Solo 7 is a young artist from the Kibera area of Nairobi, the largest urban slum in Africa, with close to a million inhabitants. View Photo Album of Solo 7's PEACE Statements >>
Kibera is
known as a “high density” area, which means extreme overcrowding and no quiet,
private spaces anywhere. When I walk through the dusty, narrow, pot holed
alleys with a friend, the children scream, “How are you? How are you? How are
you?” They also yell, “TeaCher. teaCher, teaCher.” Or sometimes just, “Cher,
cher, cher.” Recently, I was visiting some artist friends and there were
children everywhere wanting my attention, I turned to my friend and said, “I
need a break…a few minutes alone.” He said to me, “You are in the wrong
neighborhood.”
Conditions are
deplorable in Kibera, with trash and open sewage everywhere. There are several
public toilets lined up with locked wooden doors, but you have to pay 5
shillings per use (approximately 7 cents, which can also buy an egg). On my
last visit, I used the toilets and when I re-emerged, there was a crowd of
people waiting, pointing at me and laughing. Most people use “flying toilets”
…a paper or plastic bag which is then flung as far as possible.
Most of the
young people in Kibera are jobless and desperate…and quickly turn to petty
crime and drug abuse. There are gangs of young thugs who rule each small
neighborhood and they are known as the “street boys” of that area. With wild
and blood shot eyes, they terrorize the inhabitants, commonly stealing and
viciously beating up innocent victims. There are pubs lining the trash-strewn
alleys and these are crowded all day long with folks drinking home made brew
and Lion King, a strong, widely consumed and very inexpensive alcoholic drink.
Other
inhabitants line the alleys trying to sell a few mangoes, tomatoes or cooked
corn in husks. Some families of ten bring in collectively 40 shillings per
day…about 60 cents US. This is their world and Kibera residents commonly don’t
leave…not even to visit downtown Nairobi, a 20 shilling (25 cents US) public
transport ride.
During
Kenya’s post election violence of Dec. 2007, Solo 7 created a magnificent art
statement that spanned the entire slum and many neighboring areas, as well.
This article is intended to highlight his brilliant vision, energy and wisdom
and to collect financial contributions that will support his continued striving
for peace and his work to nurture children. All donations for Solo 7 collected
on the Harambee Arts website will go 100% to supporting his next project.
The
following is an interview with Solo 7 from November 2008:
Solo 7: “Right now
in the primary schools, they don’t teach art. So it is our road…to teach the
children.
"The peace
project came about due to violence. The violence happened after the
presidential disputed election results. Kibaki had won the election. And yet,
people expected Raila to be the president. Kibera is in Langata constituency
and Raila is the MP there and so people grew mad. When people grew mad, they
were against the Kikuyus and believed that they had messed up the elections.
So, people wanted to freeze their economies as well as chase them away from
Kibera. They started torching houses, and I saw that that’s not the way that
people should live in a community. When I read the headline of the newspaper…'3
days for mass action,' I said to myself, 'No, whoever has written this type of
thing, doesn’t know the consequences, because more people will die.'
"I decided to
demonstrate in the way that would not cause harm to anybody. I never wanted to
harm anybody and I decided to go with paint and a brush since I knew that signs
speak louder than our voices. I decided to write some signs that display PEACE
in the eyes of the public. That’s when I started writing those messages.
Immediately after the three days of mass action I continued to write the
messages, since people encouraged me to write them more. People really liked
what I was doing and the signs calmed down the tensions among the public. I
felt that because of my identity (I look like a Kikuyu) I was also trying to
protect myself, as well as my neighbors and my friends. I was trying to vote
for peace.
"I did the
signs for about one month and there are more than 5,000 of them. I used to
write on the roads, on speed bumps, everywhere…trees, gates, ruins of the post
election violence. I did it all by myself. Some people thought that I was
earning something (a big contract),”You will be a rich man.” But I just
volunteered to do it.
"And I
decided to use the tag Solo 7 because I was born on July 7, 1977 (7/7/77) and I
am the 7th born in a family of 9. I don’t have any clear idea right
now about my next project but it’s all about moods. It all depends on mood and
inspiration,
"I grew up in
Western Province of Kenya. I was farming and doing micro-finance business, as a
hawker selling eggs and ground nuts. I came to Nairobi in December 2003. I had
started painting when I was very young. I used to paint for fun…pleasure
painting. Commercially I started in 1994, writing signs.
"I never
imagined that I could do something that would bring attention to the nation. I
usually wonder, “How do these people enter the Guinness Book of Records?”
"If all goes well, I
will buy a house within Nairobi. That will sustain the rest of the family, or
else maybe buy some land somewhere. Kitale…it’s a very good place. I have two
daughters, ages 11 and 5. I would like them to be educated…that’s the most
important thing.”
View Photo Album of Solo 7's PEACE Statements >>