2015 BORDER - BORDER PROPOSAL
Kirichwa Road, Kilimani, Nairobi.
+254 720 590 355
liz@creativesgarage.org
www.creativesgarage.org
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.
LIST OF DEFINITIONS ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 3
2.
WHO IS CREATIVES GARAGE? ............................................................................................................................................................................... 4
3.
BORDER – BORDER ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 5
THE THREE S’ .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 6
Sounds.................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Stories .................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 10
Solutions .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 11
4.
MONITORING & EVALUATION ............................................................................................................................................................................ 16
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1. LIST OF DEFINITIONS
Innovators - An individual or groups of creative and critical thinkers, producers of innovative works in the arts and sciences.
Creative Industry – The term refers to the use of the creative and innovative concepts in industry, encompassing all known art and
scientific forms.
Me- toosim – This is a term coined by Kenya’s creative industry referring to the general copycat nature of Kenyan business models.
Where business replicate other business, in their entirety, with that of their competition. This imitation strips any uniqueness of a
business and its products and services leaving any creative and innovative mind incapacitated to create unique material, for the
companies brand strategy and other means of artistic expression to communicate a unique brand.
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2. WHO IS CREATIVES GARAGE?
Creatives Garage is a broad-spectrum, platform for Creatives to network, share ideas, collaborate, learn, gain market accessibility and
push economic and social boundaries.
Creatives Garage was formed out of past frustrations faced by its founders in the creative industry; such as lack of funding,
underpricing, lack of talent appreciation, ‘me too-ism’ syndrome, lack of education and practical sessions, lack of networking
opportunities, undercutting and lack of exposure. This eventually led to the creation of a platform that could address these issues.
Achievements
Since its inception in 2012, Creatives Garage has grown its membership database significantly to 4,000 creative innovators; who have
formed various collaborative efforts and further have access to the Creatives Garage Maker’s Space; a resource Centre, with weekly
support events and programs for innovators.
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3. BORDER – BORDER
Border to Border is an exploration of the East African culture, history and best practices. It is our mission to document the
great stories, solutions and sounds, Three ‘S’, of this great region. The question would be why? A Swahili saying best sums it
all, “Mwacha mila ni mtumwa.” Whoever abandons his culture / traditions is a slave. The documentation of these Three ‘S’ has
been absent, and is essential for this knowledge to be shared. “You can’t know who you are if you don’t know where you come
from.” And this is how we, at Creatives Garage, believe the African narrative will begin to be told, by Africans and for Africans,
and secured for generations to come1.
“If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.”
Rudyard Kipling
East Africa, like most of Africa is in a cultural renaissance with 70% of its youthful population trying to make sense of who they
are in this ever expansive global village. What most young Africans perceive themselves as is determined by what they see,
read and hear through the press. Because of rapid urbanisation in Africa, some great cultural practices are slowly dying, one of
them being oral tradition. The heart of African heritage is dying with the elderly generations some of whom are illiterate
octogenarians incapable of writing down their experiences and knowledge. This knowledge transfer also tends to be a
challenge with a growing number of youth incapable of speaking their native tongues.
1
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/world-history/meet-mansa-musa-i-of-mali--the-richest-human-being-in-all-history-8213453.htm
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The challenge of language can be mitigated with the use and its exposure online. If more people have access to their language
of origins and see more of their cultural practice and heritage it helps communities survive the economic and social shifts that
come with the expansion of the Global Village.
A 2011 study2 conducted by UNESCO and partners, demonstrated that there was a growing number of blogs in native languages
causing a decline for the demand of English blogs. In the process of documenting and preserving African heritage in all its
facets; customs, history, traditions, language and essence, Creatives Garage will create a huge resource pool for African Digital
content. This will be an initial yearlong adventure to curate African traditions and history.
Problem Statement
East Africa is a region of robust culture, innovation and potential. But it has failed time and again to show its worth to the
world. This is more so as a result of a general failure in documentation, study and preservation of the virtues and best practices
of generations before.
Culture in its essence is dynamic, but even with its dynamism culture connects norms, practices, beliefs and customs of
societies. It allows societies to identify with others of similar background and mindsets and create and celebrate its own
heroes3. It is through sharing of these stories from all these societies using local innovations and cultural norms that societies
across the continent can improve their plight.
2
3
http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/CI/CI/pdf/news/local_content_study.pdf
http://www.dadaabstories.org/
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The challenge plaguing East Africa is a cultural cocktail of limited to no knowledge of culture and tradition of centuries prior to
colonization. And a clear founded and ingrained western influenced self-understanding through the lens of colonization.
The East African journey to self-discovery is relatively more unique to the region in comparison to the more traditional and
self-aware and robust cultures of West, North and Southern Africans. There is however hope for the East African region.
With a present elderly generation still available to pass down their experiences of culture and tradition in social, economic and
political functioning of past societies there still is a chance to document, learn and share these best practices.
Because it is from these best practices, that as a region, we will be better placed to improve our innovations, societal norms
and structures to improve the livelihood of our societies. And in the process solidify a brotherhood to jointly care and grow the
East African region.
Quick Facts about East Africa

Population of East Africa4: 78.9 Million

Youth population: 48.3 Million5
With the youth constituting over 50% of the East African population how best can we as Creatives Garage be part of the solution
to solving their plight? We believe it starts with the mind. And the mind is affected by environmental and cultural norms among
other areas. East Africans need to know themselves to sell their greatness to the rest of the world.
We believe the resolution for this change in mind set for change is encapsulated in what we like to call The Three ‘S’.
4
Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda & Burundi figures according to East African Union 2011 statistics.
http://www.eac.int/statistics/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=143&Itemid=109#geography
5
2013 PRB statistics http://www.prb.org/pdf13/youth-data-sheet-2013.pdf
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THE THREE ‘S’
Creatives Garage is embarking on a crucial mission to preserve, curate and distribute Africa’s great Sounds, Stories and
Solutions. These three areas could easily be described as Intangible Cultural Heritage. UNESCO describes Intangible Cultural
Heritage as living heritage. These are the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge and skills passed down by
communities from generation to generation.
This passing down has been slowed and almost halted by the urban African lifestyle and landscape. This landscape has given
prominence to immediate financially driven expediency at the expense of traditions in the name of modern systems such as
modern trading in shares, stocks, property acquisition and market forces of supply and demand among others. This
immediately dismisses the potential of older African practices that could equally achieve these Social and economic goals.
These African practices can be sought, documented and shared across Africa by Creatives Garage through the Three S’. The
Solutions of societies, the propagation of African Sounds as a global cultural shaper and Stories of inspiration from generations
before, are what Africans need to secure their place in the next phase of global social, political and economic propulsion.
The truth is in the next few hundred years; African civilizations will have to completely reinvent themselves from a void of
knowledge. Most of African history6 is unknown to Africans, and from a bystander, that could explain the state of socio-political
and economic turmoil on the continent. Africans don’t grasp the power and abilities they really have, knowledge that is
essential in the propulsion of Africa as a major world player.
6
http://emmanuelkariuki.hubpages.com/hub/Stonehenge-monument-and-the-Kikuyu
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This is the plight that has faced African Americans stripped from their traditions and subjected to over 400 years of slavery.
The loss of history and documentation of civilizations affects people. Because you are never sure of what stock you are made
of, what potential you had, what great fetes were made for you? You are essentially lost. Lost people don’t propel innovations.
They need to resolve the loss to give them purpose and sense, which is what being human is, it is our social construct.
Border-Border ideally exists to propel the African social construct to give generations a sense of being. It is to fight for and
continue the propagation of great creativity and innovations from their stories, sounds and solutions by arming the generations
with knowledge.
i.
Sounds
Ludwig van Beethoven, the world renowned classical composer of the 16th Century, said, “Music can change the world.”
And yes it did and has. What Hip Hop has done to generations creating a new global culture through language, dress,
conduct and perception is what traditional African music did for generations before. Dirges, songs of harvest, marriage,
celebrations of birth, these songs lyrical content tell a story of old; a story of the realities of generations before. By being
able to take a glimpse into the past of what our ancestors did, it provides clarity into who we are today as Africans.
And as Africans we need to preserve our identity through numerous ways including our sound. We want to join other
forces7 in ensuring that the African cultural sound is preserved and propagated. Cultural protection for any society is
essential to ensure that we adapt and do not run extinct.
7
http://www.singingwells.org/
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Award Winning Classical Music composer, Hans Zimmer believes that, “music lets you rediscover your humanity, and your
connection to humanity.” Through music Africans connect with each other and the world. Music inspires and brings
together races and peoples from around the world8. With Africa sharing itself through its authentic sounds it gives the
current baffled generation a strong identity. It gives the youthful African generations a sense of worth, as they share
samples of their own sounds to redefine the global musical landscape. More music from Africa, means more musical
connectivity, which naturally draws more diverse cultures to see and respect Africans as equal contributors and
participators on the global platform.
Not only music, but poetry, tales, fables, rhymes and riddles to entertain and sensitize children on morals, are essential
sounds that Creatives Garage intends to collect and broadcast.
ii.
Stories
Most of the stories told and documented across East Africa have been political. With little told of the ways and livelihoods
of our fore fathers centuries before in previous civilizations. Very little folklore is known across this region, this absence of
knowledge of the social, economic, spiritual and political make up of our civilizations is detrimental to our future as a region.
That is why now more than ever, we need to reclaim, document and explore what great lessons and heroes there were in
our past. Because it is from those tales and history that we can influence change in present day East Africa.
8
https://creativesgarage.wordpress.com/2015/02/11/chemirocha/
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The great Kenyan folklore of Luanda Magere, the invincible and infallible warrior with a body made of stone. Luanda’s story
is one that not only inspires many, reminding us of the greats that once lived in Africa. But it also gives a lot of insight on
the way of life of the numerous communities’ ways of life during Luanda’s time.
The story of Luanda has been retold in the 21 st Century by Kenya’s award winning musician, Eric Wainaina, through the
production of a musical play that was staged successfully on Broadway. And a comic book produced on the same. This story
is just one of thousands across the continent that need to be told to inspire a new generation of Africans.
Creatives Garage will traverse the East African region to collect stories of these local present and historic heroes and great
feats of generations long gone. And share with the region in documentary format, coffee table publications as well as run
a series of studies of great events and persons of the past.
iii.
Solutions
Despite the huge rural to urban migration, many are still choosing to go back to the basics of rural life. The simplicity of
rural life does bring to the fore the less complex ways in which our forefathers solved their problems. From something as
simple as a hydro powered poshomill, that grinds corn into flour at no cost, which the community used. To the use of
homemade bio fuel from sun dried cow dung, used as direct fuel are methods used by generations prior. Creatives Garage
seeks to document these solutions and celebrate our heroes of social innovation with the hope that this simple living of
old, is something we can adopt from our heroes gone and present.
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The works of generations before and current generations in these rural areas and towns have local solutions that can and
should be replicated across East Africa. These models can help communities across the region, with similar problems; find
a way to resolve them. These solutions will be evaluated, documented and shared across the region to show East Africans
that the solutions they seek lay within their environs and themselves.
Innovations such as Mwangabora9 solar lanterns, invented by Kenya’s youthful award winning Engineer, Evans Wadongo,
is providing much needed lighting in the 85% of Kenya not connected to the National Grid. Evans began this simple concept
using the typical kerosene lantern frames and swapping the wick with a solar powered LED lamp. The LED lamp is made
from locally available material which has now created employment for communities in the manufacture and sale of more
solar powered LED lamps.
Mwangabora was a concept that emerged from one young man’s experience using kerosene lamps as a child in rural Kenya.
It has now lit up the lives of over 120,000 people, across Kenya and Malawi. It is essential to traverse East Africa to seek
these successful models of sustainable solutions locally available in communities. And these solutions need to be
documented and shared, to share the solution to impact more lives positively. Just like Evans Wadongo’s Mwangabora
invention, there are models that can be replicated with a bottom up approach; where communities not only find a solution
to housing, energy and basic needs, but also find and build cottage industries from these same solutions they benefit from.
Creatives Garage also intends to carry out sustainability assessments of these social innovations in these regions and
document the findings in report form as well. This can also serve as a manual to be disseminated beyond East Africa. In
9
http://sustainabledevelopmentforall.org/
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creating this huge pool of local successful innovations across the region, it provides more opportunities and visibility for
expansion of these solutions, in partnerships with organisations keen to provide sustainable solutions to these
communities.
EXECUTION
Creatives Garage will send out a team who will traverse East Africa to collect the Stories, Solutions and Sounds of the region.
This team will constitute:
1. Photographers and Video Producers
2. Writers
3. Translators
This team will traverse Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania for six months following a 3 month research and development on the
contacts, locations and other logistical details.
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OUTPUT
We live in a world of pain, hurt, anger, disparity, and widespread deceit amongst many other negatives. Humanity has lost
the simplicity of its existence. We have lost the importance of being human. Being human means being vulnerable, tolerant,
understanding, productive and compassionate.
Through the lens of one American photographer documenting every day encounters with his fellow countrymen10, Brandon
Stanton made not just Americans, but the world, see ourselves as the same. Human. We are all seeking to pursue our best
in life, by what we all individually term as our best.
That is what Border-Border is about seeing the world through the African perspective: sharing stories, sounds and solutions
from the African in an Armani suit to the African who can barely eat or get a glass of water. Like in the case of the Humans
of New York, everyone’s story is just as important as politician’s, CEO’s or President’s. Border-Border is about opening
Africa to itself and the world.
ACTIVITIES
Border - Border will be a full year of activities covering the three ‘S’ as stated. The mode of documentation will be as follows:
1. Audio - An Extended play (EP) release for faster release and dissemination.
2. Print - There will further be a coffee table book & photography exhibition
3. Video – This will be a series of documentaries that will be shown as a traveling exhibition across East Africa.
http://www.humansofnewyork.com/
10
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4. Online – Website akin to Humans of New York but fused with video and audio footage with social media links.
TIMELINES
1. Research and Development
3 months
2. Travel across East Africa and documentation in all these formats
6 months
3. Traveling Exhibitions: showcasing documentaries & public installations across East Africa and seek local TV stations to air
productions of Border Border
9 months
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4. MONITORING & EVALUATION
Outputs
Performance Indicators
Definition and Unit
of Measurement
(Disaggregate by
sex, age and zone
accordingly)
MOV
Responsibility Frequency
Project goal: Border – Border
Objective:Promote practical comprehensive innovation programs for knowledge sharing in Africa
1. Border
Border
Stories,
Sounds &
Solutions

Number of stories
collected

Number of EPs
downloaded from the
site

Number of Exhibitions
held
Number of towns
visited to collect
stories
Quarterly
report
Monthly
downloads
report from
date of
release
Creatives
Garage
staff
Quarterly
Number of towns
visited
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Number of
feedback forms
filled with
demographic
specific details

Number of locations
visited for stories
collected
Quarterly
report
Quarterly
report
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