Artists and artisans have been tipped on capitalizing on art products made through indigenous materials such as barkcloths to break through in the United States Market.
Elaine Robnett Moore, a US-based artist, jewellery designer, and writer, while facilitating at the training of artisans at the Uganda National Cultural Centre (UNCC), commonly known as the National Theatre in Kampala, on Friday, said that barkcloth can be used as computer covers, phone covers, among others.
“First of all, the materials that are here are indigenous; the quality of the workmanship is unbelievable; the backcloth is amazing because it’s so beautiful, and it turns out to be perfect for covers like computer covers, iPad covers, galaxy covers, all that. I have purchased one to take to the United States, and all my people there will be jealous about it because it’s so beautiful,” she stated.
Moore, who is in Uganda on the artisan training program, initiated by the Ugandan Embassy in Washington, DC, said that art and crafts are the way of the future for Uganda, and the program dubbed ‘Art on a Global level’ is aiming at how to make Ugandan art products ready for export.
“Sometimes what’s indigenous to you is so familiar that you don’t realise that there’s a market for it. If you look at, for instance, leather goods, there’s a market for leather, but it’s made everywhere. You can get leather goods from any country. You can’t get backcloth from any country, so these items are more marketable.”
Angella Kakobyo, a String Artist and the founder of Manzuru, a group that combines string art with natural wellness products, said that she has been able to navigate the industry by creating art pieces that tell stories.
“A lot of people are doing artwork, crafts, but personally, I collaborate with different artists to make sure that I add on what I have. If I get my string art and add a backcloth to it and colour it, it looks good. Not a lot of people are doing contemporary art through telling stories, that’s how I have been able to navigate through this,” she said.
On what she has gained from the training, Kakobyo said: “For this workshop, what I have gained is a lot of wisdom. I have met people who have what I require in my next level; people who have information in regards to materials that are indigenous to Uganda, barkcloth, etc. We have to improve on our artwork, make it more unique and indigenous to this country, so that people outside this country can be able to buy it in big quantities.”
Nuwa Wamala Nnyanzi, a creative artist practitioner and a consultant, said artists have been creating, but the challenge has always been a market, in terms of creating quality products, and then the numbers.
“Sometimes you can have the products, but producing in large numbers becomes a challenge. So, Elaine has explained to us how to go about it. This training has also helped to get the artists and artisans together to talk about the future. She is going to go back, take a few samples, and see how to market them, and she will return, and we will see how to produce in large numbers.”
Uganda’s exports to the United States have grown nearly 28-fold between 1996 and 2022, according to data from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS). From under US$10 million in the late 1990s, exports surged to US$62 million in 2017, before reaching record highs of US$87 million in 2021 and US$89 million in 2022.
Key drivers include coffee, vanilla, and specialty goods, underscoring the potential of Uganda’s high-value products to strengthen trade ties, diversify exports, and fuel economic growth.
Expanding artisan crafts into this pipeline represents a new opportunity to create jobs, empower communities, and position Uganda more competitively in the global creative economy.
