Odindo Ayieko
12 July 2008
Nairobi — Twenty-three-year-old Kenyan artist Adam Masava this month heads to the Czech Republic for an exhibition based on the plight of Kenyan people living in the slums and at the camps for the internally displaced.
Masava has done a documentary and paintings on how football talent is changing the fortunes of young boys at the Mukuru Kayaba slums at Nairobi's South B. The documentary has been shown in the Czech Republic and has stirred up the the interest of the European country's clubs in Kenyan footballers.
His brother, Patrick Oboya, a member of the national soccer team Harambee Stars and close friend Maurice Odhiambo are already in the Czech Republic where they are plying their professional trade for top division side FK Siad Most.
Some of Masava's paintings have been pinned on the walls of Letní Stadion Most, the base of FK Siad Most.
"It is these paintings pinned on the walls of the stadium that have attracted the club fans, and they now want to meet the person behind the creative work," says Masava
At the height of the recent political tension and post-election violence across the country, Masava, a member of the Mukuru Youths Arts and Crafts Association, came up with paintings preaching peace and social cohesion among different communities in the slums.
His works were liked by many residents, many and while chaos hit other slums in Nairobi, Mukuru remained relatively calm. "Of course, there were tensions, but youths in the area came together to preach peace in different ways," he adds. "There are those who engaged in sports and religion, while I used my art to send a message."
He says his mission to the Czech Republic is to sell Kenya as a tourism destination. "Before my brother went to play there, I knew little about the country, but through my communication with him and with a few other people who have seen my artwork there, I have realised that many Czechs want to know more about Kenya. "And this is why I want to play a role in marketing Kenya."
Masava will hold another exhibition in the neighbouring Slovakia, and has also received an invitation from Ireland.
In the Czech Republic, he will give talks at several workshops about his art and about life at the slums where he grew up.
For a person who did not go past primary school, addressing workshops attended by art students from high schools and universities in a more developed country is definitely a tough task, but Masava is confident it is a test he will pass.
"I will be standing in front of people who are more learned and exposed than I am, but I will be doing that because they have been impressed by my work and believe they can benefit from my talks," he says confidently.
Born on June 12, 1984, Masava grew up at Mukuru and went to St Bakhita primary school, but could not proceed to secondary school due to lack of fees.
His grandmother, Norah Namasubo, took him to Shauri Moyo YMCA to develop his talent in art, but again due to lack of funds, he dropped out before completing the course.
Catholic nuns at South B then taught him how to make greeting cards and beads.
When Oboya was signed up for Siad Most, Masava made a painting on the footballing talent in the slums that are threatened by crime, drugs and lack of opportunities. Oboya went with this to the Czech Republic and handed it to club president Petr Kabicek, who was greatly impressed.
The painting was pinned on the stadium gate where it attracted television journalists who later came to Kenya and, together with Oboya and Masava, did a documentary on slum life.
It is the documentary, which was aired by several TV stations in the country, that earned him the invitation.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 The Nation. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
