Page 74 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 5

AFRIKAN ARTS
whereby the government has
frustrated the parents to a point
where they just think of how they
can get money, pay rent and buy
food. They are not thinking of
how they can mold their daugh-
ter or son to be someone import-
ant in this community. We are in
a system where we struggle to
survive. You don’t live to live,
you just live to survive.
What do you think are the
solutions to the problems
in Kibra?
The government should think
first of the most important things
that its citizens should get. You
can be employed, but at the end
of the day you end up in the bar.
We need to create initiatives
that are training the youth and
molding children from school
and guiding them – providing
basic information they need.
These technical skills are things
we are supposed to identify in
primary schools. I believe, if
we stop ignoring these issues
that will be the turning point of
bringing in change for Kibra.
For the young girls, we need to
teach the parents how to live
with their children. We need to
start an initiative where peo-
ple gather together and speak
about their lives. Once you
speak then you’re in a position
to make things right. Once you
don’t speak, you get frustrated,
you’re then in a position to do
something negative.
Tell us about the Nubian
Project.
We are Afrikans and we have Af-
rikans all over the world, some
of whom have never stepped
into Afrika or don’t know their
origin. You can find someone in
the UK calling themselves a Nu-
bian, but they don’t know their
74 | heal . restore . rebirth . Afrika
origin. The Nubians have been
scattered everywhere in East
Africa, West Africa and Chad.
Kenyan Nubians were fighters
for the British; that’s how they
came to this country. After the
key to understanding who they
war, they remained in Kenya in
are and where they’re from. That
the area called Kibra which was
was our purpose in trying to do
a forest. Kibra means ‘forest’.
this and we decided to start with
The Nubians, historically, didn’t
the Nubian people, who have
live alone. They welcomed peo-
such a rich history. We want
ple and always lived in towns.
them to be recognized as a Ken-
Living together with others was
yan tribe.
one of their ways of being able
The first phase of the Nubian
to survive. At the time Kibra was
project involves photography
a very large area, so they wel-
and documentation of historical
comed people from many com-
information about them. We are
munities to live with them.
working directly with the local
Some people say to or about
Nubian community, speaking
them that they are from Sudan
with elders, finding out about
and they need to go back to Su-
their culture, food, clothing and
dan, yet other communities are
other aspects so that we can
being recognized as Kenyans.
share this with the world. Even-
We are all Afrikans. Bantus are
tually, we would like to do a mas-
from the Congo but we don’t tell
sive film project that traces their
them to go back to the Congo.
journey from Ancient Egypt to
The Nubians have lived here for
the present day. That’s some-
more than 100 years; they have
thing that will come in time.
a right to be recognized.
I wanted to tell their story and I
started by searching for Nubian
history online, but what I found Quick facts about Kibra:
was shallow. It’s not a history • The largest slum in Afrika
that is written by the Nubians and one of the largest in
themselves or an Afrikan. That’s the world
when I decided to create this • Home to about a million
people
project. It is meant to create a • Seventy percent of the
platform where Afrikans all over population in Kibera are
the world can know their origins; children
particularly for people who real- • Kibera is currently called
ly understand the importance of Kibra
knowing their background as a • Kibra is in the city of
Nairobi, Kenya.