Art Workshop at the Sudanese Refugee Camp

October 21

Saturday was magnificent. I woke up early, a little nervous and anxious. I was meeting this artist I met at the GoDown to go out into one of the slums outside of Nairobi near his house to do this art workshop with Sudanese refugee kids. He’s done this for awhile, paying for all the supplies and snacks he gets for the kids out of his own pocket. He’s in the process of trying to expand it and get outside funding so that he can pay for some of the kids to go to school (because they can’t go now. Technically up to secondary education is free, but you still have to buy books and uniforms and all, so if you’re really poor, you can’t go to school) First was the anxiety of getting there-I sort of knew where I was going and made sure to ask a number of people along the way. I got part way there, then was told the matatu I was on didn’t go all the way where I wanted to go, so I had to switch to another one and made it almost to the spot where this guy said he’d pick me up in his car. I texted him and he met me where I was. We went out to Riuru and met up with his wife and a friend in the church in the slum (which was a square room made out of sheet metal). There were about 35 kids about ages 5-12 (there were 60 last week, but a lot of them left to go swimming that day). We did painting. John led them in some painting and color exercises after we sang some songs and I introduced myself in Kiswahili, then I became the subject for the day. All the kids painted their interpretations of me. It was so much fun and they were really good! I want to see if I can get a portrait or two from him. In the process of the day I had red paint explode all over me, and the kids thought that was pretty entertaining.
Afterwards we drove to the open-air market nearby to pick up some veggies and they invited me for dinner. On the drive back to their house the car ran out of gas because the gas gauge didn’t work. Fortunately we were about a 10 min. walk from home. Rosemary made dinner in their 2-room house and I played outside with the chickens and rabbits and their 3-year-old son. 3-year-olds are the perfect age for me to understand Kiswahili (although his is better than mine)!! We had spinach with onions, tomato and nyama-choma and ugali. It was super yummy, and good meat.
Then I made it home on the 1 hour matatu ride alive. Then all the K kids came over for a birthday party for Patrick. A fun night indeed.