Food Basket - Weaving Knowledge. Njabala Foundation x Iraa-The Granary

Following a recent visit to the Karibu Exhibition at Njabala Foundation, members of the Iraa team were generously guided through the works by artists Mary D Laruni and Darren Akoragye, opening up thoughtful reflections on the material intelligence of mat weaving, the naming of patterns, and the personal stories, memories and knowledge embedded within the slow, patient labour of making.

Rooted in research and collaboration with mat-weaving artisans in Iganga, the Karibu Project foregrounds women’s creative labour and the cultural knowledge carried within traditional mat-making (mukeeka) practices. These practices hold histories of place, memory, and lived experience, often encoded through pattern, material, and naming traditions passed across generations.

This Food Basket session invites us into conversation to reflect on the research, relationships, and artistic processes that shape this work. The discussion will consider mat weaving as more than craft or object, but as a living archive of indigenous knowledge and…