Open Doors (Zanzibar Day 3)

by Alex!

We began our day by eating breakfast while reading on the seaside patio. The article we read posed several questions surrounding how the West views African art. The author discussed how the West defines primitive and traditional in the context of African art and explored what Western consumers seek in African art. As a group we acknowledged the dangers in distancing an artist from their work. Afterwards, we had a conversation led by Peter and Eden in which we talked about the social agency artwork provides and the self-expression it grants. Peter shared a brief description of his work and explained symbols he integrates into his work. One symbol he uses frequently is a door which stands for opportunity, hope and a better life. He explained, "I believe in open doors." After our conversation we each created our own piece of work. Our canvas paintings depicted Zanzibar from many different perspectives. One quick lunch later, we gathered in the lobby before heading to a spice farm. The farm was lush and paved by a dirt road. The entrance was lined with home made of rich brown mud from which brightly patterned cloths hanging from the roofs and people sitting at the doorsteps. In two groups, we toured the farm with our kind and energetic guides. We were each given leaves that were wrapped to form a cone to hold our spice samples. As we walked through the dirt paths between the plants, our guide pointed out plants and his "assistant" would pull off leaves, bark, fruits or nuts for us to smell. Collecting samples in our cones, we wandered through the greenery learning about local medicinal purposes for native plants as well as commercial uses. To end the day we joined two Zanzibari women for a cooking lesson. Each group chopped vegetables for our dinner under the instruction of the women. We then watched the women toss spices into the pots as they cooked the fish curry. We took a quick cooking break to join the local choir in singing in the church. The fish curry was delectable and the Mandazi, Zanzibari donuts, were a perfect finish to our splendid Saturday. 

During our morning conversation Peter described his first time leaving Tanzania. He was approached by an art connoisseur impressed by his artistic talent and willing to display his more in New York City. Peter explained that it was not an easy decision to fly to New York alone. As the only African man in the exhibition, much less a Maasai man, he felt small and insignificant compared to the skilled international artists he would soon meet. Yet part of him was eager to be daring and to seize the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. After living in NYC for three months and having his work displayed in an art gallery in SoHo, he has returned to Tanzania to continue sending striking messages using his art. The daunting risk he took has been transformative to his career. Similarly, Shara Khamis, the woman orchestrating our cooking class took a leap of faith after she lost her job as an environmentalist when there was a change in power in the Zanzibari government. She decided to visit to businesses in her community to ascertain what gaps existed in their business model that she could fill. However, she only asked female business owners. Eventually she discovered the spice farm and, per their request, she established a cooking school to add to the complexity of the business. In this way, she built a symbiotic relationship between the school and the farm: both attracting and referring customers to each other. Both Peter and MAMA Shara took advantage of a rare opportunity they were presented with. As Peter explained, an open door is an opportunity. We witnessed firsthand the tenacity, ambition and capability of everyday Tanzanians as they take risks and achieve impressive success on the continent and around the world.

Peter leading class

saying farewell to Peter!

ART CLASS

artist's hands

SPICE FARM & COOKING CLASS

Matthew, Philson, Will and Jassiem joined a Pentecostal choir as they rehearsed a beautiful song for their church.  I will try to upload a video...it was deeply moving.  

All in with Melanin!