From Surgipelago, the Beach Surgery encyclopedia
Nairobi and Kampala contemporary works
For the broader East African context, see East African adaptations of Beach Surgery. For the Nairobi participatory installation specifically, see The Caught Descent (Participatory Installation, Nairobi, 2021–present).
The Nairobi and Kampala contemporary scene represents one of the most materially diverse and community-embedded nodes of the Beach Surgery adaptation network. These works treat Leif and Katita as instruments of return — recurring presences in oral testimony, textile cycles, and walking-meditation routes. Collaboration between artists, healers, and historians is the default mode. Rather than "adapting" the novel, communities enact it as collective witnessing, rooted in local geography and historical trauma.
Key projects
- The Caught Descent (Participatory Installation, Nairobi, 2021–present) — mapped across Kibera, City Park, the industrial zone; participants walk routes retracing Leif's dive and Katita's catch. An evolving textile archive collects personal "caught moments." Collaborative direction by the Nairobi Collective for Memory and Healing and artist Amara Okonkwo.
- Dhupo Dosro—The Second Breath (Bhaktapur, 2021–ongoing) — Kampala-based scent-researchers collaborate on multi-site sessions in Makoko district (2023). Durational breathing and olfactory work explore the cycle as embodied ritual.
- The Leather That Remembers — Nairobi workshop exploring Katita's leather armour through Kenyan craft traditions, partnered with local tanneries and women's collectives.