Grey Bear Culture Magazine

With the rise of Artificial Intelligence, groups like Cynefin Pamoja believe nothing can replace human connection or creativity

With the emergence of Artificial Intelligence over the past few years, groups like Cynefin Pamoja believe it is important for people to ground themselves in creative spaces.

Cynefin Pamoja whose name comes from the Welsh word (Cynefin) for belonging, and the Swahili word (Pamoja) for together, are a community group with diverse members from the global majority.

They began a series of creative events starting with ‘Sip and Paint’ on May 16 in Cardiff.

The ‘Sip and Paint’ event allowed people to sit around a large table, network, and relax whilst they painted. During the event there was a quiz, and at the end the best painting was decided by two Aubergine Café baristas.

Co-founder of Cynefin Pamoja, Billy Mazoya said he believes there is a growing sense that technology like A.I. is starting to overtake creative spaces. Speaking to Billy, he said there is a huge important in leaning into our creativity as human beings.

“Everything seems to be really digital, or A.I.”

“An event like this brought people together and reinforced that it’s okay to just sit down, paint, network with people and have that space to free yourself creatively.’”

As a Newport-based community group, the ‘Sip and Paint’ event was the first event Cynefin Pamoja have done in Cardiff. As a Wales-wide organisation, they wanted to expand outside of Newport, starting with the capital.

“We’re super happy to be here, the acceptance, the attendance has been great. We may hold more events in Cardiff. We had such a positive reception.”

Speaking to Billy, he also mentioned the importance of creative events for people from Black, Asian, and global majority backgrounds.

“There is a huge stigma within black, Asian and ethnic and global majority backgrounds or even having an interest in art. There’s a heavy emphasis on STEM subjects. Seeing so many people from Black and Asian backgrounds attend creative events like this is extremely encouraging. It just goes to show we are in a time where people are more open to challenging stigmas.”

Striving for creativity, Cynefin Pamoja’s event was hosted at the Aubergine Café in Cathays. The café’s manager, Sobia Bushra said she loves the wide exposure of different art mediums the café receives.

“The promotion of creative spaces in the cafe is a great way to meet new people: from seasoned artists to attendees trying a fresh new medium. Moreover, you get to learn more about people’s creative and sensory needs when they come and engage in a neurodivergent-friendly space.”

For their creative series of events, Cynefin Pamoja has been supported by the Arts Council of Wales. The two groups had been in conversation for over a year before agreeing on this event.

To put on the event, Cynefin Pamoja teamed up with Stephanie Wilson, an events planner manager, host, and founder of The Events Edit who travelled down from London.

A relatively new business, Stephanie started The Events Edit in November 2025.

Stephanie said she was interested in working with Cynefin Pamoja because of the work they do helping people, and she wanted to be a part of that. She also spoke of the importance of creativity.

“Nowadays everyone’s focused on work. When we were younger, we had all these cartoons, schools, it was very colourful. You walk into schools and see every single colour you could name – it was just fun. Even if you go for fast food, it was bright and happy. Now everything is just dead and boring.”

‘Sometimes when you’re doing something creative it can help you with other things you are thinking about. It is good to ease your brain because there’s so much going on. Especially because I live in London, everything’s just grey, and then when you actually do something creative it brings a pop of colour into your life.’

After the event had finished, Stephanie said she was pleased with the turnout, and the varied group of people that had turned up.

The attendees all came from a wide range of backgrounds, allowing people the chance to speak to and meet people outside of their usual circles. Events like this reinforce the power of human connection, as the attendees had the opportunity to bond over something creative.

This is especially important during a time where A.I. is so prevalent in our everyday lives. Cynefin Pamoja believes it is important for people to be creative and have the opportunity to express themselves in a genuine way.

One local, Katrina Kaur, 58, said she decided to attend the event as this was her year of enjoying life, and she wanted to meet people and get to know the community.

Another Cardiff resident and the winner of the painting contest, Jemima Wilson, 23, said she enjoyed how the different activities split the event up.

“Steph and Billy were absolutely great today. They supported everybody and it felt really inclusive.”

As A.I. continues to grow and develop, creative events like this one are needed even more. This ‘Sip and Paint’ event demonstrates the importance of human creativity and connections.

Upcoming events from Cynefin Pamoja include an Employability & Careers Event June 26.

For updates on future events and community work, connect with Cynefin Pamoja on social media below:

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