Kaburayi Sings
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.
Students Draw their Classmates
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.
Let’s Dance!: Part 2, Rwambibi Does the Mountain Gorilla
Category: Art of Conservation (AoC), Rwanda's Park & Tourism, art | Date: Nov 27 2008 | By: Julie
Mountain Gorilla Tracker Leonard RWAMBIBI is our guest visitor for the day and believe me he puts on a great show!
His three children, Angelique MUKESHIMANA (featured in the previous post), Gakobwa UWAMARIYA and Claude HITIMANA (all participants in AoC’s conservation learning class) laugh along with the other students as Leonard acts out gorilla and trackers behavior during the habituation process of wild mountain gorillas.
I remember my dad always doing fun things while my siblings and I were growing up and for that matter he was putting on great fun during his entire life. I think you can clearly see how Angelique, Gakobwa, Claude and the entire classroom of kids experienced a huge amount of pleasure when RWAMBIBI came to class and DANCED THE GORILLA. Who said learning can’t be amazingly FUN?
RWAMBIBI - the kids love you and we all learn so much from you!
Let’s Dance!: Part 1, the Turuwa
Category: Art of Conservation (AoC), MGVP, Rwanda's Park & Tourism, art | Date: Nov 27 2008 | By: Julie
Angelique MUKESHIMANA and Vestine MUKANDUTIYE dance the Turuwa, a traditional children’s game, as we incorporate Rwandan culture into today’s drawing lesson.
Students use watercolors, crayons and oil pastels.
Click here to learn more about the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project.
For more information on ORTPN, please click here.
Coming up Let’s Dance!: Part 2. Meet Angelique’s father as he stops by to chat with the children. He could be one of the coolest guys in town.
Alice, a daughter of an anti-poaching task force member
Category: Art of Conservation (AoC), Rwanda's Park & Tourism, art | Date: Nov 24 2008 | By: Julie
Carole S, Sosthene, Amy, and Jen at Handkerchief Project, we appreciate your comments and interest! Thanks for getting in touch.
Douglas B., wow, thank you for your generous donation of $250.00 to the project and $25.00 to Wildlife Direct! This really helps us as we prepare for an exciting and busy 2009!
In 2007, we asked a primary school headmaster named Laurent if we may hold one of our conservation learning classes at his school - a school located right next to the border of National Volcanos Park, (PNV), which was, by the way, not too long ago protected park land before recent human encroachment. We made a request to Laurent: please enroll 50 children who have parents or relatives presently working in conservation. We knew this would not be a difficult request for Laurent to fulfill because the school is situated nearly next door to the Park Headquarters and park staff and conservationists flock here to work with visiting gorilla trekkers or to sign in for field research in the PNV.
With classes in full swing we arrived at our technical drawing lesson and Eric, AoC’s art instructor, encouraged the kids to really look at the models and draw the figure and head in proportion. Once the pencil drawings were completed, Eric directed the students to try different mediums and have fun with the drawings. The kids came up with fantastic pictures.
Alice TUYISHIME’s father is a member of the National Volcanos Park Anti-Poaching Task Force. You will find below Alice’s wonderful drawings.
And this is Alice!
I mentioned earlier in the post that the primary school Alice attends is located on what used to be protected forest of National Volcanos Park. Last night I read an article in the October - December 2008 issue of Conservation Magazine titled
‘Living on the Edge, Human population soars near protected areas’
by Scott Norris presenting a study which suggests that in both Latin America and Africa people have increasingly moved out of rural areas to protected area buffer zones. The article continues with possible reasons such as buffer zones may provide new economic opportunities as well as offer access to forests with firewood, bushmeat, and clean water. Does this mean that reserve establishment with the goals of habitat and biodiversity protection will be even more challenging?
My Life: a gorilla porter’s story
Category: Art of Conservation (AoC), MGVP, art | Date: Nov 18 2008 | By: Julie
Meet Innocent HAKIZIMANA, a former AoC student and a porter for park staff and tourists visiting the mountain gorillas, as he tells his story during our Lesson Where Art Tells A Story.
My Life by Innocent HAKIZIMANA.
Without fail, the resiliency of people who have been through the most oppressive of situations and nature which continually receives relentless plundering, never ceases to amaze me. But why do we push things to such extremes in the first place?
Fellow AoC classmates illustrate Innocent HAKIZIMANA’s story - a story all too familiar to each of these adults who’ve survived years of war.
Illustration 1.
Illustration 2.
Illustration 3.
Illustration 4.
Illustration 5.
For stories from children living in gorilla country, please click here.
Fetching Water and Thank You for the Donations!
Category: Art of Conservation (AoC), MGVP, art | Date: Nov 08 2008 | By: Julie
Thank you Mell F. and Mary G. for your recent donations to Art for Gorillas! Our project is riding a wave of optimism lately due to generous friends like you and positive energy the team and I are receiving from the people here in the Northern Province of Rwanda. I hope it doesn’t end! Again, thank you very much.
Madame Gaudencia, in the previous blog, shows us artisanal gifts she has available in her boutique - one of these gifts being a woven-circular support which when placed on top of your head it helps while carrying pitchers of water, pots, or sacks full of potatoes or charcoal or grasses for the goats.
I was reminded of an introduction to life drawing lesson we gave a while ago and the beautiful pictures that the students made using oil pastels on black pastel paper.
I had suggested to Eric to choose a model and pose depicting everyday activities. Eric looked out of the window of our classroom and asked a woman passing by to be our model. The woman had a walking stick and a pitcher on top of her head on her way to fetch water. Here are a few drawings for you to see.
Artists Helping Gorillas
Category: Art of Conservation (AoC), Community Based Tourism, art | Date: Nov 05 2008 | By: Julie
We are at a small boutique in the northern province of Rwanda - not far from the protected area where the endangered mountain gorillas live.
Madame Gaudencia RUSINGIZANDEKWE describes how an artisan may improve his or her own life through handicrafts and other forms of art. Perhaps, one artist at a time, one empowered individual at a time may prove peoples ability to symbiotically cohabit with nonhuman species.
In her own words…Gaudencia RUSINGIZANDEKWE.
Gaudence has a nice collection of handicrafts - beautiful baskets are available for sale at her boutique in the northern province of Rwanda at l’hotel Muhabura.
Gaudencia and Valerie…interview is over!
Congratulations Fahad!
Category: Art of Conservation (AoC), art | Date: Sep 01 2008 | By: Julie
Fahad is off to Kyamgobo University in Kampala, Uganda where he will begin his three year study leading to his award of Bachelor of Art and Industrial Design.
As you may guess, Valerie, Eric and I are filled with mixed emotions as we say good bye and good luck to Fahad. We feel sad to see him go, but alternately we’re thrilled about this wonderful opportunity he has in furthering his formal education.
Please enjoy the photos below as we celebrate Fahad and his contributions to the project, art, conservation, and laughter.
Fahad is pictured here at the far right with Eric and Valerie.
Fahad’s family was originally from Rwanda but needed to cross the border into Uganda during the 1959 war. He grew up in Kisoro District in western Uganda where he attended primary and secondary school.
Fahad instructs the children how to draw a golden monkey for our Animals of the Virunga Forest art and conservation lesson.
After completing primary and secondary school in Kisoro, Fahad attended Kakungula Memorial School in Kampala, Uganda for two years of advanced level arts.
More lessons on proportion, this time drawing the human head.
Dedicated to his passion of art, despite the many attempts from his brothers to join them in their business ventures, Fahad remains determined to follow the path of art and conservation.
Fahad assists Eric during our color theory lesson. Here, Eric begins with the primary colors; yellow, red, and blue.
I met Fahad after he completed his advanced level arts at the end of 2007. During our first discussion, Fahad expressed his desire to be in Rwanda, his home country, to share his knowledge with his people. Hence, he got a job with the project!
Fahad helps a student with her t-shirt design.
Fahad and Eric - such handsome guys.
Exposing students to a wide variety of artist mediums, Fahad shows his box of oil paints in front of a canvas and easel.
Fahad paints a sign for our ‘Where Do Gorillas Come From?’ lesson.
Valerie, Eric, and I hope to visit Fahad at school in Kampala. There’s a lot more art going on there compared to Rwanda’s capital city and its towns and villages and Fahad promises to show us everything.
Julie
Destruction: At War
Category: Art of Conservation (AoC), art | Date: Jun 03 2008 | By: Julie
When we are at war, do we have a NEGATIVE impact on the environment?
What happens to our natural world when contiguous countries are perpetually in conflict?
When different ethnic groups oppose each other, when jealousy and other human weaknesses drive families and neighbors to hostility, when hunger overrides common sense, how do these things effect our environment?
Join me in viewing our student’s perspectives to these questions as we continue with:
Lesson Where Art shows the NEGATIVE and POSITIVE Impact of People on the Environment.
We continue with the negative or destructive behaviors and impact of people.
Illustration #1
Illustration #2
Illustration #3
Illustration #4
Illustration #5
Illustration #6
Much more art to share with you, please stay tuned.
Julie
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100% of your donation, minus a small bank fee, will go to your intended purpose.
Donations made here are safe.
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Donations Received
- Sep 28th Peter B. USD110.00
- Sep 23rd Stockshot S. USD210.00
- Sep 8th Mary G. USD165.00
- Aug 27th Bart H. USD500.00
- Jun 7th Nicole D. USD40.00
- May 5th Susan L. USD93.50
- Apr 5th Susan L. USD93.50
- Jan 18th Ludovic L. USD55.00
- Nov 17th Douglas B. USD275.00
- Nov 5th Mary G. USD165.00
- Nov 4th Mell F. USD120.00
- Oct 27th D M. USD220.00
- Oct 25th Sara G. USD165.00
- Oct 23rd Mary G. USD100.00
- Aug 7th Joan G. USD500.00
- Jul 5th Virginia C. USD200.00
- May 9th Theresa S. USD50.00
- May 1st Theresa S. USD30.00
- Apr 17th Theresa S. USD25.00
- Mar 31st Theresa S. USD25.00