Refugees in Uganda make it to the podium in 'UNHCR Youth with Refugees Art Contest'

KAMPALA, Uganda: UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, today announced the winners of its first-ever global Youth with Refugees Art Contest. South Sudanese refugee Kuena James Dak, from Uganda’s Bidibidi settlement, was nominated as the regional winner for Africa for his COVID-19 artwork. Fridane Oscar, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo is also among the winners for his comic script about ‘life of a refugee in the camp’.

“My heartful congratulations to James and Fridane Oscar for this fantastic achievement,” said Joel Boutroue, UNHCR Representative to Uganda. “I am glad that their creativity and entrepreneurship have been noticed and awarded. I hope they can inspire their peers to cultivate their skills and follow their dreams.”

More than 2,000 participants from 100 countries submitted drawings and comic strips from across the globe for the art contest. One in four participants were themselves refugees or asylum-seekers. 

Launched in April 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the contest encouraged young people aged 12-25 to reflect creatively on the theme: “everyone counts in the fight against the virus, including refugees.”

The seven winning drawings, received from across the globe have been turned into animations by Japanese studio SPEED INC. UNHCR is also awarding five regional prizes, five prizes for cartoons and 20 special mentions. All winners will receive a box of pencils from Caran d’Ache, the world-renowned Swiss manufacturer of pens, pencils and writing accessories, a partner of UNHCR for the art contest.

Kuena James Dak, 25, is a self-taught graphic artist. He fled South Sudan’s conflict in 2018 and is currently living in Bidibidi refugee settlement, Yumbe district. He loves drawing and graphic designing. 

After completing his secondary school, he could not continue his education due to financial constraints. “When I realized I may not be able to continue my studies, I began looking for jobs with NGOs in the refugee settlement [Bidibidi]. I was able to save some money and bought a secondhand laptop to learn graphics designing,” said James.

“I would watch graphics design tutorials on the Internet everyday to learn how to use design programs. People got to know about my skills and started hiring me to design posters and logos.”  James’s winning artwork can be viewed on our Facebook page.

Through his dedication and hard work, James established a small graphics design company, called Jemo Graphics. He also helped designing some of this year’s World Refugee Day artwork, with a focus on COVID-19 preventive measures. 

Fridane Oscar, 25, arrived in Uganda in 2013 and has been living in Kampala ever since. He submitted a 6-page comic strip for the global drawing, inspired by his personal experience, the everyday life of refugees in Uganda, the stereotypes they face but also the solidarity between refugees and host communities – compelling concepts that moved and impressed the contest judges and made him one of the winners in the cartoon category.

Prior to the COVID-19 lockdown, Fridane Oscar was selling his paintings for a living, in one of Kampala’s local craft markets. “With the restrictions on travel, tourists stopped coming into Uganda. They were my main clients…no one buys paintings these days,” said Fridane Oscar.

The winners were selected by a jury of influencers, artists, animation experts, refugees and partners. This included several UNHCR Goodwill Ambassadors and high-profile supporters such as Japanese musician Miyavi, Syrian refugee pilot Maya Ghazal, British actor Douglas Booth, American actress Kat Graham and British actress Gugu Mbatha Raw. 

Also serving on the jury were Geoffrey Wexler, Chief, International, at Studio Ponoc; Roland Kelts, journalist and author of Japanamerica; Nina Cosford, artist and Caran d’Ache ambassador; and O’Plérou, Ivorian emoji designer. Several members of UNHCR’s Global Youth Advisory Council also served on the jury, namely: refugees Foni Joyce Vuni, from South Sudan; Arash Bordbar, from Iran; and Faridah Luanda, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo as well as Ismael Gamboa-Ocampo, an internally displaced persons in Colombia.

Youth aged 15-27 years, like James and Fridane, represent 27 per cent of Uganda’s 1.4 million refugees. The vast majority lives in settlements sprawling across Uganda, while six per cent have settled in Kampala. 

Media contacts:

In Kampala, Rocco Nuri, [email protected], +256775827388