Magala Emmanuel Eperu (born 1999) is a visual artist who splits his time between Nairobi and Kampala.

He studied at Kyambogo University’s Faculty of Industrial Art and Design, and his work stretches across painting, sculpture, textiles, and installation. Eperu delves into themes such as identity, land, and what it takes to survive, allowing his choice of materials to guide him along the way.

He leans heavily on indigenous visual languages and gives new life to used fabrics, transforming old, discarded materials into pieces that prompt reflection on sustainability, memory, and our shared responsibilities. His installation, “Woven Dreams,” made from 223 pairs of discarded jeans, doesn’t just recycle; it transforms fashion waste into a meditation on how much we consume and the damage we inflict on the planet.

Eperu does not work alone, either. He has teamed up with Africa Collect Textiles (ACT), the Human Needs Program, the Kibera Arts District, and even the United Nations’ Environment Program, and more recently, he conducted a circular art program with Peponi House Preparatory and a show at Alliance Francaise, Nairobi, for World Environment Day.

Everywhere he goes, he uses art to confront tough environmental realities, but there’s always a thread of hope and creativity woven through his work.