First Mural Complete!

Here it is, the completed first mural! “Kabila langu ni mKenya” — “my tribe is Kenya”— is a call to unity in the face of the tribal divisions that have become much more intense during this election period. (see my post on tribalism below.) After coming up with the design during workshops with the children and teens, we cleaned off the wall and painted the background with non-toxic house paint using the colors of the Kenyan flag. The kids then did some abstract art and drawings related to the theme, which they had practiced in the workshops. We then drew the words and a local child’s face, both of which I touched up with spray paint. The kids were excited to use spray paint as well, so I broke out some stencils I had made inspired by Kenyan symbols and artwork. Each kid got a chance to strap on a mask and spray a stencil on the wall. This wall is in the entrance to the slum, so thousands of people pass by everyday. At first they seem confused, some even angry, at the sight of us painting the wall. But as the image and words became clear, everyone stopped to watch and had lots of positive comments for us!  —Joel B