Abstract white graffiti-style text on black background.
Kama Kawa - Painted words in dry brush strokes

Kama Kawa Film Homepage


It’s not easy being an artist in Tanzania. But the festival at the Bagamoyo College of Arts is where a mix of artists - gumboot dancers, painters, bands, and musicians - come together. Art shapes society, and these artists are doing exactly that.

ART IS A FREE STATE OF MIND

A group of black men in a dance formation outdoors, with lush trees and chainlink fence in the background

FEATURING

Africulture - Painted words in dry brush strokes
A band of black men wearing matching tie die outfits sing into microphones in a hazy and brightly lit environment
Bagamoyo Spirit - Painted words in dry brush strokes
A black man on a busy beach with people and wooden boats in the background holds his body up with his hands while in a contorted position
Acrobats troupe - Painted words in dry brush strokes
A man playing an acoustic guitar on stage. There is a microphone on a stand nearby, and stage lighting with warm tones creates an ambient atmosphere.
Vitali Maembe - Painted words in dry brush strokes
A group of people, with one man in the foreground wearing a green and pink tie-dye bandana and shirt, appears to be engaged in an activity or discussion.
Mussa Fredy - Painted words in dry brush strokes
A man with dreadlocks and a beard holding a colorful painting of a dog and a person in front of a background with warm sunset tones inside a bright room with large windows.
Lumelezi Mangwela - Painted words in dry brush strokes

UPDATES

kama = “like” or “as”
kawaida = “usual” or “normal”
kama kawaida → kama kawa (slang)
a shorthand for nothing’s changed, everything’s cool