This series is a five-year-long project that is finally coming to fruition for The Artist Oliver James. This project is a series of portraits of the children at HMMU. Dressed in some of the biggest fashion brands, with patterns from 'Dutch Wax' fabric and traditional Ugandan attire, this series looks to not only raise money to help provide for the children of HMMU but to call out the interwoven history of colonialism on the content of Africa, textile waste, and its role in systemic oppression.  

 

James has been working with Kissule Herman, the director of Hope of Mercy Ministries Uganda, a non-profit orphanage in Jinja, Uganda, to help provide food, clothing, and other necessities to the children at HMMU. Over the years, Kissule and Oliver have collaborated to raise funds for goat purchases to support holiday dinners and school fees. In 2019, they worked together on a business plan to acquire land for food production and cattle farming.

 

       According to UNICEF, Uganda has 2.5 million orphans; 1.2 million of them are orphaned as a result of AIDS. Accidents are also common causes of orphaned children in Uganda. Those who get serious diseases like cancer, cholera, and tuberculosis usually die as a result, because medical treatments are too expensive for those who are poor. This has also contributed to the rise in the number of orphans in Uganda. These orphans face numerous challenges, one of which is that they have no access to education.

​

        The proceeds will help Hope of Mercy Ministries Uganda, a non-profit organization that takes care of the orphaned and widowed of Jinja, Uganda. Please also think about donating directly to Hope of Mercy Ministries Uganda.   

​

        Thank you to all the children at Hope of Mercy Ministries Uganda and Busboys and Poets. These portraits will be on display at Busboy and Poets on 14th and V in Washington, DC., in September 2024. 

​

        Using acrylic paint on 36"x 48" and 24"x 48" plywood, this three-layer stencil style with traditional Ugandan and 'Dutch Wax' patterns was painted on a plain background to allow the color and patterns in the foreground to pop.  

​

Design: The Artist Oliver James

Photography/Videography: Oliver James