Anno's Africa

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INTRODUCTION

ANNO’S AFRICA is a creative arts education project for children, currently operating in Kenya under the umbrella of the charity S.A.F.E. – Sponsored Arts for Education. It was set up by the parents of Anno Birkin, a gifted English poet/musician who died just one month short of his 21st birthday in 2001, and has been funded with proceeds from a book of his poetry Who Said the Race is Over?, a CD of his/KjD's music, Dreams of Waking, and from donations. The aim of the project is to offer an alternative arts-based education to Kenyan slum children and AIDS orphans – a chance to express themselves creatively, as Anno was able to do. Despite the Kenyan government pledging free primary education, the stark reality is that even if places are available in the state schools, the children’s families cannot afford the compulsory uniforms or school books.

Earlier this year, ANNO’S AFRICA ran a seven week pilot programme in Nairobi. This comprised a series of workshops at St Johns charity school in the Majengo slums where the ANNO’S AFRICA team engaged with 130 participants aged 10 to 17, and at the Nest orphanage in the town of Limuru just outside the city where they worked with about 35 of the 75 resident children aged 3 to 6. [NB: All yellow links are to videos on YouTube. Use your back-button to return here.]

At St John’s, the children receive a very basic education in reading, writing and simple maths. Despite the school’s wish to extend their syllabus to include the arts, they were unable to find the resources to proceed. So it was, in the words of the Majengo community coordinator, “an answer to a prayer” that brought St John’s and ANNO’S AFRICA together.

The project explored ideas in five separate disciplines: Visual Arts, Drama, Music, Dance and Circus Arts. Six trainers from Europe collaborated with fourteen actors from the S.A.F.E. GHETTO troupe and four teachers from the school, culminating in a great Open Day. The programme involved not only teaching the children but also training the Kenyan actors and staff to continue the project, to ensure its sustainability. The creative programme helps identify the children’s gifts and raise their self esteem. With the focus on practical crafts as well as creative inspiration, it also has the potential to open up work opportunities for the kids in the future.

The workshops proved a huge success and gave the children a chance to explore their artistic potential using materials to which they would not normally have access, allowing them to learn new skills and to delight in themselves and their newfound talents.

The project at the Nest orphanage had a slightly different directive. Working with younger children the emphasis was much more on creative play. The children were encouraged to paint and draw, to model animals from plasticine and make paper windmills, kites, hobby horses and glove puppets.

In addition, there was story-telling as well as dance sessions and interactive games. The staff at Limuru were encouraged to participate and learn new crafts, which they did with great enthusiasm. They will run an ongoing creative program, developed with the help of ANNO’S AFRICA trainers.

When ANNO’S AFRICA returns in January 2008, the project will be expanded to include more charity schools and a shelter for street kids. These remarkable children, whose resilience and courage has inspired us all, deserve the chance to learn and develop their talents, to gain confidence, to believe in themselves and, perhaps most importantly, to have FUN.

An exhibition of the children’s art work was held at the Twentieth Century Theatre in London on September 24th, which featured over 200 paintings and monoprints by the kids.

The event was hosted by Joanna Lumley and Sir Ian Holm, and was dedicated to one of the young art students, Victor Otieno, who died in March. The evening paid tribute to the last project, and raised funds for the next.

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Any human anywhere will blossom in a hundred unexpected talents
and capacities simply by being given the opportunity to do so.

Doris Lessing

Billy and Lulu

ANNO’S AFRICA works under the umbrella of S.A.F.E., UK registered charity 1097369

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