Success story: meet an artist / entrepreneur from Mathare slum

"I have a vision of uniting people through art and design"  (Donald Wafula)

Donald at SE101 completion ceremony, Aug 2011

In my last post - quite some time ago - I promised to share a success story with you.  I've chosen this one because it's visual (and blog-friendly) and I am a customer!  Let me introduce you to Donald Wafula who was in our class in Mathare in August 2011.  We often have students who want to open hair salons or operate food stands (fruits, vegetables or other foodstuffs) but Donald stood out in that he wanted to sell artwork ... his own artwork.

If you've ever been to Kenya, you'll know that there are all kinds of arts and crafts on sale.  In my apartment, I have a small wood-carved giraffe and stone-carved hippopotamus; though they are hand-made, neither one is "original".  There our literally thousands of these items on sale in Nairobi markets and they're all more-or-less the same.  My giraffe and hippo are nice little souvenirs I suppose, but their appeal diminished rapidly after I acquired them.  There was no story behind either of them and I haven't a clue who made them.

Last year, my fellow teacher Julie Raworth had the idea to commission a sketch from Donald and I really liked it.  This year, I asked Donald to do a few for me.  My colleagues Bianca Luo and Hailey Wang also purchased one each. Below you can see my (perhaps) favourite sketch. I am currently shopping for an appropriate frame for this one so I can hang it on the wall in my apartment.

Notice the posture of the woman on the right and the light reflecting on the skin of the forehead, hand and forearm of the person

on the left.  Donald has captured the lumbering motion of the animals and the graceful gait of the people. 

It's a simple but beautiful and peaceful scene: I love it.

There is a palpable difference between art that someone has specifically created for you versus some random object whose provenance and intended meaning are unknown to you.  To have contact with the artist himself and to understand his vision adds a precious dimension to a piece.  Not only do we appreciate a sketch for what it is, we become closer to the artist as we get a tiny glimpse into his life.  The work becomes an experience rather than a mere object.

A village scene.  This is not a reflection of life in the past;

parts of rural Kenya resemble this sketch to this day.

The sketch to the right was commissioned by Bianca.  I like it very much.  It is contemporary in style and yet reflects life as it has been for centuries.  We have visited huts like this, framed with tree branches (some of which are exposed in the sketch) and then packed with mud and dung.  The roofs are of thatched grasses.  The walls and floor have a reddish hue to them and can be spotlessly clean and without smell.  The finish can be smooth or textured.  They are quite gorgeous.

A Nomadic Tribe.  Although in the background, the trees are so

distinct and familiar.  Kenyan trees are unforgettable.

This sketch was also purchased by me.  There are 42 tribes in Kenya.  Some, like the Maasai, are well known to most of the world; however, you've probably never heard of the rest of the tribes.  Imagine the cultural diversity in Kenya in terms of language, customs, art and food.  Tribal attachments are strong even in the present time ... which is wonderful but at the same time can lead to some extreme difficulties such as the post-election violence of 2007-2008.

Donald during tea-break at the Mathare classroom

Donald is 22 and from the Luhya tribe.  He has a secondary school education and is currently taking courses in IT.  I'll share with you three phrases from the summary of his business plan:

"I get the chance to present a real story (artwork) instead of souvenirs"

tourists "are looking for a meaningful work"

"I have a vision of uniting people through art and design".


If you would like to commission Donald to create an original sketch(s) for you, please email us.  We can introduce you to Donald via email or Facebook. We can also accept advance payment (before July 20, 2013) on behalf of Donald and deliver your sketch(s) upon our return from the next trip in (August 2013).