My name is Samuel Olou. I am a painter and sculptor and the initiator of KARP (Kamina artist and research platform) in 2016.

I am fundraising to build a permanent art and culture center with a unique residency program, in Kamina, Togo.

Kamina is a historical village where the first intercontinental radio communication was built and destroyed in 1914 during the first world war.

Kamina is situated in the Atakpamé district, and the project is to support and encourage cultural exchange, organize workshops for artisans, train craft men, support artists especially children in their quest to learn and improve their creative skills in a challenging environment where there is no art school or institution.

Furthermore, the aim of the project is to promote innovative artistic investigations, and to facilitate a creative dialogue and collaboration in the context of contemporary cultural practice among local and international artists, to foster their visibility and build new networks.

My goal is also to catalyze cultural, socio-political, and environmental art practice across different geographical locations to narrate and tell our stories.

The program has been running since 2016 up until today with support from artist friends and myself together with other occasional donors who extend a helping hand without any major sponsorship.

Now that 4 hector of land is acquired, the architectural plan, and the evaluation of the project is in place. There has been an urgent need to build a cultural center to boost art, culture, and creativity.

In fact, as an artist and cultural ambassador who has worked extensively in Europe, China, and Africa, I have been able to explore the globalization of culture first hand. This range of experience has enabled me to see the diversity of aesthetic and expressive practices across cultures. These cross-cultural explorations have shaped my vision to give back to my society. Therefore, I am dedicated to the idea that art is one of the best ways to learn the value of creativity, literacy, and cultural understanding.