The Letter that Never got Delivered

I first heard about Sanaa Gateja 15yrs ago through my mother’s conversations with her friends. He was quite popular in our church circles being a prominent figure in Uganda’s Art scene. My mother, my greatest supporter then and now having recognized my passion for art since childhood was determined to probably connect me with him one day.

As my Form 6 vacation approached, my mother penned down a letter, asking if he would take me in as an apprentice. His studio was 20min away from home. When she handed me the letter to deliver to him, my heart skipped a bit. I was filled with anxiety and fear. We had never had a real conversation, and apart from art, we had not quite much in common. At least, that’s what I told myself. To me, he was the gentleman at church who wore beautiful, artistic shirts with prints. Imposter syndrome kept me from seizing the moment. I remember walking to his home, letter in hand, and knocking on his gate. When no one answered, I was relieved and just turned back. That letter, still sealed in its envelope, remains in my possession to this day.

Yesterday, at Kiggundu Art Studio, my team hosted an artist talk as part of Metamorphosis, our end of year apprenticeship exhibition. At the center of the discussion sat none other than Sanaa Gateja himself, sharing his wisdom and insights with the next generation of artists as an elder in the art scene. As I reflected on the moment, it felt surreal and reminded me of that brief letter story. Even though I didnt get to be his studio apprentice then, l’ve indirectly learnt alot from his work ethic and I thank him a lot for sparing time to come through and share openly with new generation artists.

I still wrestle with self-doubt myself, but creating this space and accompanying emerging artists like Kabeya and Edwin among others stands as a testament to the continued commitment, resilience, and dedication to grow and serve. I’ve learnt to transform my fears into fuel while creating various spaces and platforms where artists and non-artists alike can grow, collaborate, experiment and push past their insecurities.