Mama Shujaa

("Saving For Old Age," by my father Elimo Njau, co-founder of Paa Ya Paa Creative Arts Center in Nairobi (in the 1960s and it is still standing today). ) It does not matter whether or not we are among those who let it happen. We are all guilty. Actors and spectators. Eye-witnesses and plunderers. We recognize each other in our indifference, our slow poison, our greed for power. African First Lady So-and-so, Professor of this-and-that. We profess our concern for the enterprise and culture of Africa. Tell me, modern day Judas Iscariots, what have you done with the joy and the power of the land? Witness, as the people of Mayotte, voted to be recolonized by France . A vote, of no-confidence in Africa’s independent future. The death, of a sovereign nation, the despair in a continent wrought by corruption, cruelty and brutality. A harbinger of future recolonizations in Africa. It is my prayer that Africa is liberated from the human tragedy playing out, fashioned by th...

This yellow batz glaze is highlighted with terra sigallata underneath to show off the great texture. The texture was hand stamped with an old batik stamp. My friend Todd over at Peace through Pottery was kind enough to let me illustrate the story using this lovely piece. It reminded me of the vibrant pottery produced over the years at our Gallery, Paa Ya Paa in Nairobi, Kenya. Please visit his blog and esty shop . The Day The Kiln Did Not Fire - a Short Story by Hana Njau-Okolo Saturdays usually started early, when Baba’s booming gramophone record player interrupted dreams and their endings. Guantanamera Guajira Guantanamera Guantanamera Guajira Guantanameraaa… The 1970s song was Baba’s favorite; about a man’s longing for his chiquita bonita from Guantanamo Bay. I remember the chorus well since its first release; we had the 78 rpm vinyl. Back then, I liked the way the singer held the “aaa” in “Guantanameraaa…” I still do, because endless possibilities lie within that note; it captu...

Salaams of the New Year! As we bear witness to the creative hopes, challenges and joys of the New Year, I am thankful for the generosity of spirit I have encountered here, a dynamic meeting point of diverse minds and collective voices. A place where we find inspiration, we string together ideas and comments as we dedicate ourselves to a wholesome new way of tackling maisha [life]. Suffice it to say that this apprentice blogger is hooked. And as the year begins, I am consciously aware of the source of my inspiration, my Utu, an intangible source of strength. I grew up in an art gallery in Nairobi , Kenya . My trailblazing parents founded Paa Ya Paa Art Gallery in 1965, just two years after Kenya ’s independence from British colonial rule. The rest of their graduating class became doctors, veterinarians, politicians, you know, the usual safe occupations. Today, Paa Ya Paa is Kenya ’s oldest African-owned art gallery and holds a unique place in the preservation and promotion of a...