British Council Launches UK/Kenya Season 2025 in Response to Growing Demand for International Collaboration in the Creative Sector

British Council Launches UK/Kenya Season 2025 in Response to Growing Demand for International Collaboration in the Creative Sector

From Left to Right  Sandra Chege, Head of Arts at the British Council Kenya and Director of the UK/Kenya Season and Tom Porter – Country Director, British Council Kenya and East African Cluster Lead addressing the press during the launch of British Council Launches UK/Kenya Season 2025.

By MAXIMILLA WAFULA 

The County Diary News

Nairobi, Kenya — Tuesday, 2 April 2025: The British Council has officially launched the UK/Kenya Season 2025, a collaborative cultural programme aimed at strengthening connections between Kenya and the United Kingdom through artistic and educational exchanges.

The initiative responds to rising demand for international collaboration within the creative industries. It seeks to foster meaningful partnerships among artists, institutions, cultural hubs, and communities in both countries. The programme includes a wide range of public events in Kenya and the UK, encompassing music, film, visual arts, architecture, design, fashion, and literature.

The Season is anchored in the UK-Kenya Strategic Partnership, established in 2020 by former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. It aligns with key priorities such as mutual prosperity, security, sustainable development, climate action, and enhanced people-to-people connections. The initiative affirms the critical role of culture and education in diplomacy, innovation, and inclusive development.

One of the major highlights is the British Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia. For the first time in the event’s history, the Pavilion features a UK-Kenya co-curation by Nairobi’s Cave_bureau team—Kabage Karanja and Stella Mutegi—working alongside UK curator Owen Hopkins and academic Kathryn Yusoff. The exhibition, titled Geology of Britannic Repair, explores architecture as an earth practice and delves into its connections with colonisation.

In preparation for the Season, the British Council issued an Open Call in 2024, offering Catalyst Grants of up to £5,000 to support cross-border creative collaborations. Nineteen projects were selected, with eleven receiving additional funding in 2025 to expand their work for public presentation during the Season.

The programme has been intentionally designed to include diverse perspectives from both countries, aiming for equitable exchange and sustainable impact. It supports Kenya’s creative economy goals while fostering international visibility and dialogue through the arts.

In the UK, delivery of the Season is supported by The Africa Centre, a London-based organisation known for its long-standing commitment to celebrating African heritage and connecting the diaspora. The British High Commission in Kenya and the Kenya High Commission in the UK have also played key roles in shaping the initiative through diplomatic and cultural engagement.

Alongside arts, the Season features a strong educational component. The Learning and Design Lab, part of the UK–Kenya University Partnerships framework, facilitates collaboration between students, academics, and local industries to address climate resilience through design thinking and innovation.

The UK/Kenya Season 2025 reflects the British Council’s deep and evolving relationship with Kenya. It celebrates youth voices, engages with climate and technology, and explores questions of heritage and identity—offering new insights and fostering lasting connections across borders.

ENDS…/