Artists and children take part in the King's& Queen's Kibandas art project, where more than 100 small iron sheet shops are being transformed into community works of art, in the Kibera slums of Nairobi, Kenya, on March 30. WU XIAOHUI/CHINA DAILY
On a Saturday afternoon in late December, groups of African girls and boys stepped out from streetside tin-roof salons, grocery shops and clothing stores, toward a new art gallery nearby, for a free concert performed by renowned Turkish-Canadian tenor Turgut Akmete.
A street vendor and her child sit in front of a painted wall at the Kibera Arts District in the Kibera slums of Nairobi, Kenya, on March 30. WU XIAOHUI/CHINA DAILY
A distinct, artistic vibrancy pulsated through the area, mixed with the hustle and bustle of daily life. This was not detected in a chic and developed cultural community — it occurred in Kibera's informal settlements, one of the largest urban slums in Africa, in Kenya's capital Nairobi.
Children stand in front of a hair salon with its wall painted by local artists at the Kibera Arts District in the Kibera slums of Nairobi, Kenya, on March 30. WU XIAOHUI/CHINA DAILY
Many local residents had never watched an opera before. An exhibition showcasing paintings from Kenyan visual artists was also held at the venue, receiving many visitors who had until then never entered an art gallery.
The gallery, called House of Friends, sported a brand-new white exterior. It functioned as an active hub of the Kibera Arts District, a flourishing project that was officially launched in late 2023 with a major parade.
Local artist Joseph Ouma conducts painting courses for children at the Kibera Arts District in the Kibera slums of Nairobi, Kenya, on Dec 23. WU XIAOHUI/CHINA DAILY
The project's founder, Jamey Ponte, said the road was closed for the event, something that never happened before other than amid protests, and the move was "happily endorsed by the community".
Ponte, an American art entrepreneur more popularly known within the community as Babu or "Grandpa" in Swahili, has been living intermittently in Kibera for more than a decade.
A boy cycles past an animal sculpture made from recycled metal at the Kibera Arts District in the Kibera slums of Nairobi, Kenya, on Dec 23. WU XIAOHUI/CHINA DAILY
The idea of creating a safe gathering space came to Ponte's mind after he witnessed the aftermath of Kenya's 2007-2008 post-election violence, which killed more than 1,000 people across the country.
Kibera is often known for its poverty, crime and drugs, a label many people from the area do not want to be identified with, Ponte said. "Today, if you stood out in front of the gallery, you are standing in the 100 percent safest space where it used to be at most 20 percent," he said.
An artist makes animal sculptures from recycled metal at the Kibera Arts District in the Kibera slums of Nairobi, Kenya, on Dec 23. WU XIAOHUI/CHINA DAILY
At the House of Friends gallery, curator Joseph Ouma is a self-taught Kenyan artist who moved to Kibera when he was 5. Ouma, who spent his spare time offering free art courses for children in the slum, is currently working on the construction of a new two-level studio with the support of the project, which he expected to draw more international recognition and attract more artists and visitors worldwide.
wuxiaohui@chinadaily.com.cn
Art entrepreneur Jamey Ponte (left), House of Friends art gallery construction head Pius Muga Oduma (center) and project leader Patrick Othieno pose on the venue's rooftop during its handover ceremony in Kibera, Kenya, in October. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY
Young fashion models showcase designs made fully from discarded food containers during the Kibera Parade 2023 to celebrate the newly launched Kibera Arts District in Nairobi, Kenya, on Dec 2. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY
