Art for Gorillas

Category: Art of Conservation (AoC), MGVP, Rwanda's Park & Tourism | Date: Dec 30 2008 | By: Julie

Hi Sheryl - Great to hear from you. Keep up the great work you do in providing us with a lot of information on conservation issues and so much more on your blog at Please Do Not Tap on the Glass. Thanks!

The Virunga Volcanoes, home to the endangered mountain gorillas, is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and just outside of this protected area in Rwanda is where our project operates.

I had the opportunity to visit another World Heritage Site today - in Mexico. I - and a thousand other tourists - looked in awe at the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza which are located in the northern center of the Yucatan Peninsula.

“El Castillo” (the castle) is the massive Temple of Kukulkan. The Mayans began construction at this site in 460 B.C. using limestone predominately.

This particular Mayan site is 2000 square miles. Chichen Itza can be translated to mouth of the well.

Sculpted limestone panels form the walls at the Great Ball Court.

I looked for spider monkeys for my non-human primate fix, but I did not spot any of these critically endangered new world monkeys.

The jaguar and snakes played important roles in Mayan’s highly advanced civilization of cosmologists.

I asked the woodcarver pictured above if I may have a look at his carving tools to compare them to those used by the Rwandan woodcarvers. He showed me the knife you see here - what is absent is the machete the carvers back in Rwanda so heavily rely upon.

I ran into Jean-Paul Lukusa, the lab manager for the MGVP, click here for more on MGVP at Gorilla Doctors, before I left for the US and told him I was going to Mexico for vacation. His eyes lit up as he put in a request for percussion instruments and shakers.

I’m bringing you a gift, Jean-Paul!

There are many great books on Mayan civilization, archeology, etc… as I am no expert on these subjects. I hope you get a chance to visit and/or learn more about this fascinating culture.

One response so far

Category: Art of Conservation (AoC), Ministry of Education - Rwanda | Date: Dec 29 2008 | By: Julie

As you know, this time of year many people take some time off from their work to observe the holidays, but such is not the case for a few dedicated primary and secondary schoolteachers working in Rwanda’s Northern Province.

The government of Rwanda is requiring classroom instruction to be conducted in English. This is great news for me as English is my native language and I have Valerie as my trusty translator, but it poses a challenge to many teachers who want to keep their jobs and presently speak only the country’s bantu-based Kinyarwanda and French.

“>
Valerie and Vince step outside of a Musanze District school with primary and secondary schoolteachers after their English lesson and AoC’s planning meeting.

Team Art of Conservation caught up with some of these dedicated teachers after their English language tutoring. The team and I are extremely pleased to be forming a working relationship with Rwanda’s Ministry of Education and its staff in our joint effort toward conservation education and we have plenty to discuss before we begin teaching again in January 2009.

http://“>
As a token of our appreciation, Valerie presents Donat, the Rushubi Primary School headmaster, an AoC T-Shirt.

Recently, Donat visited Art of Conservation’s office, garden, and art studio.

http://“>
Standing next to the project’s sample garden, Vince and Donat discuss what types of tree species we are planting and what purposes in conservation do the trees serve.

“>
Continuing to the art studio, Eric shows Donat how he prepares the papier mache he uses for making primate masks - Valerie listens in.

Speaking of taking some time off… I am writing today from the Yucatan Peninsula at Tulum, Mexico. Tomorrow I am exploring Mayan ruins and visiting local communities. I’ll try to post some photos of time spent in beautiful Mexico. Back to Rwanda in January!

3 responses so far

Category: Art of Conservation (AoC) | Date: Dec 15 2008 | By: Julie

Wishing you, your families, gorillas, and all animals season greetings!

One response so far

Category: Art of Conservation (AoC), art | Date: Dec 08 2008 | By: Julie

Kaburayi, a Batwa, participated with her husband and their children in our very first Art of Conservation class in early 2007. Eternally kind, accepting, and willing, I marvel at nearly everything about her. Her husband, always ill, primarily remained folded and collapsed on the ground outside of their hut.

This morning, at my desk for many hours, I needed to get up and go outside. I saw Aimable, the gardener, and I said “J’ai faim.” (I’m hungry.) Aimable suggested I make tea or coffee and then added that Batwa were waiting for me at my gate. My first thoughts were, “Oh no, how long have they been waiting? Why didn’t Aimable tell me earlier that I had visitors?” Aimable, being very proper, never wants to disturb me in any way, but I don’t like having people wait for me as if I don’t care.

It’s a fairly long walk from where Kaburayi lives (next to Volcanoes National Park) to my house and I was surprised to see her, let alone her ailing husband, Bigirabagabo, standing next to her with his walking stick and their daughter Mukanoheri. Through the enigmatic forms of communication here, they found out where I live.

We sat down together and I asked them why they traveled so far and they said, “Inzara,” meaning hunger. Needless to say, my hunger rapidly disappeared - here I was with my visitors who have a hard time finding food day to day.

Together we enjoyed a few Fantas and I said I would be happy to give them money for food. Kaburayi started singing and dancing. I rushed off to find my camera to capture her beautiful songs and stories - I was certain she wouldn’t mind me taking a video because she has seen me with a camera from the day we first met and she is not camera shy.

This intimate moment with Kaburayi, her daugher and her husband made me smile and cry at the same moment. My heart was aching from news I had just received this morning about a dear childhood friend succumbing to Multiple Sclerosis - my heart was beating with admiration of my visitors and their innate sensitivities to express freely even after years and years of oppression. I suppose more accurately my heart was on the teeter-totter of the fragility and resiliency of life.

Above, Kaburayi’s gorilla illustration. She is one of AoC’s first students.

The Batwa of Rwanda are a marginalized indigenious group of people. An estimated 30,000 Batwa are in the country today. About half the population lives in the area near the boundaries of Volcanoes National Park where the endangered mountain gorillas inhabit.

Our class met in a field. Kaburayi examines her work.

Kaburayi’s drawing of her hungry expression.

Kaburayi’s singing expression.

My visitors left and I went back to my office in search of DVD’s containing Kaburayi’s work she did in the AoC class deciding that to share her voice and creative expressions was the best I could do in honor and celebration of her life, the live’s of all the Batwa and to my dear friend Carmen.

Thank goodness for the right of freedom of expression.

No responses yet

Category: Art of Conservation (AoC), art | Date: Dec 05 2008 | By: Julie

Eric gives todays’ lesson to our Rushubi Primary School students. The school is located in the foothills of the Virunga Volcanoes.

Two volunteers hold their poses on top of a table as Eric continues with his live model drawing instruction.

After the pencil drawings, students use oil crayons and/or watercolors.

Beautiful work for you to see from these students who range around 10 years of age.

Oil crayons pictured above for students to use after their pencil drawing.

This student chooses to use watercolors.

No responses yet