Kenya And UK Launch A Program To Strengthen Ties Between Them

The British Council has announced the launch of the UK/Kenya Season 2025, a cross-cultural program designed to strengthen ties between Kenya and the UK through a wide range of artistic and educational exchanges.

The Season is a response to the growing demand for international collaboration across the creative sector.

The programme aims at sparking meaningful connections and engagements between artists, institutions, cultural hubs and communities, while contributing to conversations around the role of creativity in shaping society between Kenyan and UK institutions, It will feature a diverse line-up of public events across both UK and Kenya —spanning music, film, visual arts, architecture, design, fashion, literature, and more.

The Season responds to shared commitments in the UK-Kenya Strategic Partnership, by former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta in January 2020, which is built around 5 pillars: mutual prosperity, security and stability, sustainable development, climate change, and people-to-people links. It recognises culture and education as drivers of diplomacy, innovation, and inclusive development. Kenya is a key partner for the UK in the region, and this Season marks an exciting moment to deepen those ties for mutual benefit. It also complements the UK’s broader cultural diplomacy efforts, which seek to build lasting relationships and expand opportunities through arts and culture, and education. It recognises culture and education as drivers of diplomacy, innovation, and inclusive development.

A flagship event within the Season is the British Pavilion at the 19^th International Architecture Exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia. Since 1937, the British Council has commissioned exhibitions to showcase the best of the UK’s creativity and spark international dialogue. This year, for the first time in the Biennale’s history, the Pavilion is a unique UK-Kenya collaboration between a multi-disciplinary team of curators: Kabage Karanja and Stella Mutegi of Nairobi-based architecture studio Cave_bureau; UK-based curator and writer Owen Hopkins, and academic Professor Kathryn Yuso. Titled Geology of Britannic Repair, the exhibition makes a case for architecture as an earth practice and examines the relationship between architecture and colonisation as parallel, interconnected systems.

As part of preparations for the Season, the British Council launched an Open Call in 2024, offering Catalyst Grants of up to £5,000 to support creative collaborations between the UK and Kenya. 19 were selected, laying the groundwork for new cross-border partnerships that will be showcased during the Season. In 2025, 11 of these projects have received additional support to strengthen their collaboration and showcase their work to broader audiences as part of the Season.

Sandra Chege, Head of Arts at the British Council Kenya and Director of the UK/Kenya Season, says: 

“We have been deliberate about bringing together diverse voices from both Kenya and the UK to shape the Season. It’s important to us that these collaborations are rooted in mutual exchange and long-term value. It aligns with Kenya’s ambitions to grow its creative economy and reach new local and international audiences, positioning creativity as both an economic driver and a space for connection, dialogue, and innovation. 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.”

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 has been instrumental in shaping the programme.

Olu Alake, CEO, The Africa Centre, says:

“For the past 60 years, we have been delighted to be a platform for showcasing excellence from all across the African continent. The UK/Kenya Season gives us a unique opportunity to highlight Kenya, to help diasporans and wider UK audiences learn more about Kenya’s dynamic arts scene, and to showcase the incredible work coming from artists, cultural hubs, and communities across the country. We’ve got an exciting line-up of events and exhibitions planned in the UK, and we’re proud to be part of this partnership.” 

Alongside the arts program, the Season places a strong emphasis on education, reflecting the British Council’s broader commitment to enriching learning and promoting global citizenship. Learning and Design Lab, part of the UK–Kenya University Partnerships initiative, for example, brings together students and academics from UK and Kenyan universities to collaborate with local industry to co-design solutions around climate resilience throughout the Season.

The Season reflects the British Council’s long-standing relationship with Kenya. It showcases work that centres the youth voice, explores the impact of technology, responds to the climate crisis, and reflects on cultural heritage and identity, sparking dialogue and offering fresh perspectives.

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