By Margaretta wa Gacheru (posted March 19, 2021)
The pandemic
has given rise to many soulful interventions on the part of artists who were
not able to sit idly by as their art forms went to seed.
That is what
happened midway through last year when a group of multi-talented Kenyans got
together to form the Story Train, a storytelling troupe who went round to
various underserved areas of Nairobi. They told and dramatized stories
everywhere from Kibera and Korogocho to Kawangware and Dandora.
John Titi,
Goodie Odhiambo and Ubax Abdi performed in the open-air with masks, making
social distancing their practice while purposefully telling tales in Swahili
that delighted children, teens and adults alike.
Now that the
lockdown has eased a bit, Ubax has reopened her Cheche Bookshop and Goodie, assisted
by John, also reopened her Craft Centre which is just next door to Cheche in
the InTrade Centre in Lavington.
But the
three are still determined to highlight cultural activities and events at their
enclave.
Ubas Abdi with medalion by Graffiti Artist Msale at her Cheche Books Shop“We have
been having music events and regular film screening at the Bookshop,” says John
who serves the trio as a kind of go-between since he is often called to do
storytelling gigs where he meets many fascinating people in the process.
“It’s John
who actually introduced us to the Iranian Cultural Centre,” recalls Goodie as
she switched on the Iranian sitar music that is meant to accompany the current
exhibition at the Bookstore which highlights Iran’s New Year’s celebrations.
“Normally,
the Iranians celebrate their new year [or Half Sin in Farsi] at Nairobi
National Museum. But this year, we decided to invite them to showcase their new
year’s festivities at the bookstore, and they agreed,” adds Goodie who notes
the Iranian Cultural Centre is just around the corner from the Intrade Centre.
All last
week, Cheche Books was showcasing both books and elegant artifacts from Iran,
many of which symbolized the festivities taking place in every Iranian home
during the new year’s celebrations.
According to
the Iranian Counselor, Taghani Aboozar , every home creates a special table at
this time of year where seven items symbolizing the seven most cherished values
of Iranian culture are placed.
“The overall
theme of this ritual is rebirth and growth,” said Mr Taghani who explains how
each humble item signifies a larger concept. The apple signifies blessings and beauty,
while the vial of vinegar represented patience. The garlic represented health
and well-being, and the coins signify abundance and wealth. The other values
include love, new birth, and strength or power.
The cultural
counselor explais that this ritual derived from an ancient tradition
established during the Persian Empire which preceded the current Islamic Republic
of Iran by many centuries.
His focus is
largely on the ritual. But the decorative artifacts that are also displayed
around the Bookstore reveal the age-old beauty of Iranian or Persian culture.
“Iranians love to decorate everything,” says Mr. Taghani’s Kenyan cultural assistant, Athman Farsi who is clearly as impressed with the ornamental beauty of the intricately embossed trays and elaborately painted copper pitchers and vases as we are.
Sadly, Mr Taghani
explained that none of the items in the exhibition are for sale. Even the
posters of the Persepolis palace (a UNESCO heritage site) from the ancient
Achaemenid Empire (550-330BC) cannot be bought.
But what are
available to view are the encyclopedic books on the country, history, artistry,
and poetry. They are big and beautiful coffee-top table books about the many
facets of Persian culture and history. They are present alongside Ubax’s batch
of contemporary paperbacks written by everyone from Michela Wrong, Tony
Morrison, and Kurt Vonnegut to Alice Walker, Angela Davis, and Barack Obama.
Meanwhile, the
Story Train trio continues to plan cultural events both in the Bookstore and
out since there are still many schools and neighborhoods in the city where
children can benefit immensely from learning that good literature can be fun,
especially when performed by soulful performers like Goodie, Ubax and John.
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