Gilbert Daniel Bwette

Bwette Daniel Gilbert youth Journalist / Photojournalist Bwette (Gilbert) Daniel is a community youth activist and team leader at the Bavubuka Foundation. He is also a founding member of the dance community Jericho Breakers, an ICT (Information and Communications Technology) consultant for Early Life Radio and Heart In Action, the Ugandan Correspondent and Senior Photographer for Youth Journalism International and Young African Visionaries and a Freelance Photographer and Journalist for Masaani Art - Uganda.

In 2008 Bwette joined the Bavubuka Foundation and began to develop his passions with the goal of applying them in his community to create positive change and a platform for the voice of the youth to be heard. This commitment to his community earned him a place as a finalist in Uganda’s 2010 Young Achiever Awards. It is Bwette’s dedication to excellence combined with his passion for change that has attracted both national and international opportunities to work in the fields of photography, graphic design, ICT and community journalism. In 2011 Bwette participated in the organization and documentation of the National Debate Championships and in 2011, he was a team leader for the Uganda Millennium Development Goals Conference heading the technological team which streamed the conference live on the internet.

In addition to his extensive professional freelance work, Bwette is dedicated to ensuring that the skills he has learned are passed on to the next generation and that the opportunities he is given are also offered to his community whenever possible. He is active in high schools across Uganda leading workshops and sharing his journey as an inspiration for youth to gain confidence through journalism, art, photography, and technology. He encourages each one he reaches to celebrate their culture and use their passions to create a voice for themselves and their communities. In 2012, Bwette was selected to be part of the Emerging youth Peace network of the Universal Peace wheel whereas the Uganda Youth peace ambassador on the programme with 21 more yout ambassador from different countries. During this project, Bwette organized a peace project at Stand Tall Education Centre to celebrate International Peace day with the students of the education centre.

As a community-focused photographer Bwette has had collaborative exhibitions internationally at MoCADA (Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts) New York in 2011 and locally at Uganda National Cultural Theatre during the Bayimba Cultural Festival 2011, Breda International Photo Festival 2012, B-Global Hiphop Exhibition in Uganda 2012, Hague at International Institute of Social Studies (ISS)2013, Visionary Africa : ART at WORK (European union International Photo Exhibition)2012, among others.

Through his work as a Bavubuka Foundation team leader for CHANGE IS VISIBLE Gilbert participates as both a community leader and as a member on the ICT team. This collaborative youth project is dedicated to providing a virtual conference platform for passionate youth leaders of Africa to share ideas and build visions for the future of their Continent. 2013 promises to be Bwette’s most exciting year yet as he leads the launch of Bavubuka Dynasty’s UG Hip Hop Archivist Movement. This indigenous movement, inspired by the original Luga Flow Movement, is a collective of hip hop creative writers, researchers, peacebuilders & makers, journalists and photographers who are committed to archive and preserving Uganda’s golden hip hop history, celebrating the past, present and future. As a founding member of the collective Gilbert will be leading the most creative and intelligent minds of Uganda’s youth as they develop the vision of the archiving indigenous hip hop history in Uganda.