Source: Barcelona.cat
November 2019
PRESS TEXT
LGBTI. Grace Munene is the first resident on the Safe Haven Residences programme in Barcelona.
As part of the Safe Haven Residences programme, the entities Artists-at-Risk and #NoCallarem are working to take in artists from around the world who are persecuted in their countries of origin. Kenyan rapper, poet and LGBTIQ activist Grace Munene is the first resident on this initiative in Barcelona and was received by Council officials.
The meeting with representatives from the Safe Haven Residence programme and the Kenyan artist Grace Munene resulted in a municipal commitment to initiatives such as the one by Artists-at-Risk and No Callarem. According to the Councillor for Citizen Rights and Participation, Marc Serra, such initiatives “give meaning to and broaden the concept of Barcelona as a refuge city”.
First resident in Barcelona
Kenyan rapper, poet and LGBTIQ activist Grace Munene, better known as Grammo Suspect – Rainbow Ambassador Kenya, has been living between Barcelona and Berga for the last three months as a resident on the programme. She is the first artist to do so in Barcelona, developing her work at the self-managed artistic residence and art centre run by Konvent Punt Zero, in Berga.
In Kenya, as a lesbian LGBTI artist Grammo Suspect suffered discrimination and abuse from the police, street gangs and the music community. The Kenyan artist’s lyrics stand up for human rights and the LGBTI community in her country, the rest of Africa and the whole world, giving strength to many people who suffer as a result of loving how they wish.
Munene’s experience, at the Barcelona LGBTI Centre
In an outreach session organised at the Barcelona LGBTI Centre, Grace Munene shared the experience from her stay in Catalonia, her life and her trajectory as an artist and activist.
The session with Barcelona’s LGBTIQ community explored possible future collaboration opportunities for when Munene’s stay concludes.
