How Sandra Suubi is Championing a Fresh Wave of Activism with the ‘Samba Gown’ Initiative

-Via Liverpool Biennal

Sandra Suubi is a socially conscious visual activist, whose multimedia physical and sonic sculptural works are a response to her observation / study / experience of popular visual culture and social practices, especially in Uganda.

From her early sculptures, constructed from an assorted range of found objects – used plastic, tyres, metal, discarded boats, etc – to the most recent wearable performance installations ( Samba Gown, 2022, Kiragala 2021) made of 2nd hand clothes, plastic pipes, used jeans, used cables, and such, Suubi broaches issues that deal as much with industrialization, single use plastic, climate change, commodity, exploitation, as with the transformative effects of the accumulation of mass produced goods, material culture and women’s lived experiences.

Suubi obtained an MFA in Fine art in 2018 and a BFA in Fine art in 2015 at Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. Her work was shown during the Kampala Art Biennale in Kampala, ‘The Studio’ curated by Simon Njami in 2018.

Suubi has exhibited in various locations in and around Kampala as well Africa. Recent shows include: Njabala This Is Not How, Makerere Art Gallery, Kampala Uganda (2022); Leral Dakar (Chapter III), Partcours, Dakar, Senegal (2021); Unmapped, KLA ART 18, Kampala Uganda (2018) and Age Of Wonderland, Dutch Design Week, Eindhoven, Netherlands (2014).

‘Samba Gown’ is a statement of resistance which explores industrialisation, single use plastic and pollution, climate change, commodity, exploitation, material culture and women’s lived experiences.

This public intervention and installation highlights historical and contemporary issues around the enormous amount of plastic waste which pollutes Uganda’s lands and rivers – a major repercussion of colonialism as Western countries continue to ship their waste to Africa. In Uganda, 75% of used plastic ends up in landfills, lakes and rivers and a delayed response to the crisis from the government means allocated landfills are few and overwhelmed.

The dress, made from found plastic, is a host for the opinions and stories of women from Suubi’s local community that she worked with to explore their expectations and the reality of marriage in their culture. A new component of the gown, a veil, has been added through the artist’s engagement with women living in North Liverpool. The women were invited to work with her to create the veil and join discussions around mass consumption, the climate crisis, women’s rights, and their lived experiences, stitching words into the gown to incorporate their voices into the artwork.

Suubi reflects on the Ugandan independence ceremony of 1962 by enacting a procession in the Samba Gown as a metaphor for what happened on the day: “We (bride) entered a binding contract, a marriage with our former colonizers (groom). As the bride, we took the position of gratitude for being handed back our land which meant that we were somewhat indebted to them”. The bride, with the streets as her aisle, continues her procession despite the tsunami of waste on her back – an overbearing burden which means she can hardly move.

This article was originally seen in the Liverpool Biennal

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