Take a motorbike to the site to decorate.
Make sure the generator has arrived.
Mobilize people in town.
Pick up more chairs.
Get the tents set up.
Unload the bananas.
Set up the speakers.
Make sure the laurie had arrived.
Gather everyone at the KCB Bank.
Decorate the vehicle to lead the procession.
Brian was on top of his game and has this amazing way of communicating and getting everything done. Toby had been on Good Morning Kenya style a couple of times. Radio ads had been running. Fliers had been distributed at churches and the local schools were involved in the poetry contest. The 2012 Presidential Candidate had been invited. We had no idea what this would turn in to. Fingers were double crossed. We were just hoping for a good turn out.
By 7:00am volunteers were arriving at initial meeting point. It was said that Kenyans are not an early morning people but it wasn't true on this day. School children were in their uniforms and I assumed they were headed to school (yes- secondary school is open on saturday and the kids spend the day cleaning.) The shops were closed but some folks were milling around town and a few motorbikes were buzzing about. And bit by bit they started showing up. One school group at a time. The radio station that would be broadcasting the event. The TV crew. More people. The motorcade of motorbikes. And it grew. As the parade made its way to the Caltex Petrol station, it was clear that this was going to be bigger than expected. There were lots of schools all there - actually the schools had been closed for this event. Buses had brought in the National Choir Champions to participate. Students were in their uniforms and the different colors of blue, green, orange made a brilliant patchwork. Along the 2 mile-ish stretch to the new school, it continued to grow. Traffic came to a screeching halt. We added more and more and more people along the way. It became a sea of people. The town was having a party. Best guess to date is 4000 people.
As we rounded a corner during our trek, the new school shone bright on a hill in the distance. It is two stories and has been painted white with large windows throughout. There was a trail of people making its way to the site. 500 t-shirts had been handed out along the way so the spots of people turned to red, green, black and white - the colors of the African flag. Tall pine trees framed the scene and a babbling brook ran in front of the school. A few small houses with rusted metal roofs surround the school. Landscaping had just been finished with a beautiful stone walkway and newly planted trees and shrubs. It was a new construction site that is making an impression in rural Kenya.
The event itself was packed with speakers and clowns and musicians and children. All the presenters were on the roof of our two story building with nothing even close to a railing surrounding it. When the Kenyan pop-star finally took the stage, the skies opened up and it started to rain. It had this Woodstock "feel" to it. Dancing in the rain, surrounded by children, not understanding any of what was being said and being one of the only mzungas in a huge crowd of Africans - it was a trip. I had moments of fear thinking "if this turns into a riot, what do we do?". I am pretty sure there wasn't much of a plan for that. Especially when two fireworks were set off and people thought they were guns and started to run. YIKES! Luckily, It quickly settled back to the festivities but it was scary for a few minutes. The goal was to have a fun filled day with the focus being on education and human rights and that is exactly what happened. The winners of the poetry contests presented their works with much enthusiasm and gusto. They displayed no fear delivering their message in front of thousands, even as the rain came down. And then Jimmie Gait was on stage and the entire lawn was on its feet singing Haratiti - or something like that. It was a great opportunity to make up the words as I sang along - literally. I got the dance moves down and that seemed to please all the kids around me. I think they were a bit surprised that a white person would actually dance with them. I was thrilled to hold their hand or wink at them or just be part of this event. It was magical.
At the end of the day, it seems like this was something that will make a difference to the children here. It will change the perception of white people. It will show that we care about the community and the children specifically. It will show that people are willing to invest in education and trying to help improve the lives of children around the world. It shows that they are important. It makes me smile and warms my heart. I am so glad I had the opportunity to be part of such an event.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
