Art Chowder November | December 2017, Issue 12 | Page 48

I
n the year 2000 to 2001, I had the great
privilege of being awarded the prestigious
Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence Award by
the US government. I came to America
to teach Batik art and Maasai culture in
Spokane, Washington—as well as to make
presentations to a wider audience in several
other states. I have taught in countless ele-
mentary schools, high schools, colleges and
universities throughout the United States. 
The Fulbright was a recipe for the birth of
an idea! My late wife Seleina and I realized
we could help uplift the lives of many of
our Maasai people, who had no formal ed-
ucation, by “Using what they have—song
and dance—to get what they need.” Shar-
ing our Maasai culture through the Friends
of Sironka Maasai Dance Troupe, could
result in the ability to provide education for
their children, as well as nurture efforts to-
ward better health, sanitation and housing.
Since the year 2002, I have had the great
privilege of guiding these song and dance
groups (usually five to ten individuals) to
visit many states in your great country—
EIGHT times!
How are you able to bring people to the US?
Is it only through your artwork?
In March of this year, I received a call from
The Brooklyn Stuyvesant Museum of Af-
rican Art and Culture, based in New York
City, asking me to prepare and bring five
members of the Friends of Sironka Maasai
Dance Troupe, to come on an all- expenses
paid performance tour to perform at the
Nelson Mandela Humanitarian Awards
Celebration in October. I began the long
tedious visa application process, while also
co-ordinating with my group members in
Kenya, to prepare them for what was a
most unique opportunity to come and do
what they do best—sing and dance! How-
ever, unfortunate delays in the visa applica-
tion and approval process by the DHS led
to a cancellation and withdrawal of funding
for the dancers by the Museum.
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ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE
What alternatives have you been exploring to
bring the Maasai people here?
The news was devastating for me, but
I held on to a strong faith, trusting in
God for a miracle! I did not know what
or how I would deliver such sad news
to the group that had been diligently
practicing for almost a year! I embarked
on setting up a “GoFundMe” weblink
and made a frantic appeal to friends and
well-wishers, to help me raise money to
get the group here. I searched the Inter-
net for low fares, but as the days grew
closer to October, the fares rose sharply!
I called friends and requested help for
housing (we have always enjoyed the
kind hospitality of American families for
home-stays.) In three weeks, I had only
managed to raise $800!
Friends in Monterey and Mill Valley,
California immediately began to brain-
storm, offering homes and venues to sell
tribespeople beadwork and performanc-
es. But I still did not know how to get
the group here! One friend suggested
that we scale back, and just try to raise
money for the dancers and help them fi-
nancially while they were still in Kenya.
I said that was a good idea, but only as a
completely last resort…my faith in their
being able to come here was still intact.
God did indeed answer my prayers!
Driving into the parking lot of my apart-
ment, I received a call from my very
dear friend. He said he had been having
this strong feeling in his heart urging
him to help me. As I listened to him tell
me how he could assist my mission, and
that he knew what my friends meant to
me, I literally sat in my car welling with
tears. I was overwhelmed, and speech-
less. This was the miracle—God had
rewarded my faith and used my friend
to answer my prayers! He and his wife
have helped pay for all the air tickets
for the group members to be able to
travel on this trip. And as if that was not
enough, they have helped secure church
venues, a renowned college in Portland,
and housing for the dancers!
Nicholas, can you describe what it is like to live
in Kenya, where you came from and where your
friends live today?