Mini Carnival Showcase

Tumaini Education Trust Mini Carnival Showcase! Thanks to all the SBK Collaborative artists and communities for collaborating to make such a beautiful expression of our differences and sewing together the threads that tie us together. Till next year Viva Tumaini!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3RxhOa-K2E

Mini Mass Camp

Groups work together over the next 3 days creating their works of art and designing their structures from their ideas with guidance and support from their artists. The women group work together without any outside help determined to surprise everyone!

Introducing Carnival to the Children

Afternoon session with a group of Tumaini Senior School pupils to inspire them about Carnival.

Students eagerly ask questions and offer their own ideas of what carnival might be...

Students call out what they think they already have that could make up a carnival...

After the talk by Pax and Sarafina the children are able to impressively explain clearly how they understand carnival as a theme.

Pupils are then divided into groups and allocated an artist to work with on finding their own sub theme and start brainstorming ideas.

Boyd gets straight in with exploring important issues that are affecting them being in Isiolo.

Joel makes a start with his group asking them to draw what they like about being in Isiolo...

 Lionel gets his group to think about what they love about being in Tumaini Senior School.

 Hanny starts with movement and vigorous dancing to get everyone feeling comfortable.

 By the end of the session each group has come up with their theme and ideas from their brainstorming with their artists.

Understanding Carnival

Pax gives both the artists and the community groups a talk and video presentation about carnivals around the world and how and why they can be successful tools for community cohesion. 

Khadija explains how so much of the carnival aspects are already in the people's ways of expressing themselves in their culture and ways of living with each other.

 Everyone is keen to see more examples of how other countries have created their carnivals.

Sarafina writes down the benefits and requirements suggested by everyone for creating a successful carnival inspired celebration.

 Artists group together to brainstorm ideas and ways of collaborating from what they have been inspired by...

 Women also group together to discuss their first impressions and what they feel inspired by...

Before leaving the women sing and dance as a response to what they have heard and seen, this gives them a way of embodying what they have learnt so they can feel it in their bodies and remember the concepts of celebration, unity and individual expression as feelings rather than ideas.

It is evident that the women are inspired and captivated by the new creative approach to community building and discuss possible themes to work with that feel relevant for them, the favourite being the need for peace in Isiolo between the different tribes. The women all from different communities organise themselves to work on something together that they can show at the end of the week.

Field Trip to Archers Post to visit the Samburu

Pepo la Tumaini works closely with some of the Samburu women in Archers Post who are trying to become more self reliant in the face of rapid modernisation and development. Artists take a trip up to visit them to understand how nomadic tribes sustain their lives while constantly being on the move in search of greener pastures for their cattle and safety from other clans. It is a valuable insight into why so many of the people who have settled in Isiolo town have never lived in a permanent house before.

 Artists are welcomed with traditional songs and cultural rituals by the Samburu into their Manyatta at Archers Post

A once in a lifetime experience to be welcomed into their traditional homes made by the women from sticks, cardboard and mud.

The women explained how the men are the warriors and their role is to make the homesstead while the men spend time in the bush hunting, herding and stealing cattle.

A beautiful day with the beautiful people of the Samburu.

 Joel shows the children photos he has taken of their home.

In the Heart of Bula Pesa

Artists Walk to Proposed Community Arts Centre: Hoyo's place in Bula Pesa

Sarafina introduces everyone to Korey, a graduate from Tumaini and Piki Piki Taxi driver in Isiolo.

Just in time for a beautiful Sunset...

The team is welcomed into Amina's home. Amina works in the community as a mother carer volunteer for Tumaini, taking care of orphans as a foster parent and guardian.

Amina explains her approach to looking after abandoned children and why she feels Tumaini's work is so much needed in her community which is made up of mostly abandoned women and children living on the edges of poverty and desperation.

 The team assess the site and discuss the possibilities for creating an arts venue that could bring beauty and an option for sharing and creating art

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Locating myself and my Resources

Artists spent the morning using their own chosen mediums of expression to explore what it means for them being here and what resources they have to offer...

 Hanny considers fabrics and patterns, the plad from the US that is similar to the Masai plad used in Kenya. She stays with the questions of sustainability and visitors appearing and disappearing likes bolts of lightening.

Hanny is fascinated by beads and their source, where they come from and who they are bought by to signify a certain culture

Inspired by the colours of Isiolo, Lionel gets out the spray paint and goes for a splash of "Isiolo style" graffiti on the side of the Early Childhood Development Nursery.

Joel takes a walk out into Isiolo with his camera and takes some shots of things that catch his eye, while he thinks about placing himself in this unfamiliar setting.

Boyd gets involved in recycling old wooden pallets and showing what can be done with available resources and creative thinking.