Cover Story: The Pink Project - Debi Jeans

Art Bright Skies, Dragonflies & Water lilies….

By Lin Barrie

Wonderful soaking rains in Harare have filled our dams and rejuvenated our gardens.

Early morning walks are a lesson in Reflecons, Bright Skies, Silhouees, Hope…

Fingly, Dulux Colour of The Year for 2022, is called 'Bright Skies', and this is the colour base for the Dragonflies and water lilies mural that my daughter, Kelli Barker, Rutendo Karikoga and myself have created in the massage room at the Harare Cancer Associaon, part of The Pink Project wall murals iniave.

A large and growing group of arsts, sponsors and cancer survivors are now working with Debi Jeans of The Pink Project, and Sophie Banks, an interior designer, to paint these walls of the Cancer Associaon Centre in Harare… ably helped and supported by Junior Mavu, (General Manager at the Cancer Centre), and Linda Mazorodze, (Fundraising Officer at the Cancer Centre).

Paints, plants and hardware have been donated already by so many wonderful sponsors and companies such as Electrosales, Dulux, Internaonal Coang Company (ICC), Arsan, Wechi Framers, Aura, Dodhill, Lile Paris, Shamwari Succulents, and Casstech. This is by no means a comprehensive list, as many more volunteers/paents sponsors/arsts will join as the project progresses over the coming months throughout the Cancer Centre and into the surrounding gardens.

Whether we donate one hour or two months, one paintbrush or a whole

I muse on the inspiraon of our friend Maureen Cox, who succumbed to breast cancer on April 19, 2020. Employed by the Cancer Associaon of Zimbabwe for 10 years and a volunteer thereaer, she was a highly valued and respected team member.

Thinking about the massage room, Dulux 'Bright Skies' radiates hope, calm and healing…. My art has always been inspired by earth, by sky, and water lilies are oen a theme for me. Flowers of simple beauty rising above oen deep and murky waters, they are a symbol of hope.

Various paints donated by wonderful companies Dulux and Arsan are like sweets in a sweet shop for us arsts…

Debi Jeans and her daughter Rachel catch the mood and help us paint the ceiling…

At last, this is the completed Massage Room… (think I need to book a massage there soon!) More fabulous dragonfly inspiraon comes from my friend and master metal worker, James Suraji, whose dragonfly shapes entrance me. Dragonflies have great meaning for Rutendo (Ru), (who is on her own 'dragonfly journey')…and so we decide to use these metal sculptures as a feature.

Now that the massage room is finished, on to the next project!

Chrissy Jane O'Riordan and Taiya Sco, with their support team in the counselling room, have created a mural with a calming sea, which has great meaning for them, both on their personal journey. They inscribe a poem of 'Grace' on the passage wall for all to appreciate.

Here is the final counselling room mural by Chrissy Jane and Taiya…dreamy and meaningful, makes you just want to dive right into those waves…

This is just a taste of the beginning of the project…some more of the coming murals to look out for are:

Kim Clipstone and team will paint the Screening Room and Rutendo and her helpers will brighten the stairwell…

Many more rooms will grow and be painted over the next few months and there are even volunteers to help revitalise the gardens around the building, a necessary haven for cancer paents and families to walk and talk…

Well done, Debi Jeans and The Pink Project for the care, leadership and vision going into this refurbishment. (Plus we can now vouch for the fact that Debi Jean's fitness level allows her to be a master sweeper of floors, climber of ladders, window cleaner and yes, a wielder of paint rollers….)

Well done, Cancer Associaon of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwean arsts, cancer survivors and caregivers for embracing the wall murals and each other with compassion, love, humour and creavity!

Follow our progress: The Pink Project and The Cancer Associaon Harare, on Facebook and Instagram.

THE PINK PROJECT

DEBI JEANS

“I have found that if you love life, life will love you back.”

-Arthur Rubinstein -

Debi Jeans was inspired by this quote at Milpark H o s p i t a l i n Johannesburg Café whilst starng her own breast cancer journey eight years ago and it has remained with her every day since then. Aer vising The Cancer Centre in December last year, Debi had an idea to reach out to anyone interested in painng murals on the walls of the Centre. Young Sophie Banks, recently qualified in interior design, was the first to respond and promptly designed a flyer and came up with a detailed plan of acon with expert visuals, which resulted in an incredible response.

A collaboraon of arsts and sponsors stepped forward three weeks ago to add life, colour, hope and brightness into the massage and counselling rooms, one passage; currently, the screening, treatment, recepon and nurses' rooms are being refurbished and then the group intends to do the four-story stairwell! The Pink Project Paint Project has a mission to not only upli the public, paents and team who visit and work at The Cancer Associaon of Zimbabwe, but also to highlight the work that they do there and perhaps even aract more stakeholders and contributors to the work in the prevenon, treatment, and support of all those touched by cancer.

When our contributor, Lin Barrie, submied her arcle and the photographs of the beauful murals that have been created, I knew in an instant this had to be on the cover of Harare Magazine. This is another inspiring example of how Zimbabweans support their people, their community and their colleagues.

Debi told me, “Somemes you just have to go out there and grab it. No maer how far away it seems. And the universe just conspires to throw things at your project.” The Pink Project refurbishment brought main sponsors Dulux, together with Arsan, Electrosales and some immensely talented arsts to give back to the community through a delighulfor-all, shared creave compassion and expression. This is an on-going mission and anyone who would like to get involved is welcome to contact Debi directly on 0772 351 455.

The Pink Project Sponsors and Arsts who have come forward to date …

Zed and Caroline @ Dulux Paints Laura @ Arsan Hilton @ Electrosales Evan and Taiya @ Internaonal Coang Company Sheila @ Shamwari Succulents The Picture Frame Michael and Natasha @ Aura Lighng

Debi Jeans (on cover) Sophie Banks Lin Barrie Kelli Barker Rutendo Karikoga Chrissy O'Riordan Taiya Sco Kim Clipstone Mike O'Riordan Jackie Cable