Sukuro Etale (b. 1954) is a Kenyan artist, writer, and educator. He is the founder of Sanaa Art Promotions and Sisi Kwa Sisi Collective and former chairman of the Arts Club of Kenya. He is currently the director of Maasai Arts Atelier. He is renowned in Kenya for his efforts to establish a national art gallery and a direction in national art. More than any other artist since Kenya achieved its independence, Sukuro has initiated some significant strides to promote art at the state level. He sat on the first Interim National Council for Culture, initiated and organized the first major national art exhibitions in the early 1980s, and evaluated the Kenyan State’s first art collection.
The Sisi Kwa Sisi Collective was founded in 1983 amid turbulent political conditions following Kenya’s failed military coup in 1982. Etale Sukuro is a cofounder of the group, which was made up of 12 artists, including Kangara wa Njambi (b. 1957), Kabacia Gatu (b. 1951), Gakunju Kaigwa (b. 1958), Mwaniki wa Gachia, Zarina Patel (1935–2024),…
