Rwandan genocide through Helen Wilson’s eyes

The saying ‘it is never too late to start’ applies well to Helen Wilson. In her late thirties, she picked up a paintbrush and started communicating with the world how she knew best – using brush strokes on a canvas. Helen Wilson is a black/dual heritage, working class, self-taught, artist whose passion lies in speaking for the voiceless. Her work unlike many artists addresses social and cultural injustices across the world.

It is this passion that led her to pick up a paint brush. Images of the Rwandan genocide broadcast on TV in 1994 compelled Helen to learn more about the situation so that she could educate her children whilst raising awareness of the tragedy that went untold.

An image of a child lying on a mass grave

With limited funding, Helen travelled to Rwanda in 2002 where she met survivors and visited massacre sites. On her return to the UK, she transferred her experiences on large-scale oil paintings which tell a powerful story of personal dignity, courage and survival. She also managed to maintain the beauty of Rwanda and its people with her vibrant colours.

We had a chance to marvel at the power behind her painting skills and her underlying profoundness by visiting her exhibition at the Butetown History & Art Centre at the Bay. Entitled Making Sense: A Rwandan Story, Helen is showing Cardiff the Rwandan genocide and its aftermath through her eyes.

The exhibition is running until the 16th January 2011 and is worth seeing if you have some time.

East African Swagga

East Africa is not just about Safaris, Mt. Kilimanjaro, the indigenous Masai tribe, or the Primates of Uganda and Rwanda. Neither is it only about the war in Darfur, hunger in Somalia or disease as depicted by the media. Cardiff got a chance to see the other side of East Africa thanks to DJ Peter and his crew.

On the 5^th of November, as Indians were celebrating Diwali , East Africans gathered at Pure night club off St. Mary street to show what their youth’s culture was all about – through music.

From Genge, an expressive, poetic type of music that is equivalent to hip-hop, and which originated from one of the poorest areas of Kenya – the term Genge is slung for a ‘group of people’ and was birthed by a gang of young men whose creativity quickly spread throughout East Africa opening doors for a lot of the oppressed youth in that part of the country.

To Bongo flava, a genre developed in the 90’s from the capital of Tanzania known as Dar-es-salaam. This is also Tanzania’s version of hip-hop, with intonations from the more traditional styles such as taarab and dansi. Like Genge, Bongo flava became a popular sound in neighbouring Kenya and Uganda.

Also representing were the beats of Uganda, also known as Lugaflow, which originated from students of Makerere University, one of East Africa’s leading institutions. The Ugandan hip-hop scene also began in the early to mid 90’s and infested the rest of East Africa, like its counterparts Genge and Bongo flava.

There was also some Kwaito from South Africa, Nigerian music, a fair share of hip-hop and RnB, dancehall and funky house which created a perfect mix and provided an environment where everyone could relax,enjoy and feel at home whilst experiencing the beats of East Africa.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

From this event, it was clear that hardships faced by the urban youth is similar in all parts of the world. Genge, Bongo flava and Lugaflow were a cultural movement started by the East African youth in the 90’s , and influenced by the American hip-hop scene. Just like hip-hop in America, and Grime in the UK, the youth of East Africa used music to express themselves and create ways out of difficult situations . For many, it has afforded them with financial opportunities that their parents could never dream of.

It was without a doubt a memorable night, and a breath of fresh air from the usual hip-hop and RnB scene in Cardiff. If you missed it, be sure to catch the next session in December when Kenya and Tanzania will be celebrating their independence. Further details will be revealed on the events page so look out for that.