Wajukuu Art Center
“MAJUTO NI MJUKUU HUJA BAADAE
This is a Swahili Proverb which translated to English this means the actions of our parents and grandparents are felt by the next generation. This is why we are called Wajukuu, which is translated to grandchildren. We may be impacted by our parents choices, but we will do our best to influence and change the path for the generation to come.”
‘Wajukuu’ is Kiswahili for grandchildren...
‘Wajukuu’ is Kiswahili for grandchildren and was founded by myself as director in 2004 together with a group of 10 youths who had all graduated from art college with a common goal: to make Mukuru a place where a child could thrive and create employment through the production and sale of quality artworks. Wajukuu Art project is a registered community based organisation located in the Lunga-Lunga neighbourhood of Mukuru Slum, Nairobi. Mukuru slum, population 500,000, is one of Nairobi’s poorest and most insecure slums situated in the industrial area of the city. Within a short space of time the group was able to tap into other fieldwork introducing a variety of economical projects to benefit not only artists, but the community at large. At present Wajukuu has twenty-seven members and facilitates art classes for children living in the neighbourhood. In the past twelve years Wajukuu has been able to nurture and support over 1000 children who have gone through our art therapy and kids club activities. In addition to this we provide academic tuition and physical exercise including yoga, football and dance lessons. We have been able to support 15 children achieve a high school education through our scholarship program which is active to date. Our mission statement is to create an avenue for self-employment for young people in our community by developing a working art space, promoting young talent for selling artworks and creating an income generating activity. We offer a refuge to avoid crime and drug abuse and create a good environment for a child to express his/her thoughts in order to overcome life’s challenges. By cultivating a sense of dignity among the youth they begin to realise their self worth and their contribution to society, we teach them their rights and how to demand them from other people.
As the director of Wajukuu, I have been responsible for acquiring funding, implementing and overseeing the various programs as mentioned above. My role also includes art therapy, art classes at the Kids Club and managing the cultural exchange between the community and outreach programs. Because of my leadership skills and artistic background, I have been invited on various international cultural exchanges.
