Day 5: Naivasha

Hello from Naivasha!
The Kenya I am in currently is very different from the Kenya I was in days ago. As exciting as Nairobi was, I have to admit, it was nice to get a change of scenery (and fresher air). But. Before I get into this beautiful African lakeside retreat we are camping at, there are several stories from Nairobi that must be shared.

In my last post I had said I would write of Kibera. For those who have done any research on this place, these next few remarks will be old news, but for everyone else, listen up. Kibera is the largest slum in Africa. However crazy and dirty the market may have seemed, this city tops it. Tenfold. This city is part of Nairobi, however the government pays little to no attention to the ongoings within it's limits. The people here have essentially been forced to build affordable housing due to some shoddy promises and slight of hand done by, none other than, the government at the time. Because of this, each building is constructed mainly from wood and tin. As well, Kibera is ever expanding. It is massive. We spent about half the day there, complete with a tour by Solo7, (an incredible man who actually decided to move from the Nairobi, not because he had to, but because there was a vibrant artist commune in the slum) and we barely witnessed half of what this place has to offer. Kibera is home to nearly 2.5 million people and holds 10% of the population of Kenya.

On television you may see images of this place. You know the ones, old shack with a lonely child standing outside, garbage lining the streets, no shoes on his feet, distended belly, flies crawling over his lips and shoulders, a blank stare in his eyes. Desperate. That's the image painted by the media.

This is what I saw.

At first, it was what I would see on TV. Riding the matatu into the outermost edges of Kibera, I saw those massive collections of trash on the side of the road, old men scavenged for anything worth any value. I witnessed those street vendors sitting on the packed dirt "sidewalks" selling single shoes, fruits, charcoal on those beds of cardboard or garbage bags. I saw frail dogs lying still. And once again, so many people. On the matte I felt sick. I felt scared to be taking a step in this slum. I didn't think I would last the day. But when we a got onto the ground, stepped past the animal droppings, and free waste and made it to Solo7's art studio, things began to change. I started to see what was happening beyond the clearly unclean exterior of Kibera to the heart of the people there promoting change, growth and progress. Solo had quite a story to tell. First informing us of a brief history of the slum, to stories of the post election violence, to stories of his own past. This man is truly inspirational, and well known. Many people stopped to say hello to him as he guided our small segment of the main group through the winding streets. People outside of Kibera even know of him and what he did to stop the burning and looting of his city. He is an artist. And this makes me proud to be who I am.

Solo7 took us around for a bit, stopping first at other studios that are me king jewelry out of refined bone. The pieces were beautiful. A few of our tour group definitely decided to shell out some shillings for the artworks. Later we moved uphill, stood upon a railway that apparently is still in use (though it is covered with people) and looked out at a sea of tin roofs. Stretching out through the trees, reaching for the developed housing projects and sweeter looking apartment buildings. It was incredible. Then on our way back, Ariel (the youngest member in our group) wished to visit the USAid post at the Salvation Army building. We spent nearly an hour, well just under discussing initiatives and programs that the charity group was currently working on. It was really exciting. They were focussing on the healthy development of youth through sport! When we had walked into the office there were boxes of soccer jerseys, whistles and boxing gear. The main reason football is so popular in Africa is because it is the least expensive sport to play there as I found out. Since the only cost is a ball. Other potential projects included handball and basketball, so I was right into conversation. Because of this, I now have Grace's (the lady at the office with whom I was conversing with) business card. I think I would like to visit her again and see what help I can give.

Through our meeting, grace spoke of the school systems within Kibera and asked if we had the chance to visit one. As it turns out the USAid office is literally on the same property as the Salvation Army School for young children. So, we thought it a good idea to visit. And I am so glad we did. At first, the children saw us white folks while they were playing in the playground and immediately rushed the fence dividing us. They were adorable! Even the ones with trails of snot running from their noses. And they began chanting "how are you? How are you? How are you?" and we would reply I'm good! And you? And some would then respond with "I'm fine!" which most would just continue the chant. As it turns out, this whole time the gate to the playground is open. And while some children decide to try and climb the fence others stream out of this much easier exit. Then we decide i t would be much better to have all the students stay where they should. So we went through the gate. I played with these cute little kids for a few minutes and then was invited to meet the teachers. And so I talked with them. About myself. About the school. About Canada. About Kibera. About money. About the students. About the teachers. About art, music and sport. We talked about many things and we talked for a good while, and as things were starting to calm down, and the topics of conversation slowly dwindled, I was asked if the group had time for the children to perform some songs, tongue twisters and nursery rhymes. It was amazing. And I didn't have my camera that day. In fact the camera is slowly becoming nothing more than an extra thing to carry. For those who are really yearning for some images, I will see what can be mooched

After that magical stop at the school we headed back to meet up with the rest of our full group. At this time we were given beautifully hand painted shirts with OG East Africa on the back and the artists' own personal flair on the front. I love mine. I do have a picture with it on. It's sweet. In fact I'm wearing it right now. But that is beside the point.

The real point of this post is that the world is massive, dynamic, vibrant, dark, bright, whatever. And it is places like Kibera that slap you in the face and kick you the balls and force you to open your eyes to the sheer incredibleness of this planet Earth and those who inhabit it. It's is places like Kibera that make you realize the important things in life. And it is places like Kibera that make you want to make a difference. It was the greatest experience of my trip thus far. I am strongly considering returning there, if not this year, sometime soon.

That was day 2. Now is the end of day 5. And even though that day was the most awakening experience since arriving, there are still 3 more days that I have to write for. But for now, it is late. We have a big day tomorrow traveling to Kisumu. I need some rest. Next post will be all about day 4 when we biked through Hell's Gate National Park and did many other crazy adventurous things.

Ok ok. So good night!
Cheers! I miss you all
Much love and peace,
Ryan.