PROJECT PHAKAMA was a participatory arts organisation that specialised in developing work with young people locally and internationally. It was an arts organisation in residence at Queen Mary University of London, hosted by the School of English and Drama, from 2008-2023. Phakama is a Xhosa word meaning stand up, elevate and empower yourself. This reflects the origins of the company: Phakama grew from an international collaboration in 1996 between artists and arts educators from the UK and South Africa, keen to develop new approaches to participatory arts practice that foreground the voices and experiences of young people.
The Phakama Give and Gain methodology, focusing on cultural equity and shared responsibility, supported young people in Argentina, Brazil, India, Ireland, Japan and across Europe to develop public performances responding to the social, economic and political issues that shaped their lives including climate justice (Message in a Bottle), censorship (TripWires), intergenerational inequity and social exclusion (The Edible Garden). Its annual flagship programme included Rise Up; alongside projects such as Community Lunch and Talking Books with London Early Years Foundation’s Soho Nursery. Phakama had an active youth board that modelled Phakama’s commitment to social justice, cultural access and supporting alternative training provisions for young people interested in arts and cultural development.
Further information on Phakama’s working practice and projects can be found in Caoimhe McAvinchey, Fabio Santos, Lucy Richardson, ‘Phakama: Making Participatory Performance’ (London: Bloomsbury, 2018) ISBN 9781350044456
Access to the digital archive of Phakama’s programme and work can be requested at Queen Mary University library by contacting archives@qmul.ac.uk
Project Phakama’s core funders included Arts Council England, Tower Hamlets, Mayor of London’s Commission for Diversity on the Public Realm, and Queen Mary University Public Engagement.