Art of Civics: The Power of Rest, Rhythm, and Roots
How can ancestral memory, cultural rhythm, and intentional rest serve as tools for civic transformation?
Meet three visionary changemakers whose work bridges art, technology, wellness, and storytelling:
Wakanyi Hoffman is a scholar, storyteller, and folklorist exploring how African Indigenous wisdom can shape ethical frameworks for emerging technologies. At Utrecht University’s Inclusive AI Lab, she leads initiatives that integrate Ubuntu philosophy into the design of responsible, sustainable AI systems. Her work emphasizes compassion, community, and relational knowledge in guiding innovation. Wakanyi is founder of the Humanity Link Foundation, home to the African Folktales Project—a curated archive preserving intergenerational stories rooted in Ubuntu values. She is also the author of Sala, Mountain Warrior, the first children’s book depicting the Samburu people of Northern Kenya. Through storytelling and research, she champions ethical technology grounded in collective good.
Kimberly Knox is currently the Executive Producer for American Composers Orchestra. She is a multidisciplinary producer, visionary cultural strategist, and curator with over 25 years shaping entertainment, media, and arts. Her work includes projects with Red Bull, Afropunk, BAM, Harlem Stage, and Karma Automotive. Kimberly co-created Infused, a cannabis and culinary docuseries, and has produced content for BRIC Media, 651 Arts, and Global Black Pride. She is founder of Ubiquita Public Art (UPA), a creative studio developing media and performance projects across the Afro-diaspora. UPA is currently producing a touring orchestral concert and film based on Donnie’s debut album The Colored Section. Kimberly also executive produces Global Black Health Matters, a docuseries in partnership with NYU’s Office of Global Inclusion.
Birungi Kawooya is visual artist, creative facilitator and wellbeing researcher whose work is inspired by nature, Black feminisms and Afro somatic movement. Birungi has a strong collaborative art practice and she loves to deliver Mindful African Art workshops to stimulate imagining liberation. In 2024 she was in residence at Makerere Institute of Social Research and co-curated Cultivating Rhythms of Care as part of KLA Art festival. She is currently exhibiting A Space for Resistance and Renewal, a bark cloth installation that provides a gathering place for rest, repair and resistance to colonial violence at Science Gallery London.