Welcome to (ART)ONEMENT

Inspired by traditional Kenyan harvest gatherings, where communities gathered to share meals, dance, renew community and celebrate together, (ART)ONEMENT brings this collective energy to Mombasa.

From 9 September to 28 November 2026 we turn Africa Nomads Art Space into a living, participatory workshop. At the heart of the festival is a central sculpture built collectively out of reclaimed materials. The artwork is more than an object. It represents and transforms the connections, relationships, trust and community built along the way.

The name joins ART and ATONEMENT, and proposes that art can be more than something to look at. It can be a process through which people make amends, celebrate abundance, rebuild relationships and imagine a shared future. Read the full concept.

Three pillars of the festival

Four young men painting together at a single easel during an evening session, arms around each other's shoulders.

Art

Reclaiming creativity as a shared social act, open to everyone without barriers.

An outdoor evening performance at Africa Nomads Art Space, two singers on a lit concrete stage with a seated audience raising their hands.

Community

A radically open project built by, for and with the people of Mombasa.

Visitors reaching up to an installation built from hundreds of discarded audio cassettes strung across a gallery wall.

Regeneration

Revitalising local culture, giving new life to discarded materials, and caring for our shared environment.

The programme is built by the community

There is no fixed line-up. Workshops, performances and gatherings come from the people who volunteer to host them.

Space is limited. Submissions stay open until the programme is full. Activities can take place at Africa Nomads Art Space or anywhere in the greater Mombasa area.

An evening gathering under a canopy of hanging printed fabric strips, with the audience seated in armchairs and a speaker standing.

Come and build it with us

The sculpture is temporary. The relationships created through it are the true monument.