Global Citizen’s Emerging Creatives Program provides a platform for emerging creatives in the Global South that are highlighting the need for open civic space worldwide. Through their art, they call for change, shine a light on social injustices, and advocate for the advancement of the Global Goals.
MAY 2026
FEATURED CREATIVE
Emmanuel Wandera
KENYA
Global Citizen’s Emerging Creatives Program is back! Our first featured artist for 2026 is Kenya’s Emmanuel Wandera — an ink stippling artist and young farmer dedicated to spotlighting Indigenous knowledge as a respectable science.
“Ink stippling is an art technique that utilizes tiny distinct dots to create form,” he told us. “It really shows how precise and skilled the artist is, and makes my art stand out and look beautiful.”
For Global Citizen, Wandera created a piece called: “Ngiyolima” which means “I am going to farm” in Samia, his mother tongue. The phrase is an expression of the daily or seasonal life of the Indigenous African communities living in rural farming areas. The image depicts two Indigenous people dressed in their traditional clothing carrying farming tools.
“It speaks of a way of life that is sustainable, healthy, and rich in knowledge. I chose this piece because, as a small scale young farmer, I feel like this way of life is underappreciated. We eat food and we don't know how it's grown,” he says.