home
44 hours later i am home,
a 1 hour boat ride,
a 7 hour drive though senegal with several check points,
a 5 hour stay in senegal hotel
a 7 hour flight delay and wait in the airport lounge
a 8 hour flight to jhb
another hotel
and finally a 2 hour flight in the morning to ct
I am home
The entire drive myself ,rowan, selah, sydelle and jonx (the south african’s) discussed the project from all directions and with a lot of critique
Each discussion allowing for more insight,and each discussion to come will build on these ideas,
Already last night I went to my friends birthday party and found myself really only talking about art and its involvement in society, 1 of the 2 conversations was being confronted by friend about the real aims and success if any with the project, as she herself has been involved in many african based ngo organizations from a journalistic involvement, and is quite passionate and critical on the topic,,,the point that she accepted as a success with this project is that ,whether or not we went colonization has already happened and the ripple has begun,, and outsiders intervening in the villages way of life will continue, and at least we may be able to open a fair and informed, dialogue with both outsiders and the villagers to be able to observe and balance the ripple,south africa is a perfect example of how culture has slowly become faded into a new modern and sometime corrupt way of life,and so we should be able to learn from each other,
as artist our approach was sensitive and honest,, the murals themselves were received as gifts of joy but the conversations and bonds made are true examples that the world can learn together,
the second conversation was with an architect friend ,this time we never really touched to much on the project but rather the idea’ if you are to create,design something what then is the implication 2 years later,
the idea that any creative finds it hard to like what they made further down the road especially as an architect where the design has a function,
his views were cynical but fair,and true
my only answer I could give is that if we are present in the time of designing and completely connected to the intention as best as possible and give all our creative energy and everything we have then there is no more we can do,
the same goes for a relationship ,,the way in wich you meet that person in the middle and share a space together ,being present, honest and open ,,you don’t know what the future will hold but the present is everything.
anyways without going on a tangent,my point is i think my experience in gambia will continue to effect me here at home and the fact that i will continue to talk about it with my peers will allow the project in some way to carry on,and continue to take shape,and also hopefully inspire those around me here,
day 6,last day in the village for me
this morning i woke up with a real feeling of inner conflict, the excitement of yesterday had now calmed, and i was left with the thought of responsible action
what had i done what had i implied,
what is the effect and what have i left behind,
so this morning me sydelle (anthropologist / research) and i called a recap meeting with ,lawrence and james(makasutu/wide open walls),,we expressed all our concerns from the week and for the future of the project,,
it is clear that the project needs a direct focus, and it is clear that the communication and involvement with the village must be a priority,
there must be collaboration and dialogue, and a consistent presence,
there will be no date set for the next wide open walls,. as continuing to simply paint murals and run workshops is not fair,
for the next month a complete strategy will be formulated by myself, lawrence and sydelle,
there are many organizations, financial donors ,community members ,local volunteers ,etc to connect with and assist in guiding the project to ensure responsible action,
so on conclusion the project needs to have serious focus and allot of hard work is needed, without an ambitious goal but rather a humble foundation,
After our meeting we rushed to the the galoya village just in time for the closing ceremony hosted by the 4 villages we had interacted in,
we all sat in a circle under a giant mango tree, the woman danced ,and everyone rejoiced,
melang the community representative addressed everyone on both a personal level and summarized a conclusion for the week with a thank you to everyone involved,
he was very sincere and struck a nerve in all of our hearts,
he then opened the floor to all the village chiefs and artists,
Each chief said something, so clear and so simple,. Putting any of our conflicting thoughts to rest ,even referencing roa’s work appreciating the fact that he had chosen to paint extinct animals and how that could teach the children to appreciate there surroundings and what animals there are left, and referencing know hopes work and saying how the unity and bond of a community is everything.
today was full of many wise reflections and clear conclusions,
and during the course of the day me and sydelle had some really amassing inputs from various conversations that will defiantly effect the positive future of the project
the most important being that the project must not come from us but re created and re envisioned from the beginning together with the community and involve local artist and focus on cultural exchange
as one of the chiefs said today, if you have 100 dollars and you can give us 50 dollars, you are left with 50 but if you give us 100% of knowledge you will be left with 100% of knowledge and together we can share in this knowledge,
Day 5,art and heart
Today was extra special,
i didn’t want to paint another mural i simply wanted to collaborate, connect and dialogue,
on arrival in bafalutu the 3rd of the villages painted i was met by yusaf, the son of the chief, he was so great, he took the time to walk me around and introduce me to everyone and help communicate what we would like to try do for the day,
he showed me the old classroom that had been left forgotten for 2 years because the teacher moved away
so together with a few of the younger men we began to remove rubble, break away termites and start to paint the walls with vibrant yellows and greens,
there are only 2 small windows in the class so the bright colours made a powerful impact
then together with kadima a very special woman in the village who looks after all the young children we distributed crayons, pens and coloured pencils to all the kids,
each was given a paper flag and explained that all the flags would then represent the community
girls boys men and woman all had a go,
we then glued them all to string and hung them in the new class,
also during the day everyone had a go at painting the outside wall,
all the woman especially loved this, and were laughing the entire time,
kadima said it was such a new wonderful feeling for all of them,,
today was special, people came together for a collective cause, and the lesson within that was felt by all,
Day 2 3 and 4
Internet connection is little to none here,
So blogging daily isnt really possible, and i want to be online as little as possible,
Over the last 3 days i have painted 4 walls,
each painting comes with a new experience and a better understanding of the community, the village, this project and my involvement
along with trying to balance the role of curator and artist,)
the last days i have simply tried to be as aware as possible and with an open heart,
(and obviously with the looming feeling of responsible action.)
Today I met with a lady from a local NGO who i chatted to about my concerns and wanted to have her feedback
she supports the ethos and potential of the project and agree with my concerns ,,,witch are natural with any project that hopes to make a positive impact, the needs are clear, a sincere dedication and humble beginnings,
what and how, are still not 100% exactly clear but that is why we are here, and something i think about alot and each day and each conversation widens the mind map of ideas ,witch we will analyze and investigate after the project, and implement simple changes for a potentially very positive project with the community as a priority,
Its clear that the art we have created is received positively, and as clear that there are direct needs within these communities,
connecting the intention with a small solution is a process. and something that is hard to do even back home in south Africa ,but i have really good hopes for what this could be, with focused time ,dialogue, responsibility and and a humble approach, this is a project that deserves to happen and can create a positive ripple.
each night we are speaking with one another about ideas ,experiences, mixed thoughts, positive thoughts, together with happy stories we have come back with from a day of painting in the village.
DAY ONE
Arriving on the first day was quite an adventure,
Me jonx and rowan flew in from South Africa to Dakar in Senegal at 5 am and drove 7 hours to Gambia, through rural villages and hustling cities it was great to see the country.
Roa , Tika, Remed and Know Hope had already arrived 2 days earlier and completely connected to the pace of life here so it was nice for us to arrive into that energy and them being so excited to share with us what they had just discovered,
Gambia is a proudly peaceful nation, in South Africa and in other African countries I have visited there is a very peaceful sense of love, unity and connection,…to everything,
But here there seems to be something a little bit extra special, magical even. Life is simple and beautiful; the community is humble and happy living along the river side.
Its been 3 days now and have tried as best as possible not to go online, and try to be as present in this moment as possible,
When you ask someone here, how they are, the direct translation to their reply is “I am here”
Its a simple beautiful philosophy that the entire village is connected to,
Here i find myself completely at peace within and part of the community, in peace and in tune with all,
Painting here is so appreciated and for me feels like a great gift of creativity we are giving, and sharing, there is a direct connection and value to the energy we put in and the how it is received,
As artist we are engaging, talking, playing and sharing with open hearts, working with each other and sharing a space that is having a great effect on us each as people and artists,,
Unity and love.
I am here,