In northwestern Uganda, 600 kilometers north of Uganda’s capital Kampala, lies the Bidi Bidi refugee settlement. In the span of five years, Bidi Bidi has become home to a population of more than 250,000 displaced people, growing into what is now the largest refugee settlement on the African continent and the second largest in the world.

There is immense creativity in Bidi Bidi, all that is missing is access to resources and the opportunity to nurture talent. To address this, to.org has partnered with Playing for Change Foundation (PFCF) and Ugandan NGO Sina Loketa.

Together we will build the Bidi Bidi Music & Arts Centre, inspired by the community’s talent and passion for music, and underscored by our strong belief that creative expression is a fundamental human right.

Why Bidi Bidi:

Five years ago, as civil war raged in South Sudan, refugees fled across the Ugandan border into the small subsistence farming communities of northern Uganda, with thousands arriving every day. Bidi Bidi became officially recognized as a refugee settlement in August 2016, with UNHCR providing essential food rations and tarps for shelter. Since then, Bidi Bidi has grown to cover nearly 250km and is now home to a population of nearly 250,000 South Sudanese refugees, mostly women and children, forced to flee their homes due to violent conflict. Now, five years later, with violence still endemic in South Sudan, most families in Bidi Bidi have chosen to permanently settle in Bidi Bidi.

Of the quarter of a million refugees now living in Bidi Bidi, 65% are under 18 years old. Unfortunately, activities for these young people are non-existent, hindering their opportunity to develop and grow.

In July 2018, to.org and PCFC first visited Bidi Bidi with this project in mind. We soon hired music, voice, and dance instructors, and established a small practice space in a UN building. As eager musicians and dancers flooded in, we realised how integral music and dance are to South Sudanese culture. However, we also learned how ill-equipped Bidi Bidi is to support and nurture talent, and of the need for space for community gatherings.

In 2019, to.org and PFCF identified Bidi Bidi as a refugee settlement perfectly positioned for the launch of a music and arts centre. PFCF proposed a program that uses music and dance as tools for healing trauma, bolstering social cohesion and overcoming division, presenting a unique opportunity to help foster individual and community growth in Bidi Bidi.

Bidi Bidi Music & Arts Centre will be a cultural hub, where music and performance will unite the entire community, including the numerous South Sudanese ethnic groups and local Ugandans, fostering a peaceful coexistence now and for the next generation.