Bidi Bidi Refugee Music & Arts Centre revealed at London Design Biennale
Bidi Bidi Music & Arts Centre in northern Uganda aims to reframe the narrative around what it means to be a refugee.
Bidi Bidi Music & Arts Centre is an interdisciplinary project led by to.org — a platform operating in venture capital, philanthropy and the creative space — in collaboration with leading international design practice Hassell, Kampala design studio LocalWorks, and global sustainable development consultancy Arup.
Currently under construction, this powerful example of humanitarian architecture will provide a space for creative expression, training, and performance in Africa’s biggest refugee settlement, which is currently home to over 270,000 refugees who have fled violence in neighbouring South Sudan.
As part of a larger mission to reframe the narrative around the word ‘refugee’, the Bidi Bidi Pavilion at London Design Biennale showcased the unique process, architectural elements, and technical solutions that underpin the Bidi Bidi Music & Arts Centre building, with stories from the refugee and non-refugee communities whose collaboration is bringing the project to life.
Bidi Bidi Music & Arts Centre was shown at The London Design Biennale 2023 at Somerset House.
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“To.org brought together architects, ethnographers, musicians, and activists — some refugees, some not — to find innovative solutions for creating opportunities and infrastructure for the most vulnerable. Because of this collaboration, the Bidi Bidi refugee community will have a space to play, learn, perform, create, and share… setting a new precedent for how we think about, talk about, and create opportunities for displaced people.”
