The founding of YACA Kakuma by alumni of the Turkana Artists Xchange marks a pivotal
moment—where a short-term intervention has taken root into a sustained, community-led movement. Following the 2025 climate forum held during the Xchange, three artists from Kakuma—Juma Phillips, Peter Kongor, and Scooby Lincos—used their small post-project grant to create a mural and produce a song. What began as a single creative response quickly revealed its impact: it sparked dialogue, drew
in the community and made climate change feel immediate and visible. Rather than letting that momentum fade, the artists chose to build on it, founding YACA Kakuma to continue this work beyond
the initial project. Today, the collective uses art to raise awareness around climate change and adaptation, grounding global issues in local realities.
Through their work, conversations around climate change have shifted in Kakuma. Artists have helped translate the crisis into everyday experiences—longer journeys in search of pasture, rising food prices, and intensifying heat—making it clear that climate change is not a distant concept, but a lived and
present challenge. This approach has enabled communities to engage with the issue through their own knowledge systems and traditions, opening up space for practical, locally relevant responses such as
tree planting, recycling, and conservation practices. In doing so, both artists and community members
are not only responding to climate change but also stepping into broader national and global conversations with confidence rooted in lived experience.
What these alumni are building goes beyond projects—it is the foundation of a permanent creative presence within Kakuma, where art is embedded in everyday community life. In a region already experiencing extreme heat, with temperatures expected to rise further, this work carries both urgency
and purpose. So far, YACA Kakuma has painted five murals across the area, transforming public
spaces into sites of dialogue and has hosted community conversations around each piece. They have also conducted training sessions for young people, equipping them to express themselves and engage with the climate crisis through art. This evolution—from participants to founders—signals a powerful
shift in authorship. YACA Kakuma stands as a testament to what happens when creative investment meets local leadership: a ripple becomes a root system, growing outward, connecting artists, and
shaping new cultural futures from within.
