Hosted by 32° East, Uganda, With Dr Anna Adima and Kajebe Jacob Joshua
On Tuesday 4th August, 32° East, in collaboration with Guest Artists Space (G.A.S.) Foundation and Yinka Shonibare Foundation, hosted Ecotonal Readings Convening: Library, Landscape, and Sustainable Futures. Led by Dr. Anna Adima and artist and printmaker Kajebe Jacob Joshua, the convening explored the 32° East library as an ecological threshold: a meeting point where human, architectural, and environmental archives interact. Drawing on ‘ecotones’, a term describing a transitional zone between distinct ecosystems, Ecotonal Readings considered how the library and 32° East’s sustainably built campus function as active ‘edges’ where knowledge, materials, and communities intersect.
Dr Anna Adima presenting during Ecotonal Readings Convening: Library, Landscape, and Sustainable Futures. Courtesy of 32° East. Photo: Ethel Aanyu.
The programme began with a presentation by Dr Anna Adima on the history of sustainable art practices in the region, drawing on research conducted in the 32° East library. She explored how local cultures of making have been passed down through apprenticeships and how these practices offer alternative ways of understanding sustainability. This was followed by a practical workshop led by Kajebe Jacob Joshua, which explored sustainable printmaking practices through clay, barkcloth, and compressed earth bricks as both printing mediums and surfaces.
Kajebe Jacob Joshua presenting during Ecotonal Readings Convening: Library, Landscape, and Sustainable Futures. Courtesy of 32° East. Photo: Ethel Aanyu.
This event formed part of the AAL Lab Convening series, which brings together a network of libraries, publishers, archives, and wider audiences through shared inquiry and dialogue. The series forms part of Re:assemblages, curated by Naima Hassan and guided by an advisory committee comprising Serubiri Moses, Dr. Beatrix Gassman de Sousa, Natasha Ginwala, Dr. Rangoato Hlasane, and Dr. Oluwatoyin Zainab Sogbesan. The convening series is made possible through the generous support of the Terra Foundation for American Art. The Ecotones concept for the Re:assemblages programme was developed by Jonn Gale as part of her PhD placement at G.A.S. Foundation.
Participants during Kajebe Jacob Joshua’s workshop at Ecotonal Readings Convening: Library, Landscape, and Sustainable Futures. Courtesy of 32° East. Photo: Ethel Aanyu.
Detail from Kajebe Jacob Joshua’s workshop at Ecotonal Readings Convening: Library, Landscape, and Sustainable Futures. Courtesy of 32° East. Photo: Ethel Aanyu.
Participants during Kajebe Jacob Joshua’s workshop at Ecotonal Readings Convening: Library, Landscape, and Sustainable Futures. Courtesy of 32° East. Photo: Ethel Aanyu.
Detail from Kajebe Jacob Joshua’s workshop at Ecotonal Readings Convening: Library, Landscape, and Sustainable Futures. Courtesy of 32° East. Photo: Ethel Aanyu.
Event Details
Date: 4th August 2026
Time: 2:00 pm (GMT +3)
Location: Plot 212 Sonko Close, Kabalagala, Kampala, Uganda
Dr Anna Adima
Dr Anna Adima is a writer, researcher and educator whose work explores the histories, literatures and creative cultures of East Africa. Currently a Lecturer in Modern African History at Durham University, she has previously worked in Uganda as a journalist and in the cultural sector. She holds a PhD in East African history and literature.
Kajebe Jacob Joshua
Kajebe Jacob Joshua is a Ugandan interdisciplinary artist, curator, and cultural practitioner. His work explores relationships through printmaking, barkcloth, textiles, painting, installation, and socially engaged practice. Drawing from Ugandan cultural knowledge and everyday acts of making, he investigates how art can connect people with memory, community, and place. Alongside his studio practice, he curates exhibitions and develops participatory projects that encourage dialogue, learning, and cultural exchange.
Event Details
Date: 4th August 2026
Time: 2:00 pm (GMT +3)
Location: Plot 212 Sonko Close, Kabalagala, Kampala, Uganda
Dr Anna Adima
Dr Anna Adima is a writer, researcher and educator whose work explores the histories, literatures and creative cultures of East Africa. Currently a Lecturer in Modern African History at Durham University, she has previously worked in Uganda as a journalist and in the cultural sector. She holds a PhD in East African history and literature.
Kajebe Jacob Joshua
Kajebe Jacob Joshua is a Ugandan interdisciplinary artist, curator, and cultural practitioner. His work explores relationships through printmaking, barkcloth, textiles, painting, installation, and socially engaged practice. Drawing from Ugandan cultural knowledge and everyday acts of making, he investigates how art can connect people with memory, community, and place. Alongside his studio practice, he curates exhibitions and develops participatory projects that encourage dialogue, learning, and cultural exchange.