Much is known about the late Safaricom CEO, Bob Collymore, yet Kenyans seldom raised their eyes to the woman who was always next to him; Wambui Kamiru.
The wife of the deceased corporate icon is a passionate art enthusiast with a specialty in art installation.
Wikipedia explains art installation as an artistic genre of three-dimensional works, that often are site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called public art, land art or intervention art.
Wambui Kamiru once conducted an exhibition with the theme "Your Name Betrays You" at Kuona Trust Centre in Nairobi, in early 2015. The entire artwork was to explore the origin of ethnicity and the invention of tradition. She went on and created an entire room, painted it white and black and ushered in art lovers, who expressed their commonly held stereotypes and how they affected how they related with people from different ethnic backgrounds.
She dedicated the entire work to her friend, the late Terrence Ranger, who shared in her enthusiasm for Kenya's and Africa's history. Ranger once coined the phrase, "African tradition was invented for Africans by missionaries and colonial administrators."
Kamiru went on to explain how she believed that the colonialists had to classify Africans based on their physical attributes and behavourial characteristics in order to understand them well.
The exhibition aimed at showing that, classification of Africans by missionaries and colonial administrations was created purposefully. It also sought to unearth how the stereotypes, that people harbor regarding other ethnic groups, were created.
"I want us to talk about the stereotypes we hold about each other. Why do we say "ruka kama Maasai (jump like a Maasai)". I want us to understand where all these perceptions, that we hold about each other came from," explained Wamiru.
Renowned artists and art lovers in the event greatly commended her moving exhibition.
The event was attended by top corporate heads including the late Bob Collymore, art enthusiasts and countless expatriates.
"I really admire how Wambui thought through the entire process, her excellent presentation of her work and the interaction it brought throughout the session," Sylvia Gichia, Kuona Trust Center Director remarked after the event.
Watch the video below.
