Who I Am, Who We Are - Art Project

Venue: Diamond Plaza,  4th Parklands Avenue in Parklands, Nairobi 

“The question Am I Kenyan stuck with me all evening and what I came up with at night was; we are what is convenient, we are what we want to be in a particular moment for it to work.” – Participant of the project “Who I am, Who We are”, 29 years, Kenyan of Somali origin

In the last five months, the project " WHO I AM, WHO WE ARE" initiated by two artists -Xavier Verhoest and Wambui Kamiru- has travelled around Nairobi and collected over 600 responses to the idea of a Kenyan identity.

“WHO I AM, WHO WE ARE” is a project about the idea of Kenyan nationhood and how this is embodied through our sense of identity and our everyday interactions. It is a concept animated by the notion that today’s world reflects a reality both multiple and unique. Nowhere is this idea truer than here, in Kenya, at 50.

A public art intervention called ‘In a Silent Room’, will bring about conversations and encourage the public to reflect on important issues. These include memory, identity, aspiration, change and diversity, at a time when we commemorate 50 years of Independence.

The Silent Room is a space (an insulated, stimuli- neutral room) where the public (in a private individual way) can reflect on 50 years of history. The room has an entry access, one chair, headphone/microphone and a recording audio system through which the individual in the room can listen and answer to 7 questions about “Kenyaness.”

One visitor at a time goes into the Silent Room for each session.

The audio and visual material gathered during these projects will be the base of research on identity and will form part of publications documenting this project.

More Info: www.whoweareke.wordpress.com email: whoweare.ke@gmail.com Tel: +254 721 842231