Mathare Empire

Mathare Empire is a bold creative collective and community hub in Mathare, Nairobi. We transform our community through art,Trees, education, fashion, film, music, and storytelling.

Just as violence in Nairobi’s urban ghettos is continous and slow, so does healing through Music and tree planting have to be a continous process.
Mathare Empire is a Futuristic Art based movement started by energetic youths and Artists from mathare slums,Nairobi Kenya.It inspires & unites artists and communities to reimagine, mould and work towards futuristic possible realities .guided by the philosophy “Mathare futurism” we repaint, restore, and reinforce a healthier environment for all ,through the use of Art and Trees.
Beyond making art and music, the Mathare Empire is conscripting nature’s healing powers to challenge and alleviate the long-term effects of and sustain attention towards social injustice causes. These young men and women also choose to be eco-warriors, creating an enabling environment, restoring dignity and demanding the right to life from a state that minimises their existence. The greening campaigns create the connection between environmental injustice and the erosion of social justice; the link between a healthy environment and quality of life.
Also, The Mathare Empire’s focus is young men facing the threat of extrajudicial executions who plant trees to reclaim lost life and dignify in the memory of peers labeled as criminal and forgotten after death.
. ME aims to mobilise and green Mathare to foster a community ethic, physical discipline, mental empowerment and healing. Also to note, ME plants 4 types of functional trees in Mathare, among which are: i) Fruit Trees - To feed the community. ii) Medicinal Trees - To provide the community in Mathare with natural medicinal resources. iii) Ornamental Trees - This is just for beautification purposes, in an attempt to give the community a more appealing outlook. iv) Memorial Trees - To commemorate the lives of those who have lost their lives to extra-judicial executions and police brutality in Mathare. This is to provide healing of wounds in the community.
Planting, not merely trees, but the seeds of life, healing, ideas, courage, hope and solidarity.