Mashariki Journal is a forum that generates discourse on culture‘s role in development and regional integration amongst East African artists, cultural leaders and managers, the broader civil society and state actors. The Journal serves as a space for connecting artists, researchers, policymakers and organizations working on diverse aspects of culture and peace building; a venue for conversations about the critical challenges confronting peace building in conflict-affected areas in the region and showcasing how culture-based interventions can lead to social cohesion. As at March 2017, the Culture and Development East Africa (CDEA) has broadened the adventures of Mashariki Journal to include an editorial team from Kenya and Uganda. This is realized from the promised support given to the ―Arts Journalism Research Fellowship‖ program of Arterial Network Kenya and the Creative Arts Society of Kenya. This program aims to offer a platform for artists within East Africa to be able to experientially expose their sentiments while sharing their stories of creativity; and this enhances peaceful co-existence of our communities while promoting innovation. CDEA is a service organization that aims to support artists, cultural leaders and creative entrepreneurs in cultural development in Tanzania and wider East Africa. We define culture as a Celebration, Expression, Interpretation, Interaction, Negotiation and Value Systems. The cultural context of development includes the give-and-take of socialization, negotiation, protocol, the implementation of conventions at national and regional level, as well as through bilateral and multinational relations. We define development as the expansion of choices not just growth of material production. The mission of Art Journalism Research Fellowship program is to provide a forum for scholarship and visual exploration in the visual arts; to be a unique voice in the field as a peer-reviewed, professionally mediated forum for the arts in East Africa; to operate in the spaces between commercial publishing, academic presses, and artist presses; to be pedagogically useful by making links between theoretical issues and their use in teaching at the college and university levels; to explore relationships among diverse forms of art practice and production, as well as among art making, art history, visual studies, theory, and criticism; to give voice and publication opportunity to artists, art historians, and other writers in the arts; to be responsive to issues of the moment in the arts, both nationally and globally; to focus on topics related to twentieth- and twenty-first-century concerns; to promote dialogue and debate. This will be done through the Mashariki Journal, which welcomes submissions from authors and artists in East Africa and at every career stage, is published four times a year in January, April, July and October by Culture and Development East Africa, an organization in Tanzania.
ARTIST
MASHARIKI Editor AYETA ANNE WANGUSA Communications Design ADHENGO BOAZ
Associate Editors GREGG MWENDWA, GRACE MATATA, ANGELA KILUSUNGU
Arterial Network Kenya Office Gregg Mwendwa Nancy Otieno Adam Kiboi Dancan Daniel Ronald Tonui Joan Munga Sophie Dola Keith Pearson
- Machakos - Kisumu - Kilifi - Nyamira - Kericho - Kiambu - Homabay - Nanyuki
Culture and Development East Africa Ayeta Anne Wangusa Executive Director Madaraka Nyerere Chairman
Volume 4 Issue No. 1
contents APRIL 2017
VOLUME 4 NUMBER 1
editorial A Note from the Editor Ayeta Wangusa Opinion 2
Savings and Credits for the Arts Boaz Adhengo
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Does Culture Matter for Development Augusto Lopez-Claros
features 13
Force of Fashion Anne McCreathe
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Ubunifu Hub Greggory Mwendwa
Mashariki Journal is published four times a year under the partnership of Arterial Network Kenya and CDEA(Culture and Development East Africa).Inquiries may be addressed to: Managing Editor, Mashariki Journal Plot 421, House 1001, Mikocheni B P.O. Box 1335, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Tel: +2552227880087 ď‚˝ +254772422240 secretariat@cdea.or.tz / adhengo@hotmail.com Website: www.cdea.or.tz
East African Voices 23
Writers Lounge Zuhura Seng’enge
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My Song for Burunidi Andrea Greider
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Editorial
Editors Note Creativity in Africa has taken a regional look, with the continent continuously shaping up its economic potential in addressing issues of culture amidst an ever growing gestalt of hope. The changing dimensions of understanding poverty, the pursuit for peace and a worldview of ethnologies has brought a . deeper insight in this appreciation of the role that collaboration plays in cultural enlightenments. It is in this understanding that the Mashariki Journal is opening up its potential into tapping the stories and ventilating the voices of East African artists who act as custodians of development in a myriad of diffused regional cultures. In March 2017, Culture and Development East Africa (CDEA) broadened scope of Mashariki Journal to include an editorial team from Kenya and Uganda. This is realized from the support we are continuously giving towards the Arts Journalism Research Fellowship program of Arterial Network Kenya and the Creative Arts Society of Kenya. This program aims to offer a platform for artists within East Africa to be able to experientially expose their sentiments while sharing their stories of creativity; and this enhances peaceful coexistence of our communities, while promoting innovation. The mission of Art Journalism Research Fellowship program is to provide a forum for scholarship and visual exploration in the visual arts; to be a unique voice in the field as a peer-reviewed, professionally mediated forum for the arts in East Africa; to operate in the spaces between commercial publishing, academic presses, and artists. In this issue you we bring you opinion piece on savings and credit for the arts by Mr. Boaz Adhengo, President to the Creative Arts Society of Kenya. We also have features on the Fashion Industry in Kenya and the launch of the Ubunifu Hubs in Machakos. From Tanzania, we share with you the unique Caine Prize Public Reading and Conversation that saw four stories of the Caine Prize winner and nominees translated and read in Kiswahili alongside the English originals. We also have poetic voices from Burundi arising. The Poetry Workshop, My Song for Burundi, was part of Jalada Mobile Literary and Arts Festival that took place in Kigali. The workshop was organized by Transpoesis, which aims at creating space for creativity as a way of healing and as a contribution to reconciliation and peace. Volume 4, Issue 2 of Mashariki Journal will be published in July 2017. In that issue, we shall highlight the East African Creative Portal that will be launched by CDEA. If you or your organization would like to become a contributor, please contact: secretariat@cdea.or.tz copied to adhengo@hotmail.com
Ayeta Anne Wangusa
Editor, Mashariki Journal.
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Savings and Credit for the Arts
Recently I attended a forum about creative financing. This forum organized by the HEVA Fund was an interactive session by those people passionate about art, the artists themselves and the would be patrons in this creative sector. In all these talks, I reminded myself that my skills in political analysis were still vibrant but also, I was a creative. Having worked for the nonprofit organisations most of which were private to the family, I share in thought of culture and progress of hope. In this forum for creative funding, my main interest was to showcase my new book ―Essence of Art‖ but surprisingly, many had read the electronic version and selling this piece of literature was much difficult than my imaginary promotion. And in this dilemma of thought, my mind must have went on a trance; I remember wondering if at all Karl Marx had attended the HEVA Forum and heard what was being discussed, how dissatisfied with his inventions of capitalist ideologues would his rest become. To another point, I imagined Saint Thomas Aquinas and Karl Marx having tea with me at some undisclosed place, where I also served them chapatti and porridge. Our talks were breathtaking!
Mr. Boaz Adhengo is President at the Creative Arts Society of Kenya, he also volunteers as Executive Officer for Arterial Network Kenya Chapter. His recent book is “Essence of Art”, Lulu Books, 2017.
Karl Marx at the Alchemist bar, an imaginary photo shopping that connects 21 st to the 18th
Opinion
The Kenyan artist still remains confused whether his intuition is voluntary from passion or must be induced by government curricular for art education. This Kenyan artist is less innovative and more inclined to ―aid for thought‖ and this translates to ―donations for creativity‖ without which he fails to solve his basic core problems of ethical entertainment and misconseptualises general art to be nothing but a reflection of good sex. This artist is less innovative and suffers from deficient creative syndrome. Perhaps that‘s my diagnosis. In our talk with Karl Marx, he asks me whether am a beurgosie. He masters the trade in transport and he is overwhelmed with the graphics. I tell him am an artist and he smiles. Thomas Aquinas retorts, ―I think therefore I am‖ and we can only help to consider him for a fresh argument. Aquinas claims he has just visited Kenya from Rome and is surprised by the art in the cathedral; he insists that truly God exists. While thinking about this topic, my confusion was within the confine of the artists who fail to think; and as Thomas Aquinas would agree with me, these artists should cease to exist as art agents. But to understand my pain, we must visit the importance of savings and credit opportunities identified specifically for the creative as originated by the artists themselves. A Savings and Credit Cooperative is a type of cooperative whose objective is to pool savings for the members and in turn provide them with credit facilities. The general objective of SACCOs is to promote the economic interests and general welfare of its members. We define a cooperative as an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise. Co-operatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity. Co-operative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility, and caring for others. The pioneers of modern cooperation emerged in working- class environments in European Industrial cities of the 19th Century. In the 1840s,the first to industrialize countries (Great Britain and France),pioneers of co-operative invented models of the consumer cooperative and the labor cooperative to defend and promote the interests of working-class families in the face of the social disasters caused by industrial revolution. The second generation of the pioneers of modern cooperation emerged, in certain European rural environments in the late 19th century. In the 1860s, these pioneers created the models of agricultural cooperatives and savings and credit cooperatives inspired by the success of the consumer cooperatives formula in Great Britain and based on old traditions of rural solidarity aimed to meet the primary economic needs, which went unsatisfied. Agricultural cooperatives then enabled families of farmers and livestock raisers to organize their own supply systems of agricultural inputs and market their products and no longer depended on merchants and businessmen in the cities. The SACCOs helped them to stop depending on moneylenders and to find the credit necessary to modernize their agricultural cooperatives. SACCOs in Kenya are currently among the leading sources of the co-operative credit for socio-economic development. Cooperatives in Kenya were started in 1908 and membership was limited to white colonial settlers. The first cooperative was established at Lumbwa, present day Kipkelion area. In 1944 colonial officers allowed Africans to form and join cooperatives. The initial attempt to encourage African farming co-operatives was initiated by the need to implement the recommendations of the 'Swynnerton Plan' of 1953. The Swynnerton Plan was formulated to improve African farming, specifically the growing of cash crops and is recorded to have encouraged the progress and growth of African cooperatives. It was at this point that the recommendation that a registrar of cooperatives be appointed was made. In 1945, a new Cooperative Societies Ordinance was enacted which allowed African participation in the cooperative movement. In 1946, a department of cooperatives was established and a registrar of cooperatives appointed. By 1950 most colonial civil servants began to support and encourage the development of cooperatives and by 1952, about 160 cooperatives had been registered.
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The post-independence era saw the rapid increase the in number of producer organizations and consolidation of the ones that already existed. At this time, the government saw the cooperative movement as a means for African socialism, and strengthening common ties between the people from different regions of Kenya. In 1963 there were about 1000 cooperatives, which rapidly grew in number since then. Today, the co-operatives are an integral part of the Government economic strategy aimed at creating income generating opportunities particularly in the rural areas. The co-operative movement has been recognized by the Government as a vital institution for the mobilization of human and material resources for various development progress particularly in the rural areas where the majority of people reside, earning their livelihood mainly from agriculture.
The co-operative movement now contributes well over 45 per cent of Kenya's GDP and it is estimated that at least one out of every two Kenyans directly or indirectly derives his/her livelihood from the co-operative movement. Over the years, the co-operative movement remained predominantly agriculturally oriented. However, in the recent past, the co-operative movement has experienced significant diversification in activities and interests notably savings and credit. Other non-agro-based co-operatives have also emerged and ventured into areas such as housing; "Jua-Kali", building and construction, handicrafts, transport, small scale industries, etc. SACCOs are one of the leading sources of rural finance and in many rural areas the local SACCO is the only provider of financial services. While the exact number of SACCOs operating in Kenya is not known, estimates range from almost 4,000 up to 5,000 and surprisingly to many, 75% of Kenya‘s creative artists still complain of lacking in association or access to credit facilities. At the HEVA Forum, my frustration was obvious. The crowd was less objective and were more ―tabu la rassa‖ on concepts being induced as opposed to a generative dialogue. Yet tabu in Kiswahili means ‗problem‘ while in latin, it means empty. So, a tabu crowd of creatives. Karl Marx was very disappointed with the world, and ashamed to even refer to his economic treatise. In our conversation, he tells me that his manifesto would be an eye opener to the crowd but he also understands that ever since he went to sleep, a lot has happened including colonialism. I make Thomas Aquinas to take blame for his statements, and he insists that his work is generally Gods doing. Yet, in my analogue, that phrase of ―I think therefore I am‖ could have been the mother of all colonial greed, for it brought the steam engine and wheel; it brought the firearm and other forms of injustices; perhaps it diversified sexual appetites. Africans remain cognitive beings with a segment of space and time that could be in its own niche, an arena that should not be seen as catching up with the west but actually naturally progressing without the selective darwinianism of embroidery.
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The African society is classified into a single level of communal growth, and this reflects the creative processes, which also involves collective thinking. This process is different from the western worldviews of art. I reach for my blackberry in the pocket and this old man asks me, ―what is that?‖ and I tell him, ―a phone‖. Karl Marx is after all primitive, so I think. He just woke up from the dead and this African time is beyond his comprehension. Guess what? Nietschez walks in with a copy of my book ―Essence of Art‖ and I can see him smiling all the way. ―Are you Boaz?‖ He asks. ―Yes‖, I answer back. He joins into our conversation after insisting that I sign his copy of my book. Which I do with love. For Nietzsche, Man is the source or order and structure in the universe. Man moulds the universe through language and ideas. Life itself is devoid of sense and meaning. The only meaning life may have is the one Man endows it with, therefore, Man is also the source of sense and meaning in the universe. A practical question then arises: Through what ways and means may Man bestow the world with meaning, that it will further his growth and development towards perfection? It is by virtue of artistic creativity that Man may be enabled to justify his existence, and give meaning and direction to it. It is through art that Man may find the path to self-engrandizement, to the übermench. Nietzsche identifies a basic physiological condition that engenders, or makes possible, the artistic production: "If there is to be art, if there is to be any aesthetic doing and seeing, one physiological condition is indispensable: frenzy. Frenzy must first have enhanced the excitability of the whole machine; else there is no art." Nietzsche uses the term "physiological" because he denies the dichotomy of body and soul. For him the psychical state is to be found in the bodily condition proper to that specific psychical state; that is, in the corporeal-psychical unity. Thus, The constituent of this basic aesthetic state is frenzy, or rapture: that rapture engendered by sexual excitation above all - sensuality for Nietzsche is a fundamental ingredient for the aesthetic condition - or rapture reached through dance, music or narcotics. What is primordial is the increase of strength, fullness, and plenitude bestowed by rapture. It is in this state that Man's artistic will is enhanced: "In this state one enriches everything out of one's own fullness: whatever one sees, whatever wills is seen swelled, taut, strong, overloaded with strength. A man in this state transforms things until they mirror his power - until they are reflections of his perfection. This having to transform into perfection is - art." For Nietzsche, art is not the imitation of nature, but a metaphysical complement that will enable the transcendence of nature itself. Art is the fundamental metaphysical activity of Man; art is the highest form of human activity. Nietzsche's view of art is, at the same time, the most sublime and metaphysical: "The world is a work of art that gives birth to itself." Interesting conversation, and am made to wonder what these three philosophers think about my advocacy for ―Creative Arts Savings and Credit Cooperative Society‖. I just wonder. And while am immersed in my thought, this Marx person shouts ―Economic sabstrata‖, the beurgouise is the most relevant person in the life of an artist. You can‘t create on an empty stomach‖. Thomas joins in support ―Yes! I think therefore I am‖. Thomas Aquinas believes that every situation doesn‘t happen out of necessity. If things happened exactly as they did, how could we humans ever live a free life? It's necessary for moral responsibility. We can't be blamed for things we had no control over. For example if am an artist and during an exhibition, fire engulfs all my paintings all I could do is to help myself in staying artistically relevant. I can‘t blame myself for the fire. So, the artist must always live according to God‘s will, and if God ordains that he will be rich, so let it be so. Art sustains life. Art is what makes life endurable and thus possible. Art is what make life worth living. Nietzsche depicts this through a beautiful metaphor: "Once again we may see the artistic buoyancy and creative joy as a luminous cloud shape reflected upon the dark surface of a lake of sorrow." Hence, this is another basic role of art: art as a metaphysical solace. Nietszsche, analyzing the Greek tragedy writes: "The metaphysical solace (with which, I wish to say at once, all true tragedy sends us away) that despite every phenomenal change, life is at bottom indestructibly joyful and powerful." The function of art is one of supporting, maintaining, affirming, and enhancing life. Art is for art's sake, that is, art justifies itself and has the quality of dispensing with a purpose - moral or rational - since only through the aesthetic production can the world be justified. "The fight against purpose in art is always a fight against the moralizing tendency in art, against its subordination to morality." Art is the great stimulus to life, so from an aesthetic viewpoint we need not to look for purpose, for art is purpose in itself: the purpose of life. Art may well be said to be the bridge between Man and the superhuman, the übermench, the bridge to perfection and eternity. All nihilism in Nietzsche's philosophical system is sublimated to art as the highest metaphysical activity in Man, bestowing life with sublime meaning. I fail to feel satisfied, sadly, he exits from our discussion; after all, I have signed his copy of my book.
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Karl Marx looks happy with Nietszsche, but Thomas is saddened on how sexual instinct can dominate the thought of mankind. He asks me how to use the mobile phone, perhaps he wants to narrate this orgy to Rene Descartes, but then I tell him, Rene is walking dead somewhere in Australia because his theories are not of benefit to the Kenyan creative sector. With this, I insist they tell me what should be done to make Kenyan artists understand that having a cooperative society is important. Thomas doesn‘t have an answer, he just sees no need for currency. He wants me to visit the Vatican and look at the cathedrals that make it. The art that has been inspired by God is beyond money; and besides, Jesus was betrayed by thirty pieces of silver. Artists need to be truthful, to reflect only the purest form of nature as intuitively inspired. And am so amused how a saint can think this way. So, I turn my head to Karl Marx, ―At times you may need a fund that will take care of your frequent need for improvements on various kinds of tangible assets or valuable possessions. Savings can help artists do all this. They can timely have improvements done for their studios or property repair. Though art dictates we have only one life to live but that one life should be filled with colors of fulfillment, and this can only come with ―Savings.‖ It is only through saving money that you can fulfill your dreams, aspirations of your family and others. So let money speak for you through regular savings and become capable of enjoying a long and beautiful life. With that, Karl Marx asks me what the word swag means. And I can‘t explain. But he breaks the silence in his curiosity to ask if the word capital means anything, since am talking about savings and credits for the artist. Sadly enough, my son wakes me from this dream. I must have dozed on the car seat. But a lesson I learn from this trance is that Kenyan artists can make changes in their well-being. All they need is to cooperate with each other, share their problems and from such an understanding, a trust for inventing a pool of funds not necessarily for enhancing creativity but for the betterment of such livelihoods they live. Art is not about dreaming, it is not about creating only. It is about perfections of life.
Opinion
O Does Culture Matter for
Development? For a variety of reasons, economists have avoided getting too closely involved with the concept of culture and its relationship to economic development. There is a general acceptance that culture must have a role in guiding a population along a particular path, but, as Landes (1998) points out, a discomfort with what can be construed as implied criticism of a particular culture has discouraged broader public discourse. As we discuss in a recent paper, the role of culture in economic development is not an easy subject to get a handle on. To start with, one faces issues of definition. The more all-encompassing the definition, the less helpful it tends to be in explaining patterns of development. Economists tend to narrowly define culture as ―customary beliefs and values that ethnic, religious, and social groups transmit fairly unchanged from generation to generation‖ (Guiso, Sapienza and Zingales, 2006). This approach is largely dictated by the aim to identify causal relationships, by focusing on aspects of culture that are constant over time. Not surprisingly, some of the most insightful writing on the subject has been done by anthropologists. Murdock (1965) argues that a culture consists of habits that are shared by members of a society. It is the product of learning, not of heredity. Woolcock (2014) highlights how the sociologic scholarship has evolved to consider culture as ―shaping a repertoire or ‗tool kit‘ of habits, skills, and styles from which people construct ‗strategies of action‖ (Swidler, 1986, p.273).
Augusto Lopez-Claros is the director of Global Indicators Group at the World Bank Group. He was chief economist and director of the Global Competitiveness program at the World Economic Forum in Geneva, and is also a former Resident Representative of the International Monetary Fund in Russia.
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A second complication is that even with a sensible definition, one would have to confront the fact that cultural identity is not fixed. Cultural change—anthropologists tell us—begins with processes of innovation, of which cultural borrowing or diffusion is by far the most common. But it can also be precipitated by social acceptance, by selective elimination and by integration. From a policy perspective, malleable aspects of culture are more interesting as they open up the possibility for intervention. The World Bank‘s 2015 World Development Report cites a number of examples of interventions that have determined a cultural change to trigger improvements in welfare: one example is political affirmative action for women in West Bengal. There are other complications, however, in attempting to use cultural explanations for economic development. Huntington (2000) remarks how in the early 1960s Ghana and Korea were broadly comparable in terms of income per capita, structure of production, and foreign aid. Thirty years later the contrast could not be more pronounced. According to Huntington, culture had a major role in explaining it: ―South Koreans valued thrift, investment, hard work, education, organization, and discipline. Ghanaians had different values. In short, cultures count." The problem with this formulation is that it does not provide a very auspicious basis to start a dialogue with Ghana as to how they could catch up with Korea. Not surprisingly, international financial organizations and bilateral donors have shied away from framing the debate in terms of cultural norms. Beyond issues of presentation, it is possible that ―culture," in fact, disguises other forces at work, more amenable to change. How much of the Ghana‘s stunted development is simply the result of bad policies? In many developing countries investors are unwilling to plan for the long-term because of the risks associated with political instability. What may appear to be cultural traits may, in fact, be behaviors shaped by economic incentives and thus amenable to change through changes in the underlying incentives. So, to take an example, the absence of a work ethic in the Soviet Union was not a reflection of some ingrained cultural trait, but rather was a natural response to an environment in which wage differentials were extremely narrow, promotion was not linked to performance, and life-time employment was more or less guaranteed. People‘s behaviour at work was totally consistent with this particular set of dis-incentives. Sachs (2000) identifies a number of factors which have fundamentally affected development in various parts of the world and can be detached from conceptions of culture. He notes, for instance, the (dis)advantages of geography, such as access to natural resources, being landlocked or part of a poor, volatile neighborhood. Easterly (2006) discusses the heavy burden on Africa associated with the historically arbitrary demarcation of international borders. Poverty may have more to do with geography and climate, with natural resource management, and with the toxic interactions between ethnic diversity and artificial borders, than with purely cultural factors. As a result of globalization, because ―citizens are more exposed to successful behaviors elsewhere‖ (Porter, 1990 p.26), geography, climate, and natural resources are gradually giving way to knowledge, education, and access to new technologies as the key drivers of productivity and economic growth. We are witnessing the gradual emergence of a universal, global culture based on such values as adherence to civil and human rights, gender equality, respect for property rights, the rule of law, acceptance of market forces as a mechanism for resource allocation. In saying that education and the acquisition of knowledge and skills are desirable development objectives we are making a statement that holds true across different regions of the world, that applies to all contemporary civilizations. Of course, societies will differ in the ways and the extent to which they have internalized some of these values in their policies, their traditions and their institutions. Acceptance of the desirability of gender equality, for instance, does not mean that inequalities and injustices based on gender—deeply entrenched in all our cultures, to a greater or lesser extent—will suddenly disappear. But few would disagree with the thesis that gender disparities are out of step with modernity and that their presence retards human progress. Development is not only about reducing poverty and expanding opportunities against the background of rising incomes. It is also in a very fundamental way about adopting a set of values that are compatible with humanity‘s moral development.
Opinion
References: Easterly, William. 2006. The white man's burden: why the West's efforts to aid the rest have done so much ill and so little good. New York: Penguin Press. Guiso, Luigi, Paola Sapienza, and Luigi Zingales. 2006. ―Does Culture Affect Economic Outcomes?," Journal of Economic Perspectives 20: 23-48. Harrison, Lawrence E., Samuel P. Huntington. 2000. Culture Matters. New York: Basic Books. Landes, David. 1998. The Wealth and Poverty of Nations. London: Little, Brown and Company. Murdock, George Peter. 1965. Culture and Society. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press. Sachs, Jeffrey. 2000. Notes on a new sociology of economic development. In: Harrison, L.E., S.P. Huntington. 2000. Culture Matters. New York: Basic Books, 29-43. Swidler, Ann. 1986. ―Culture in action: symbols and strategies,‖ American Sociological Review 51: 273-286. Woolcock, Michael. 2014. ―Culture, Politics, and Development.‖ Policy Research Working Paper 6939. Washington: The World Bank
Advertise in this space contact Grace Matata
grace.matata@cdea.or.tz
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Force of Fashion
When she came to Kenya almost two decade ago, Ann McCreath‘s intended to take a breather from her fashion job in Barcelona, Spain. She busied herself in relief work in North Eastern region with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), a humanitarian aid organisation. Within no time, she became enchanted by Kenya. To her delight, she was appointed head of mission and consequently stretched her three-months stay to three years. Working in emergency aid was not as fulfilling as she had anticipated. ―Underdevelopment and effects of clashes in the region were worrying, so relief work seemed like patch-work for locals. They needed something significantly long term to promote their economy, send children to school and offer jobs,‖ she asserts. Determined to help, Ann launched her own fashion house dubbed KikoRomeo. It‘s objective was to make fine retail products that symbolised African culture. ―I fell in love with Kenya and so it was essential for my designs to represent contemporary African style,‖ says the Scottish-born designer. Adjusting to life in Kenya was not hard. ―I always immerse myself wherever I live. I have a curious mind. I always like to meet people and learn about new cultures,‖ she says. Having toiled in several parts of the European fashion industry, McCreath had brilliant technical training that smoothened settling here. She did fashion design studies in Rome, took unpaid apprenticeship in Milan and worked in couture fashion in Barcelona. In the process, she brushed shoulders with top designers, which inculcated in her with competent prowess.
Ann McCreath is the Managing Director at KikoRomeo Africa (Kenya). She is chair of FAFA (Festival for Arts and Fashion in Africa), which she co-founded in 2008 to produce “Fashion for Peace”, and is currently the Kenya Coordinator for Fashion Revolution Day.
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Like mother like daughter: Ann and her daughter Iona grace the runway as her models cheer on during a past event. Photo/Courtesy Maureen Achieng
With a fashion empire to her name, Ann reminisces about her home country, where it all began. ―I grew up on a farm in a remote area of Scotland. Summer came with lots of outdoor activities while winter meant staying indoors, doing lots of arts and crafts,‖ the mother of one fondly recalls. The only girl in a family of four children, Ann speaks adoringly of her siblings. ―We are close despite the fact that we are busy with our own lives.‖ Two of her brothers reside in Scotland, while one lives in Australia.―I hate the weather in Scotland, though I enjoy visiting. I miss kilts, Scottish dancing, open landscapes with few people and Scottish humour.
While being a household name in the fashion industry is one of her greatest achievements, being a mother, however tops it all. Single parenting has not been glitzy, yet she savours it nevertheless. ―It has been good, not always easy, but I don‘t think being a parent is. Having my daughter has beautifully transformed my life. We are great friends. She did apprenticeship in my business from an early age, as I work a lot from home thus she understands it well,‖ she bubbles. Ann revels in the fact that she gives her daughter, Iona McCreath a decent life. What is more vital, she says is that she has a happy and loving environment at home. Iona is undoubtedly her mother‘s daughter. She already owns a teenage clothing line called Kikoti. Her mother acknowledges Iona as her great influence in terms of art and creativity. Today, in conjunction with local crafts persons and women‘s groups, KikoRomeo has broadened into a revered fashion powerhouse.This has simultaneously placed Kenya on the global map and showcased Africa as a place rich with valuable products.
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The outstanding versatility in KikoRomeo designs is outfitted in hand painted fabric, embroidery, knitwear, Indian designs and her latest creations featuring the map of Africa are hand woven. Not forgetting her Scottish heritage, McCreath has incorporated some of its embellishments in her designs. Her boldness and faith in the country‘s fashion capability has seen many dive in. Perceptions towards fashion and other forms of art have shifted giving it more ground for growth. She says: ―The Ministry of Industrialisation has taken up fashion and creative arts as something they want to promote. A lot of the leading decision-makers have children who are and want to be designers and that means they have to take interest in fashion, design, and ways to turn it into a viable business. It is an amazing motivation.‖ This, she states, is where the inch of opportunity for creative artistes lies. Building a powerful brand has not been without setbacks. Post election violence dealt KikoRomeo a huge blow, but it bounced back with time. Sourcing quality fabrics at a wholesale price, cash flow and financing new projects are also a hassle. And unknown to many, exhibiting on international runways can cost more than it brings in and having been to several, she understands the stakes too well. ―Yes, you want to make a name for yourself, but at the end of the day it is about selling. They do not always result into buyers. Just as designers here don‘t get serious buyers at their shows, I‘ve had the same experience in New York, Italy, Jo‘burg.‖ Were she not into fashion, Ann, a lover of art and music, would either be doing arts, farming or politics.
Ann Spruces her daughter. Photo/Courtesy of Maureen Achieng
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Ubunifu Hubs
At a tailors‘ workshop in Kibera, Nairobi‘s sprawling slum, business has gone global for a group of women. After years spent sewing clothes for the local market, the 10 tailors have started on international orders for bow ties. Their client is Wakuu, a two-year-old business employing Nairobi artisans to create suits and other garments using local fabric, kitenge, which they then sell in Europe and the US. The women have been hired to create accessories and Wakuu says it will reinvest a portion of its profits into further training, as well as providing support to their families, for instance through improved childcare facilities. ―Fashion can be a major growth driver for African nations,‖ says Daan Vreeburg, co-founder of Wakuu. ―I saw we could build a business and employ people, give them a fair wage and break the poverty chain.‖ The Kenyan garments sector remains relatively small, with just 40,000 workers according to a report commissioned by development organisation Hivos. But if the African Development Bank gets its way, this is set to change. In 2015 it launched the fashionomics initiative, an online business platform designed to boost small businesses in the fashion and textile industry. The bank believes the sector could generate 400,000 jobs in sub-Saharan Africa by 2025. For these jobs to be sustainable, the region will need to break away from the model the fashion industry has pursued elsewhere in the world and which has already done damage in Kenya, according to Nicola Round, campaigns manager at UK-based Labour Behind the Label. ―In Kenya, like many other African countries, the domestic textile industry has suffered because of the ‗race to the bottom‘ by global brands seeking out low-cost labour,‖ says Round. Reaching global markets at all is also a challenge. The textile industry is the second largest employer in developing countries, after agriculture, but the majority of artisans are trapped in domestic markets without links to international trade. Wakuu is part of the steady flow of socially conscious fashion brands trying to challenge this norm by sourcing artisans from marginalised communities to produce their fashion lines. Others include Artisan Fashion, which connects Kenyan artisans to luxury brands such as Vivienne Westwood and Stella McCartney in a bid to pull high fashion houses away from mass production factories.
Greg Mwendwa is a communications specialist with expertise in both corporate and development spheres. Previously the program officer at HIVOs Foundation, Expression and Engagement Program based at the regional office of East Africa in Nairobi. He is currently the Creative Director for WiBO Culture, an experimental, self-evolving initiative that envisions an open and connected global community through food, fashion, music, games and stories. Greg has founded the Ubunifu Hub Machakos.
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Greg Mwendwa founded Ubunifu Hubs to serve as network of creative entrepreneurs bridging the unmet need for creative actualization in art, culture, technology, media, adventure, entertainment and anything in between. When asked why that name, Greg says ―Ubunifu is a Swahili word that translates to imagination and creativity, a well grounded response to the Albert Einstein‘s quote We cannot solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used to create them. We endeavor to innovative products and services that can be distributed globally while accommodating the consumer in the East African local market. Ubunifu hubs will go a long way in supporting innovative local developments, not only in the IT and creative industries but also in other sectors like energy and agriculture.‖
Fashion master class at Ubunifu Hub Machakos
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East African Voices
E The Caine Prize Public Reading and Conversation In Dar es Salaam
After a successful public reading and writers conversation in March 11th 2016, Culture and Development East Africa (CDEA)- a creative non-profit body in Dar es Salaam earns the privilege to host yet another related event with Caine Prize For African Writing, starring their 2016 shortlists as the special guests for the event this April 1st 2017 at CDEA‘s Eco Sanaa Terrace. Last year CDEA hosted three writers; Goretti Kyomuhendo (Uganda), Professor Timothy Wangusa (Uganda) and Zuhura Seng‘enge(Tanzania) as part of the three-day workshop it organized from March 9th to 11th 2016, and this year, it had the privilege to host three of the four shortlists of the 2016 Caine Prize for African Writing Award; Lesley Nneka Arimah (Nigeria), Abdul Adan (Somalia) and Lidudumalingani (South Africa) – also winner of the 2016 Caine Prize for African Writing Award. The event took place at Eco-Sanaa Terrace Mikocheni B from 7 to 10pm hosting guests from various fields like; academia, cultural and literary agents, publishing houses, readers and writers, as well as the participants of the 2017 Caine Prize annual workshop (March 21st to April 2nd)that took place in Bagamoyo. It was an evening crowning the closing of this annual Workshop which was held in Tanzania for the first time. Moderated by Zuhura Seng‘enge, poet and coordinator of CDEA‘s Pan-African Writer Lounge, the evening was decorated by performances from musicians; Jensen Seth, Remi and poet Musnad Sultan and highlighted by a journey with the shortlists for the 2016 Caine Prize for African Writing Award who shared their life stories and experiences as writers, and left everyone with a cup of knowledge, inspiration, and motivation. After a reading of excerpts from their published stories followed by their Swahili translated versions as translated by Elias Mutani and Richard Mabala, the writers and their audience entered a session of questions and answers which marked the end of the momentous evening.
Zuhura Seng’enge is a performance poet and young entrepreneur, volunteering as coordinator of the Writers Lounge project at Culture and Development East Africa (CDEA). As a poet, Zuhura has participated in literary, social cultural and art events such as “The Woman Scream International Poetry Festival (2015), Mwalimu Nyerere Professional Chair in Pan-Africanism 7th Intellectual Festival (2015) and Ireland Women Creative Agency in Liberation (2016). Through her blog, she hopes to inspire, educate, empower and entertain people everywhere with her poetry and stories. www.zuhurasaad22.blogspot.com
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The most significant part of the event was the exchange of knowledge and experiences between the shortlists and the invited guests which allowed learning of writing guides and writing opportunities that would indeed help writers in Tanazania have more chances at international publication. This was inspired by Dr Lizzy Attree , Director of the Caine Prize for African Writing who stated in her short speech that evening ,that among the stories that are expected to be published this year in the next Caine Prize anthology are those written by Tanzanian writers; Lydia Kasese, Zakariwa Riwa, and Esther Karin Mgondo who were also among the participants of the workshop in Bagamoyo. .
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E My Songs of Burundi The Poetry Workshop My Song for Burundi was part of Jalada Mobile Literary and Arts Festival. Richard Oduor Oduku and Ali Richard from Jalada Festival with Andrea Grieder from Transpoesis in partnership with Huza Press/Write Africa organised the workshop. The notion of song in poetics was explored through different voices in Africa and in various interventions. 1.
Inspired by ―Where are the songs?‖ by Micere Githae Mugo, the students wrote about their child hood memories songs. Richard Ali, read from his novel ―City of memories‖ (Parresia Books, republished 2016) and shared that memories can be a place like home. Facing destruction, Poetry and writing enable us to revisit places and the past before the chaos and ―City of memories‖ is much more a notion of a memory landscape we all have in our beings. Richard Ali, Nigerian writer and poet remembered Jos, the city of his childhood and youth, by reading poems River‘s Journey of Amu Nnadi (Origami Books) and Fossils by Ahmed Maiwada.
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The second part of the workshop was dedicated to rhythms of life. Poetry uses words, but also rhythms of words and sounds to communicate about experiences and emotions. Focusing on everyday activities, we put emphasis on how rhythm creates a meaning, communicates a body wisdom. ―Rhythm of pestle‖ by Richard Nturi, kept us company along this poetic journey.
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―The Song for Rwanda‖, by Ben Okri focused on the transformative power of poetry, putting into poetic words the participants‘ dreams and hopes for Burundi, tomorrow The Notion of Song brings in words the beauty of rhythm and the memories of melodies. It expresses the power of life, within a landscape of exile and loss. The participants will write their own poem: ―My song for Burundi‖. They are encouraged to express their home memories to connect themselves again to their past through moments of joy, bringing together nostalgia and hope for tomorrow.
Richard Oduor Oduku read poems on his childhood.
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East African Voices
About the Workshop Participants Transpoesis, which aims at creating space for creativity as a way of healing and as a contribution to reconciliation and peace, conducted a workshop at Institute of Applied Sciences, Ruhengeri (INES) in November. 2016. This first workshop, was dedicated to William Shakespeare and organized with British Council, Rwanda. Trans-poesis has the vision of transforming people‘s life through poetry. It stands for trans-formation through poetry and was founded by Dr. Andrea Grieder. Transpoesis organizes a Poetry event every three months called ―Kigali vibrates with Poetry‖. In reference to Poetry tradition in Rwanda in which a woman and poetess called Nyirarumaga, is known as the mother of poetry, winners in the poetry competition receive Nyirarumaga Award. Strongly inspired by the power of poetry, the desire to express emotions and share experiences, students in INES have been meeting every Sunday since then, to share their passion for poetry. The Poetry Club is a place for both home and empathy. Jalada Festival visiting Ines/Musanze enabled the students to connect with other poets in East Africa. Exile/being a refugee (from Burundi) is the background of most participants. Poetry allows them to feel alive, despite the destruction and suffering they have faced in their lives.
Song for Burundi
Where are the songs?
By David Nahimana
By Bonne-Annee Ndayishimiye
This is the time for crying That our nation is suffering Now, since many years ago. It‘s up to us We, the new generation To change this bad history Starting by changing our mind-set From a negative mind set to a positive one, A developmental mind-set. It‘s up to us, We, the new generation To sing the right song The song for liberty The song for peace Let us try to fly in the sky of Burundi Singing the good song of peace. Which could soothe me While I would be crying Where did it go? I‘m thirsty of it.
I remember the song ―Hora Hora nkwinginge‖ I remember the song ―Muvyeyi Wamvyaye‖ It was a good song Which appraised our mothers Which called us to appreciate their work. Once I would sing it I‘d immediately feel love for my mother Where did it go? I remember the song ―Araho runyenyeri wariwambaye‖ What a beautiful wedding song! Which all the people could enjoy Celebrating a wedding event Where did it go? I remember the songs Where are the songs?
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“My beloved heart” by Bonne-Annee Ndayishimiye
Why is it being knocked down? Why is it knocked down by its own hands? Why can‘t we get up?
Ooh my beloved heart! Where my home is Where my restoration I can find Ooh my beloved heart Where my joy I can feel . Where my fathers and mothers live Ooh my beloved heart Where my sisters and brother stay Where my shiny mountains and rivers can be contemplated Ooh my beloved heart Where good culture is found Where the best weather is enjoyed Ooh my beloved heart Heart of Africa Heart of heartbroken sheep Ooh my beloved heart Heart of a grateful sheep Heart of a thoughtful sheep Ooh my beloved heart Lions have attempted to devour you up so many times Devil has destroyed you so many times Ooh my beloved heart It‘s time that your children love you again It‘s time that your children bring peace to you again Ooh my beloved heart It‘s time your children sing emancipated songs again Ooh my beloved heart I can see sparks of joy coming again I can see your sheep cheering up Ooh beloved heart I can see butterflies flying all over the sky again I can see mice tabling with cats Ooh my beloved heart I can see peace coming up I can see the world clapping for you Ooh my beloved heart Enjoy the peace from your sheep Enjoy God‘s peace Ooh, my beloved heart
And fight against the foes Of our lost land My lost land
Poems by Barekayo Valentin Portrait I am Barekayo Valentin I am a Burundian who was born in the Northern province (Ngozi) When I was a child, I thought I wouldn‘t become a poet But now, poetry has become my everyday delicious food.
I hope to see my lost land Shining as it did before I hope to observe angels Leaping like calves Singing the song of freedom Singing the song of liberty My lost land
My lost Land My lost land used to shine Like stars in the sky My lost land! Why? Why?
My heart is full Full of homesickness To see my land being broken down My lost land My heart is always broken My heart is always broken To see how in my lost land Roosters and hens Are being devoured by sparrow hawks My lost land I lose my mind To see flowers dying Whereas vultures are singing My lost land My heart is full of sorrow To see how angels Reside in jungles Whereas devils dwell in heaven My lost land An arrow is breaking my heart To see angels starving Devils eating, enjoying My lost land But I have a dream That one day Angels will wake up And multiply their prayers My lost land
I hope to see again Chicken and hawks Residing in the same tenement Without jealousy My lost land
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Are still they being sung? I remember I remember those songs My mother used to sing to make young brothers and sisters fall sleep Are still they being sung? I remember I remember the song I remember the song ―Hora Hora nkwinginginge abana gingwa‖ That she used to sing To make sheep stop bleating Is it still being sung? I remember I remember the song I remember the song ―Sekura umudidizo abo hakurya bumve‖ The song that was full of advice To invite those who are folding arms To wake up and work hard Is it still being sung? To invite birds And tell them That the past Is different from the present? I remember I remember the song I remember the song ―Ubugabo burihahwa‖ The song of victory That my father used to sing To invite me to be brave And feel proud of my self Is it still being sung? To invite goats and sheep To stand and fight against lions That are eating up their lambs? I feel ashamed I feel ashamed to see How all songs have been thrown away I feel ashamed I feel ashamed to regard How our elders‘ culture Is dying out.
East African Voices
The sun will shine The sun will shine Over many years of storms Days have become months And months years With political instability in my country Citizens are scattered everywhere Here and there Starving, struggling in the hands of an angry universe Shall the time come For our country to be safe Citizens to come back home And children to enjoy again The love from their parents Shall the time come! Shall the time come! For my sisters and brothers Who are growing into wrongdoers in refugee camps To learn again wisdom they used to have From their parents Around the fireplace during the night I still have room for hope That one day families will reunite again Around the fireplaces during the night Children learning from the sweet tongue of their grand parents The life will be easy, enjoyable When the sky will be green When the light will chase away darkness And when forests will host animals but not humans Let‘s hope the future is better This is only the time for our adventures And adventures is part of man‘s life After the storm, the sun will shine.