As part of its international exchange programme with Pro Helvetia, L’Abri-Geneva is welcoming Ugandan artist duo Wakabi Anorld and Maganda Shakul to its studios from mid-August to mid-November 2026. This residency is organised in collaboration with Pro Helvetia Johannesburg, one of Pro Helvetia’s liaison offices dedicated to fostering artistic and cultural exchanges between Switzerland and the African continent. This partnership takes place every year at the same time of year.
The artists
Wakabi, who is an innovative recycler, combines art and fashion design through installations and sculptures created from recycled materials. Maganda, meanwhile, blends music production, percussion, spontaneous field recordings and fashion design. He reimagines ancestral rhythms using indigenous instruments, drawing on a cultural memory that he translates into contemporary productions under the stage name BAKISIMBATRONICS. His work combines rhythmic traditions and electronic music to create a new musical language.
Clothing brand
The two artists have also launched an eco-conscious Ugandan fashion brand based on upcycling, called TUTABAALE. The brand creates contemporary garments from second-hand fabrics and textile waste. It also incorporates traditional Ugandan symbols, such as cowrie shells, to celebrate cultural pride and African identity.
The residency
The residency at L’Abri is part of an initiative that fosters dialogue between Swiss and international artists, facilitates the discovery of new artistic and cultural contexts, and creates spaces for research, exchange and collaboration. It offers participating artists an opportunity to engage in research and creative work within Geneva’s art scene.
During their residency at L’Abri – Geneva, Wakabi and Maganda are developing their project EcoSonic, an exploration of sounds and visual textures using recycled materials sourced from public spaces, alongside sound recordings made in various public locations across Geneva. An immersive installation will be set up, bringing together these recycled materials, recordings and indigenous Ugandan sounds.
The artists are also making the most of their stay in Geneva by meeting other artists and discovering the local cultural scene.
