Back in Kibera

Moved finally to a new hotel and thought we were going to spend the whole day chilling, relaxing and recovering from the ordeal of the previous one. One hardly slept last night. It was as if the whole of the neighbourhood came for a loud party behind our room. It was so loud you could hear them in Tokyo!

However once we settled in at this new hotel, we were overcome with a bust of energy. Sheila, the guide, had a day off today so one spontaneously decided to go to Kibera! Kibera is one of the most notorious slums in Nairobi. At least that is what even the Nairobians say. But we were there last year and met Solo 7; a visual artist who gained good name for himself by using his art to discourage violence during the violence that swept through Kenya in the aftermath of the 2007 elections.

One remembers last year we were told not to go Kibera and if we had to, we must only go under police escort! We went anyway. The only thing we carried was our camera. Kibera, it turned out was a friendly ghetto that got caught up in the political machinations of some cynical Kenyan politicians. The people are friendly and of course there is a high degree of crime there too. But is there any slum where the crime rate is not above average? And having grown up in a larger slum in Nigeria, one knows a bit of the do’s and don’ts codes of such a neighbourhood.

Solo 7 and a couple of his friends were setting up a kind of school to help to develop the artistic side of children of Kibera. While we were there last year, the makeshift building was being erected and painted. There was only the idea. Now a year later, we thought to pay an impromptu visit to “School of Ideas by Solo 7” as it is called in Kibera again.

We called a taxi and off we went. Unfortunately for us, Solo 7 and Jason (one of the other founders) just left before we arrived. But what we saw brought a bright smile to our face. The makeshift shed was still there, but inside were a group of 20 children from Kibera who were busy creating placemats made of beads. All around the shed hung paintings made by the kids who would otherwise be roaming idly around in the slums of Kibera. There they were developing skills that could be of use to them in the future. Most importantly; there they were, just being kids!

Morgan, the manager of the school is a nice guy who is volunteering his time to help the kids. He explained that there were normally 50 kids there on Saturday but because of a football match going on in Kibera lots of them were absent. There were also 3 other volunteers there mentoring and helping the kids on this day. Of course, Africa Web TV spoke with the volunteers and some of the kids too.

It was our interview with the kids that almost brought us to tears. These are kids who have different ambitions in life. One of them wanted to become a surgeon he said. When we asked why, he replied that he did not want people to die! Surely there was a deeper story behind such a statement. But we know when we have to let a kid be a kid so we did not probe any further. One of them knew he was going to become a footballer and play for Chelsea FC in England. When asked why not for Manchester United, he replied that he does not want to play for losers! There are architects, painters, teachers, lawyers etc. to be at the School of Ideas by Solo 7. Today however, they were all making placemats made of beads!

Some of the items they create will be put on display at a later time so that people interested can buy the items at token prices to help raise money for this unique foundation. It would be great if people who are reading this would get in touch with us to know how they can help this initiative. If and whenever you are in Nairobi, try and pay a visit to this “school”. The children and the volunteers will really make you feel welcome. Africa Web TV was even treated with lunch there. Lunch which is always also prepared for the children at zero costs to them.

A day that started with us having a big headache ended with us having a big smile on our faces after paying a visit to the inspirational school of ideas. Kibera is a nice place to be too.