After walking around Kibera with one of Mama Halima’s family members for a while, we went to Ayani and found the Maasai Mbili Art Studio, where graffiti artist Solo 7 does his art. We walked through this completely covered in graffiti fence to see a water silo (covered in grafitti) and a house (also covered in grafitti). Everything is embellished somehow with found objects, signs, written words, painted words…and everything is so…Rastafarian.
As we Hoooddeee’d and got a Karrribbuuu back, we entered and shook hands with a guy with dred locks, covered in paint and with a cigarette between his lips. We asked where Solo 7 was, he told us he was in America. This took us by surprise, since that would be absolutely ridiculous for Solo 7 or anyone from Kibera to be in America. But then the guy pointed up to the upstairs studio and said “America is up there, you are in China sista” and pointed to a sign that said “China” with an arrow to the downstairs area. So, we climbed some rickety ladder stairs that were covered in nailed down bottle cap tops to a studio decked out in art (ie, America). There was a guy in overalls and a beanie painting slum rooftops on a canvas while looking out the window over a sea of said rooftops. Then we met Solo.
Solo has dread locks, a beard and a black jacket, slouchy pants and a pair of sunglasses buried in his hair. He always has either a cigarette, a match or some “gat” between his lips and a paintbrush in his hands. “Gat” is green leaves that look sort of like fresh basil or mint that, when chewed, get you high. (I asked him which gives him more of a buzz, the cigarettes or the gat, and he said “oh the gat, always the gat.”) Solo told us his story on camera for the Life in a Day film as he worked on his current painting. Then he told us he was going to go graffiti some peace, so we moved to follow him. But then some guys came up the stairs and entered America, giving the rooftop painting guy a slap on the rear end. Solo says “ahh they are sooo high sooo hiigghh” and then laughs. The guy walks up to Rachel and I and says “Hello, Una toka wapi (where are you from)…Japan?” and then says “Ahh me I come from Afghanistan, ya.” They decide we are cool because we know some Shang (Kiberan Slang). After a while, another guy comes in and says “Good night, good night, good night” as he shakes each of our hands. After that the only greeting allowed is good night.
We finally leave and follow Solo 7 as he writes peace messages around Kibera. He walks up to a wall, writes something like “Peace Wanted Alive” or “Keep Peace Fellow Kenyans” or “Amani Tena” and signs them all with a white painted “by Solo 7” before walking away and saying to himself “Sawa sawa” which means basically, cool cool. Kids follow him and say the words that he writes as he writes them. After covering many littered paths, a river that flows literally black with sewage and walking through many neighborhoods, we end at a rock that is absolutely covered in peace graffiti. There are about 30 kids around the rock already, gathered for a choir practice.
At some point we had joined up with Evans Kamau, whose life was the inspiration for the movie “Togetherness Supreme” that will be going to film festivals this year in the United States (we saw the screening at the producers house last week). He is such a character as well. He always wears a pair of overalls with one strap down, several sweaters under the overalls, a pair of Timberland boots and a conductors hat. He wanted to take us to some places he hangs out, so we started walking deep into Kibera. Along the way we decided that the four of us were called “Dream Teambili” and we made up a new Shang word “Buenzuri Mama/Papacita”. It basically means something like a greeting of good will..or “its good”. The thing about Shang is that it changes everyday, so it is actually possible to have made up a new word and have it used. Especially when the two people you are making it up with are actually two of the coolest people in the slum.
We walked through tight walkways, narrow paths between sewage, dodged flying toilets, and finally ended up walking into this little grotto. The path became stone, and clean, and all of a sudden we were in a little triangular space between three walls that had a table, benches, a chalkboard, no ceiling but two beautiful trees. A group of young men were sitting around the table reading a King James Bible, but there was a Star of David on the chalkboard and a painting hanging on the dirt wall that read “Christ is King, Kill the Rapist”.
The boys were at a bible study, they talked to us about Kibera, their lives, what they love, and sang us a song that went “One Black Love…” and included the word “Rastafa” at some point. At the end, Evans said to the young men “I have come to you with a new word my friends.. it is Buenzuri Mamacita. I want you to all say it together now.”
After we left that little grotto, we walked to a pool bar that Solo 7 wanted to show us. It is in the outskirts of Kibera. From the outside it is a blue shack shoved between other shacks with butcher meat hanging in the window (one dangling light bulb illuminating the carnage). As you enter, you pass by the butcher, a room full of people drinking Tuskers, and then get to the back where there is a room made of aluminum with one pool table, 10 men and a chalk man at a chalk board. They play a pool game that involved 6 people and betting. We sit down while Solo plays a game. All of a sudden a man barges in and says something to the effect of “WHAT ARE YOU JOKERS DOING IN HERE” and then pushes through and says, “Only those with money,” pause as he pulls out a plastic bag filled with shillings, “can COME TO PLAY” and the slams the money down in the middle of the table as everyone laughs.
After a bit, we get picked up by our taxi driver Andrew outside the bar, go home, change, have a lovely dinner with Anahi at her house, watch the great 8 minute short film by Mark Kaigua called DAWA (he had left it for us to watch) and then went home.
This is post #73 | Author: Tegan Bukowski
