Words and Picturess by Barry Greville-Eyres
The
socio-economic demise of Malindi’s crafters (painters, wood and stone carvers)
is just a part, at a specific coastal geographical location, of an insidious
Kenyan-wide challenge that has seen tourism related revenue decline in 2014 by an
‘official’ figure of 7.3% due to visitor no-shows. Precipitated by dramatic,
high profile, impact and mortality Al Shebaab perpetrated terrorist attacks
including the Westgate Shopping Mall event in the Westlands district of
Nairobi in September 2013 (resulting in 67 deaths) and more recently, the 3
April 2015 attack at Garissa University (resulting in 148 deaths and scores of
injured and maimed) this does not auger well for Kenya’s second highest foreign-income
earner. Tea is the country’s largest foreign-income earner.
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| Kenya's Kamba people renowned for fine wood carving work and the mainstay of Malindi's Muungano Handicrafts |
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| Jambo jambo bwana! |
Following the latest attack, the Somali terrorist group
Al Shabaab renewed its threats to attack the domestic interests of countries
such as Kenya that are contributing military forces to the African Union
Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). A snapshot of current, foreign country online travel
advisories specifically to Kenya (by the governments of Canada, US, UK,
Australia and New Zealand) confirms that the situation and prospects for the
immediate future are, indeed, bleak. This is in spite of a recent Kenyan print
media report confirming that ‘the marketing budget for ailing tourism has been
increased six-fold as the country prepares to battle the effects of travel
alerts that have crippled the Kenyan tourism industry.’ Interestingly, the spread
of Ebola in West African nations was also cited as a contributory factor in the
decline of tourist visitors to Kenya in 2014/15.
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| Sign of the times! A government-funded billboard in the heart of Malindi flagging challenges that lie ahead with an insidious insurgency |
Closer scrutiny of these travel
advisories is both an education in bureaucratic jargon and the harsh reality
facing Kenya generally and Malindi specifically. Foreign Affairs, Trade and
Development Canada advises against non-essential travel to the Eastleigh
neighbourhood of Nairobi (where several attacks have recently taken place) and
Mombasa for the time being (due to the current elevated threat of terrorism). Travel
to all compass points of neighboring ‘border’ countries ie Somalia, South Sudan
and Ethiopia is advised against.
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| Handiwork in Action! |
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| Wood carvings galore |
The British UK Foreign and
Commonwealth Office (FCO) advise against all but essential travel to:
·
areas within 60km of the
Kenya-Somali border
·
Garissa County
·
the Eastleigh area of
Nairobi
·
Lamu County and those
areas of Tana River County north of the Tana river itself
·
within 15km of the coast
from the Tana River down to and including Tiwi; this area includes Mombasa
Island, Moi International Airport (including transit through the airport), Malindi, Kilifi and Watamu
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| Raw materials are sourced predominantly from within the area with an emphasis on sustainable resource utilization |
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Work station with a difference - Swahili time and location
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| Malindi-based wood carvers support their tribal counterparts in Mombasa via the Akamba Handicraft Industry Cooperative which at one stage employed over 10, 000 people in the greater Mombasa area (www.akambahandicraftcoop.com) |
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The US
Travel Warning is an emphatic and blanket one stating: ‘We issue a Warning when
we want you to consider very carefully whether you should go to a country at
all. Examples of reasons for issuing a Travel Warning might include unstable
government, civil war, ongoing intense crime or violence, or frequent terrorist
attacks. We want you to know the risks of traveling to these places and to strongly
consider not going to them at all. Travel Warnings remain in place until the
situation changes; some have been in effect for years.’
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| Earthy East African community taking shape........ |
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| Work on a mortar for grinding local East African spices |
The
Australians are as brusque as ever stating: Nairobi, coastal
areas from Lamu county to Mombasa and outskirts – reconsider your need to
travel; Kenya overall – exercise a high degree of caution; and Border regions
with Somalia, South Sudan and Ethiopia – Do not travel.
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| Akamba artistry! |
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| Wood carver from Democratic Republic of Congo working alongside fellow crafters |
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| The array of Akamba wood carving skills is exceptional and the transformation from raw timber to finished polished product is extraordinary |
The Kiwis conclude with: there
is high risk to your security in the cities of Nairobi and Mombasa due
to the ongoing threat from terrorism and we advise against all tourist and
other non-essential travel to these cities. We continue to receive reports that
terrorists are planning attacks in Nairobi and Mombasa. The 2013 attack on the
Westgate Mall in Nairobi and a series of incidents and attacks in 2014 continue
to indicate there is an ongoing threat from terrorism in these locations. There
is some risk to your security elsewhere in Kenya due to the threat from
terrorism, kidnapping, violent crime and civil unrest and we advise a high
degree of caution.
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| A 3-legged palm wood stool |
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| Unique palm wood grain |
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| Stock in abundance at the Malindi showroom of Muungano Handicrafts |
A sobering set of
conclusions – if hardcore, die-hard, rugger-bugger Aussies and Kiwis are
limiting their travel to Kenya then there is little wonder that there is a
general stay-away from most countries. Secondly, after the fact and travel too
many above mentioned areas, I did indeed feel like a lonely-planet traveler to
the Kenyan coastline – potentially also a product of the off peak and rainy
season. In all my naivety and possibly, stupidity, I never once felt unsafe and
would not have had it any other way.
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| Quintessential East Africa - definitely Kenya! |
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| A riotous amalgamation of colour, texture, motion and subjects! |
Having dispensed with the
histrionics, let’s revert to the real issue of Malindi’s crafters and how they
are impacted by the latest downturn in the tourism industry. The Kamba people
of Kenya (also called Akamba or Wakamba) make up 11% of the country’s
population (3rd, 4th or 5th largest ethnic
group in Kenya of 48 – source dependent) are renowned for their fine work in
wood carving, basketry and pottery.
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| Kenyan safaris - surf 2 turf! |
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The artist and man at the centre of it all - Davis Kebabe Mochama - dkebabe@gmail.com - Malindi Tourist Market
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| Uniquely East African! |
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Many members of Malindi’s
Muungano Handicrafts (tel. 042-31967 & cell. 072 226 4843 and 073 380 2615)
are Akamba and their ‘cooperative’ have been practicing their craft and plying
a successful trade therein for many years. An abundantly stocked showroom is
testimony to this but because of declining market demand for artistic pieces (dwindling
tourists locally as well as in Mombasa and Nairobi) they are now required to
turn they handiwork and energies to lower paying, mass ‘production line’ work
churning out cooking utensils including spoons and pestles and mortars. With a
trend in declining sales its easy to see why a younger Akamba generation are
perhaps reluctant to enter into the tradition and craft based on emerging
realities and the fact that newly developed skills may soon become redundant.
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| Silky soap stone carvings by James Matiro - Tabako Curio Shop No.35 - Malindi Tourist Market |
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Walk right in ..... colouful characters and artistry amassed at the Malindi Tourist Market
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My meagre contribution is
to draw attention to their plight and play a small role in ‘promoting’ their
unique craft. The Malindi Tourist Market, located at the main town waterfront, faces
an identical predicament – having flourished under a tourist boom they are now
facing an industry that could be going bust – and very soon indeed.
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| Geoffrey Shop No. 13 Malindi Tourist Market |
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| A deserted and desolate Malindi Tourist Market waiting for returning droves of tourists and better times |
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