Reporter’s Journal part V: Snapshots of Kenya
The World's Andrea Crossan recently met up with Kenyan artist Solomon Muyundo, also known as Solo 7. Muyundo is famous in his native Kibera, a huge slum in Nairobi. He's a graffiti artist known for painting political slogans of peace all over the massive shantytown. "Peace Wanted Alive" is his most well-known slogan. Andrea caught up with Solo 7, and sent in this reporter's journal entry.
I was visiting Kibera on my last day in Kenya and I wanted to meet the man whose work I'd seen painted everywhere.
Muyundo was easy to find. The first person I asked knew him and offered to take me to his studio.
After making my way down a mud alleyway, I was led into a narrow courtyard and up a rickety flight of wooden stairs. The tiny wooden shack was Muyundo's studio space. It was filled with his vibrant graffiti designs on canvas, paper, and on t-shirts.
Muyundo sat down with me for an interview. He told his story about why he decided to paint peace slogans all over Kibera.
Kibera was ground zero for Kenya's post-election violence last year. Muyundo described to me how he got caught up in an angry mob. He had to shout political slogans supporting opposition leader Raila Odinga to keep the crowd from attacking him.
Solo 7
It inspired him to take to the streets with his paint brush.
Solomon Muyundo told me that he had written peace slogans in about 4,000 places in Kibera, and that he used his graffiti to discourage looters and protesters from targeting people's shops and property.
After we finished our interview he showed me some of his work.
There was a large square painting in the corner of the studio that caught my eye. It had brightly splattered paint with Solo 7's trademark PEACE WANTED ALIVE message written across it.
I asked if I could buy it.
After some negotiating, we settled on a price and I left his studio with my large canvas memento of Kibera.
That night I packed my bags and headed for the airport. I decided that the only way to get the painting back to Boston in one piece was to carry it with me on the plane. I walked through the Nairobi airport with my new art purchase tucked under my arm.
As I passed the British Airways check-in desk, the woman behind the counter tapped her co-worker on the shoulder and pointed to my painting. The two women smiled and nodded at me.
Then, I took the painting to the security scanning area. The airport security agent picked it up off the belt after it was X-rayed.
He held it up for moment. His face lit up with a huge smile. He read the message out loud "Peace Wanted Alive."
And then he handed me back my painting.
"Yes. That is right," he said. "That is right."
More from this Reporter
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- Saving Kenya’s Lions
- Kenya’s peace graffiti artist
- Disease Detectives in Kenya
- Reporter’s Journal part III: Snapshots of Kenya
- Reporter’s Journal part II: Snapshots of Kenya
- Reporter’s Journal: Snapshots of Kenya