Did you know the average time spent in a refugee settlement is more than a decade? This is why at to.org we believe in nurturing talent, cultivating opportunity, and building creative infrastructure in refugee settlement communities.

Since 2017 we have supported disenfranchised creatives by launching spaces such as fab labs and recording studios in their communities, and by supporting refugee-led initiatives focused on play and creativity. We are delighted to announce that in December 2023, we opened a world-class Performing Arts Centre in the Bidi Bidi refugee settlement on Uganda’s border with South Sudan.

We first visited Bidi Bidi in 2018, shortly after it was officially recognized as a refugee settlement, already the largest in Africa and the second largest in the world. Here, more than 250,000 displaced people exist with few resources and daily life is characterized by survival, a sense of boredom, and lack of hope.

But on our first visit we were met by a community of talented and passionate young musicians and dancers, all pursuing big dreams with meager resources, who told us they wanted a space to learn, create, collaborate, and perform.

Designed pro bono by Hassell Studios, Bidi Bidi Performing Arts Centre combines the traditional architectural aesthetics of northern Uganda and South Sudan, while considering sustainability, equality, and culture at every step. Our Kampala-based partner LocalWorks focused on low-cost low-carbon local building materials such as compressed earth bricks which were produced on-site, and recruited and trained refugees to work alongside local Ugandan crews in building this technically innovative structure.

Because Bidi Bidi experiences nearly constant drought conditions and access to potable water is a daily challenge, the roof was designed to capture rainwater, sending it through a filtration system and into storage tanks before it is piped on-demand to the most central point in the community.

And the centre itself incorporates a recording studio, classrooms, community toilets, and an open-air amphitheatre which doubles as a community space, and outside there is a vegetable garden & tree nursery.

Affectionately dubbed 'the mushroom', Bidi Bidi Performing Arts Centre is rapidly becoming a hive of activity. Music programming has been developed with the Playing for Change Foundation and SINA Loketa, and dance programming is being developed with The MVMT which also incorporates regular workshops addressing conflict resolution and mental health.

We all understand the power of music and creative expression. This space will not only serve as an important locus of creative expression but will support the healing process for a community that has suffered immense trauma, connecting to important cultural traditions and bridging between communities while establishing therapeutic outlets for young refugees.

Bidi Bidi Performing Arts Centre is a vital source of potable water, a facilitator of collaboration and community, and a creative space where music will help displaced youth establish identity, foster relationships, cope with trauma, and develop life skills. It isn’t a panacea, but it is a bold step in the right direction.

We still need support to keep Bidi Bidi Performing Arts Centre going! If you would like to donate or if you are interested in learning more, please email rach@to.org. And to stay up to date with this and other initiatives, please follow the to.org Instagram account @to_creativeactivists.