Exposing human trafficking, slavery through art

“This sculpture installation highlights one of the crucial stages in human trafficking when victims are deprived of their travel documents - a passport majorly - on reaching their destinations,” Kalange tells Sunday Monitor. 

“Hence, this automatically enslaves, as well as imprisons them in those foreign lands and puts their lives at the mercy of the traffickers for survival,” he adds. 

Kalange’s mural painting titled “Abatambuze”,translated as “the travellers” in Luganda, tells the story of how the victims are initially trafficked from Uganda to their foreign destinations.

“Most of the times, when the recruiting agencies avail such opportunities, they assist these vulnerable youth in obtaining their travel documents, the passport being dominant, which directly makes it clear that the owner of the passport is going to use a transparent mode of air transport. But instead, they are smuggled through the water transport across the borders of Uganda and Kenya,” Kalange says.

“In this painting, chains are tied around their necks to signify modern day slavery. This painting is set out to criticise the enforcement of the laws governing water transport as a way of calling for further research, as well as effective action by the concerned ministry and leaders,” she adds. 

Yuda Tadeo Kasirisimbi’s two metallic sculptures titled “Bakussa mbuto zabwe” meaning: ‘they are after their stomachs’ in Luganda, depict the selfish and notorious human traffickers with huge tummies, who are thriving on the proceeds from this illicit trade, and are not bothered about the plight of their fellow citizens that they traffic at home and abroad.  

Further describing “Bakussa mbuto zabwe, Kasirisimbi”, says: “When observed carefully, it is a small number of people gaining out of this process. They are enriching themselves. They don’t care about the person they traffic. This work simply shows there is very little or no follow up. The negative spaces in the work show that however much they take, it’s never enough.” 

Another of Kasirisimbi’s works is “Tolowooza nyo”, Luganda for ‘Don’t think too much’. 

“The artwork simply shows a plane crash. This sculpture explains what happens when we raise an issue with the concerned parties, they take too long to act. When a victim complains to the big people, they will simply say ‘let us think about it,’ ‘we are still investigating’ yet in the process of thinking too much, a lot is crushing, more and more people are being trafficked and the country is losing.” 

Works by Kalange and Kasirisimbi were part of a joint art exhibition titled “Passport” that was held at the Xenson Art Space in Kampala from March 6 to April 10. 

The two artists, through their works, shared the stories, plight and experiences of this trade and its victims at the exhibition that was organised by Xenson Art Space in conjunction with Goethe-Zentrum Kampala/Uganda German Cultural Society (UGCS). 

The exhibition explored the plight of young people, especially girls, looking for greener pastures out of their countries and end up in the snares of human trafficking. 

Human trafficking in Uganda and across the world is a vice that is hardly given enough attention. 

Human trafficking, especially child-trafficking in Uganda, has been significantly organised through unofficial networks of relatives, friends, neighbours, parents and village mates, even though total strangers are also involved in the practice. 

Children, women and young men are trafficked for various reasons and many are involved in hazardous forms of labour, including commercial sex, domestic labour, commercial agriculture, fishing, mining, armed conflict, drug trafficking and the urban informal sector. Some are trafficked under the guise of better jobs in other countries.

The police annual crime report of 2020 indicates 214 cases of trafficking in persons were registered in 2020, compared to 252 cases registered in 2019, giving a decrease of 15.1 per cent. 

Incidents of internal trafficking were 118, transnational trafficking (93), while those of suspected trafficking were three. 

A total of 666 persons were victims of trafficking in persons in 2020, compared with 455 victims in 2019. 

Of the 666 victims in 2020, 497 were victims of transnational trafficking, 166 were victims of internal trafficking, while three victims were unknown.

The “Trafficking in Persons Report, 2020” by the US State Department, estimates that there were between 7,000 and 12,000 children exploited in sex trafficking in Uganda. 

Researchers reported there were approximately 3,800 children living on the streets of Kampala and three other major towns, and an additional 11,700 children working on the streets but sleeping elsewhere.

Through this exhibition, the artists aimed at creating awareness and sensitising the public about the vice of human trafficking and create a dialogue around the subject.  

“We came up with this exhibition to visually document and share the stories of human trafficking survivors through art that speaks as a way of creating more awareness, as well as opening up room for productive dialogue among the public,” Kalange said. 

“Before embarking on studio exploration and experimentation, we met with the survivors, who shared their touching and sad stories in depth. We randomly sampled some members from the public within Wakiso and Kampala communities, whose feedback presented a gap that needed to be bridged through visual documentation of these sad stories for public viewing and critique,” Kalange added.

Kalange continued: “The main aim was to further open the eyes of the public through re-education, critique, as well as dialogue, as a way of obtaining relevant solutions to mitigate the large numbers of young people, especially girls and women, that seek greener pastures abroad, but end up falling prey to the merciless traffickers.” 

Kalange’s painting titled “Obuddu”, Luganda for slavery, shows several domestic workers carrying out all manner of household chores.  

“This painting (Obuddu) is set out to offer education about the actual lives these victims live while in their destination trafficking countries, that is to say, they are overworked at the same time. One of the survivors confessed that even after she had been discharged from the hospital, she was tasked to proceed with her daily heavy chores normally,” Kalange said.

“Others said being a househelp for one household, was a guarantee for free labour to the rest of the relations associated with this particular household, at any time of their choice at no extra pay,” she adds. 

Kalange’s other paintings are “Kampala Sibizimbe,”“Abakulembeze,” “Munyambe,” “Emigugu,” “Esuubi,” and “Ekimala Kimala.” 

Kasirisimbi says his sculpture made of wood and metal titled “Nnaku mbale”, meaning ‘the days are numbered’ in Luganda, expresses the excitement people have when promised the job so they always tick each day that passes by. 

Yet at the same time when they reach there and find things are different from their expectations, the calculations continue. They begin wondering when they are returning home. 

Each of Kasirisimbi’s wooden artworks titled “Misinterpreted” has got a twisted neck, the women have got big chests while the men have got slim bodies. The women have got their bodies damaged and are full of wounds and broken hearts. “This simply shows human trafficking has affected more women than men. Some men fight very hard to find their way through,” he says.

“Due to extreme levels of poverty, lack of education about human trafficking, physical force, psychological manipulation, many of the victims misinterpret information and end up taking the wrong direction. This work also stands for the big numbers and the sex (men and woman) who are being trafficked every day,” Kasirisimbi adds. 

Kalange’s painting titled “Broken Trust” is inspired by one of the sad stories shared by a survivor about how the trust of the immigrants is broken by those people who pretend to offer assistance. 

As to the role of artists in championing causes such as creating awareness about human trafficking, Kalange, says: “The role of artists in championing causes such as creating awareness about injustices like human trafficking is broad, diverse and can’t be exhausted, but one of the main roles is to act as a bridge between the survivors alongside the victims, and the public at large. Through documenting these traumatising experiences in visual and performance output, there is a clear digestion process by the public.” 

“One scholar once said ‘art speaks a thousand words’ hence the role of artists should neither be underrated nor underestimated since art can also serve as a form of therapy to the survivors in the long run,” Kalange adds. 

On his part, Kasirisimbi, says: “Artists see things in a different way and thus helps others to think about issues in new ways. Artists create a sense of urgency for a given issue when they create a body of work that is highlighting the same issue. By creating a body of work that is addressing an issue, artists open up a dialogue in society, which is a gateway to healing. Artists are usually empathetic and respectful in representing victims in their work and this level of respect is usually passed on to the audience that is interacting with the work.”

“I am looking forward to reaching out to more survivors of human trafficking and sharing their stories visually, as a way of creating more awareness to mitigate the large numbers of vulnerable youth that fall prey of this each day that elapses,” Kalenge says.

“I intend to make it a travelling exhibition, which will include pushing the exhibition further into the public as a way of reaching a wide coverage of the Ugandan population, with more emphasis on the ordinary people, who are not able to easily access galleries and other art display gazetted public spaces,” Kalange adds.

Kasirisimbi says some of his artworks have been acquired as part of the Xenson Art Space gallery collection and one set of the sculptures is going back to his studio. “The gallery collection will give easy access to the artworks hence information will keep on spreading. The artworks that I have taken back to my studio will guide me to the next exhibition in which I intend to go deeper in creating awareness about human trafficking.”  

Asked what she would have been if she was not an artist, Kalange, says: “If I wasn’t a visual artist, I think I would take on any profession that shares traits with the type of art that I do, such as supporting public engagement in flourishing human creative skill and imagination, and whose goals and objectives are aimed towards respecting the “golden values” that I was blessed with by my parents during my growth such as equal inclusion, respect to God, humanity, alongside the environment, peaceful and free co-existence, love, transparency, justice, integrity, purity, to mention but a few.”

On his part, Kasirisimbi says: “If I was not an artist, I would have been an architect, an engineer or a psychologist.”

About the artists

Jacqueline Katesi Kalange

Kalange is a 25-year-old Ugandan, process-based, multi-media visual artist.

Deriving her inspirations from her immediate surroundings, Kalange specialises in multimedia art, which includes a combination of both weaving and welding techniques employed in achieving her sculpture conceptual artworks, as well as realistic approach evidenced within her painting artworks. 

She lives and works in Kampala. She has exhibited her artworks in various local and international group exhibitions. 

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Art and Industrial Design from Kyambogo University in Kampala. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Art and Industrial Design at Kyambogo University. 

Yuda Tadeo Kasirisimbi 

Kasirisimbi’s sculpture practice is an emotional expression of happiness. He is fulfilled by interpreting his emotions into sculpture. 

Deriving inspiration from his environment, Kasirisimbi creates sculptures predominantly with wood and metal, which he sometimes incorporates with paper, clay, plastic and stone. This combination of materials and techniques may seem rough and tough to the viewer, but it is the artist’s language of identity. 

Kasirisimbi lives and works in Kampala. 

Born in 1988, Kasirisimbi holds a BA in Industrial and Fine Art from Makerere University in Kampala. He has exhibited his works in several local group exhibitions, including the bi-annual Laba Arts Festival (Kampala 2017).