Lemek Tompoika benefits from ‘Give’ – KBC

Lemek Tompoika the first beneficiary of ‘Give’ by Ogilvy

Starting this month, Lemek Tompoika, a young Kenyan artist influenced by his Maasai culture will exhibit his art on the walls of the Ogilvy’s offices in Nairobi through the agency’s initiative titled Give.

This isn’t the first time Lemek will be showcasing his work, last year he showcased his Art at the In-Between pop-up exhibition that took place at The Lab in Nairobi.

Speaking at the launch event yesterday, Ogilvy CEO Mathieu Plassard said that Give is an initiative by Ogilvy Africa that seeks to support young African artists to believe in their dreams. He added that the initiative is in line with Ogilvy’s three pillars: actions that are human-centered, innovative and actions that matter.

“In our line of work, we meet extraordinary talents in the streets or in an art gallery every day. With Give, we want to give back to the communities who inspire us. We want to offer these creative minds our expertise and a platform to express their imagination. This program is in line with Ogilvy’s core values and enables us as a creative agency to tell these young artists that what they have is precious and your point of view is unique,” added Mr Plassard.

Give is an initiative which aims to support the creative talents and help underprivileged youth in communities to gain the much needed creative skills. The initiative will comprise of approaches which include Give Time and Give Space.

Through Give Time, Ogilvy staff will dedicate time to teach and share creative skills and ideas with students. This will include areas such as creative writing, drawing and photography.

On the other hand, Give Space will enable young artists who will be selected based on their potential and the depth of their message, to exhibit their art in Ogilvy offices. This will give them an opportunity to showcase their skills and ideas.

Give will first be implemented at Ogilvy Africa’s headquarters in Nairobi, Dar-Es-Salaam, Accra, Lagos and Lusaka. In Nairobi, volunteers from the agency will teach at Koinonia School where students come from the Kibagare slum in the Western part of the city. The project will enable students who come from single-parent families with very low income to communicate their emotions and tell their own stories through art.