Kampala — Ravaged by war for over two decades, the northern region of Uganda has arguably the highest NGO per capita in Uganda and, I could bet an arm and leg, in the whole of Africa. It is easy to know why.

Every major road junction in the fairly bustling town teems with all manner, size and colour of sign posts and billboards. Most announce the locations of all manner of local and international organizations outdoing each other to help the so-called traumatized victims of the Lord's Resistance Army. Among the crowd of signposts is the one proclaiming TAKS Art Gallery which is hosting the first ever modern art exhibition in Gulu town.

The Acholi, as the indigenes of Gulu district are called, are well known for their vivacious traditional cultures. Indeed their cultural music and dance occupy a special place in Uganda's cultural spectrum, not to mention their seasoned traditional crafts and cuisine.

However, for some inexplicable reasons, what is universally referred to as modern art had hitherto never set foot in most regions beyond Kampala city. Many observers have attributed this discrepancy on the commercialisation of art with the largest target groups of the middle and high class, tourists and expatriates residing in the city.

The location of nearly all the modern art galleries and the only museum in Kampala has combined to deny Ugandan art a true national character. But all that may soon become history if what is happening in Gulu at this time is replicated elsewhere, thanks to the relentless efforts of world renowned printmaker, Fred Mutebi and a host of other professional artists.

Through his charity Let Art Talk and with support from the Presidential Emergency Fund for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) in conjunction with the US Embassy Cultural Affairs Small Grants office, Mutebi has, for the past one year been working on a project codenamed "North-South Art Exchange."

He has been working towards bridging the gap between the artistically dominant south and the deprived north, taking the bark cloth culture of the south to the north and generally forging interaction between youngsters from the two regions. This exhibition is the climax of these efforts and the dividends to the young students could have far-reaching benefits.

Involving students of the Laroo School of War Affected Children in Gulu, nearly all of whom tasted the misery of rebel captivity was a strategic choice by Fred Mutebi. Using art he has been able to achieve a multi-pronged target that includes skills and values empowerment, creating awareness about HIV/AIDS among war affected children and mitigating trauma through art therapy. But the climax of the exhibition has added another significant dimension of income generation.

With the rigors associated with marketing art in Uganda well documented, it came as a surprise that over thirteen students had their works bought prior to the official opening of the exhibition! That the first buyer in Gulu was a young female resident of Gulu town was so touching and inspired immense hope among these wannabe artists.

According to the organisers, what is happening in Gulu is nothing short of a renaissance of Ugandan art. The fact that professional artists were able to leave their studios in the comfort of Kampala to stay weeks on end spreading their knowledge freely is a sign of a new testament in Uganda's old chapter of modern art. These included Vincent Okuja, Margaret Nagawa batik/painter Ivan Yakuze, bark cloth artist, Juliet Akumu, textile designer, painter and Fred Mutebi himself.

The kids are showcasing prints, paintings, an assortment of bark cloth products such as tablemats, handbags, wallets, among others. The exhibition runs until 1st December.