On Friday, 2 May The British Council, the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. announced the launch of the “UK/Kenya Season 2025”, a cross-cultural programme designed to strengthen ties between Kenya and the UK through a wide range of artistic and educational exchanges.
Running from May – November 2025, the Season will feature a diverse line-up of public events in both the UK and Kenya — across music, film, visual arts, architecture, design, fashion, literature, and more.
Sandra Chege, Head of Arts, British Council (Photo by Sarah Luddy)
In collaboration with partners in Kenya and the UK, a programme of activities will be presented that celebrate creativity and innovation across arts, culture, heritage, and education. With a thematic focus on innovation, the UK/Kenya Season 2025 aims to open up new opportunities for connection, exchange, and collaboration.
Our goal for the season is to promote cross cultural understanding between Kenya and the UK, and also really showcase the rich expression and ideas supporting young creators to shape their future and ideas of what’s to come.” – Sandra Chege, Head of Arts, British Council
The Season offers a platform not just for showcasing talent, but for meaningful engagement, connecting artists, cultural institutions, and communities across borders. The Season reflects an intentional effort to support mutual exchange and long-term partnership, rooted in creativity’s power to shape society and address shared global challenges. According to Tom Porter, British Council Kenya Country Director, the Season is one of the biggest cultural activities that the British Council has run in some time, and is the biggest British Council activity happening across Sub Saharan Africa.
Showcase of Creative DNA programme at the British Council (photo by Sarah Luddy)
The programme builds upon the UK-Kenya Strategic Partnership established in 2020 by former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. Importantly, it recognises culture and education as drivers of diplomacy, innovation, and inclusive development.
Sandra Chege, Head of Arts at the British Council Kenya and Director of the Season, notes:
We will be working and connecting audiences across Kenya, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and really looking to spark new conversations and deeper cultural understanding. We have been deliberate about bringing together diverse voices from both Kenya and the UK.”
Investing in Collaboration
To set the stage for deeper partnerships, the British Council issued a 2024 Open Call offering Catalyst Grants of up to £5,000 to foster UK-Kenya creative collaborations. Out of numerous applications, 19 projects were selected, and 11 have since received additional support to develop and present their work to wider audiences during the Season. These projects have sparked meaningful connections between artists, creatives and cultural organisations, laying the groundwork for future collaborations.
This investment reflects the British Council’s broader commitment to nurturing creative ecosystems, supporting both emerging and established voices, and ensuring that culture remains a vital thread in the fabric of international engagement.
Chege elaborates: “We’ve engaged artists, collectives, cultural hubs, and educational institutions, because we want the programme to reflect the energy and innovation we see every day in the creative scenes across both countries.”
Flagship Event
One of the flagship moments of the Season is the British Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia. For the first time in the Pavilion’s history, it will feature a UK-Kenya co-curated exhibition. Titled Geology of Britannic Repair, the project is led by Nairobi-based architecture studio Cave_bureau (Kabage Karanja and Stella Mutegi), alongside UK curator Owen Hopkins and Professor Kathryn Yuso. The exhibition explores reversing colonial impacts through local architectural repair practices, reimagining architecture as an earth practice—a timely, thoughtful intervention at the intersection of design, history, and environmental stewardship.
As part of the programme, 46 Venice Fellows, including 4 from Kenya, will travel to Italy over 5 residency months. The Kenyan Fellows are: Consolata Njeri Muchina (photographer), Elvis Ramboh, (contemporary painter), Rehema Mumbi Kabari, (Constructive Engineer Manager), and Tony Bulimu Adembesa, (artist and curator).
Cultural Heritage Programme
As party of the Cultural Heritage for Inclusive Growth programme, the British Council will host “Heritage in the Digital Age” in late July. This event will explore how indigenous heritage intersects with technology, bringing together communitiy voices, creatives, researchers and policymakers from Kenya, the Global South and the UK.
Hay Festival X NBO Litfest
Another flagship event in the UK/Kenya Season will be a partnership between the world famous Wales-based Hay Festival and Nairobi’s own rising star the NBO Litfest. Launched by Book Bunk in 2021 NBO Litfest has fast become a standout event on the international literary calendar, celebrating free expression, cultural exchange and bold storytelling. This partnership will co-design dynamic programmes in Wales & Nairobi.
David Olusoga and Lola Shoneyin at NBO Litfest 2024 (Photo by Sarah Luddy)
This year’s edition of the NBO Litfest is scheduled for 26 – 29 June and will bring together authors from Kenya, the UK and Brazil under the theme “Exploring Alternative Knowledge Systems”, an invitation to rethink how we learn, share & imagine.
Platform for Connection and Creativity
In the UK, the Season is being delivered in partnership with The Africa Centre, a cultural organisation based in London with a long-standing mission to educate, connect, and advocate for Africa and its global diaspora. The Season is also supported by the British High Commission in Kenya and the Kenya High Commission in the UK, whose diplomatic and
cultural engagement have been instrumental in shaping the programme.
UK/Kenya Season 2025 is shaping up to be a powerful platform for reflection, connection, and creativity. As the world navigates complex global challenges, The Season stands as a bold testament to the transformative potential of cultural diplomacy—proof that when nations create together, they thrive together.
For more information about the UK/Kenya Season 2025, visit: britishcouncil.ke/uk-kenya-season-2025