Did you know you can adopt a wild animal at KWS? Well I didn't know, so when I found out I could not help but ask if we were allowed to go home with the animal once we adopted it. 

To be honest I was a bit embarrassed but then I remembered there's a swahili adage that goes "kuuliza si ujinga" which means "asking a question doesn't mean you are dumb". 

They told me anyone can become an adopting parent or sponsor. All you have to do is pick the animal of your choice and purchase shares. Unfortunately you don't get to go home with it  but you can always visit.

For every sponsorship or share received 50% will be directed to the KWS trust fund whose objective is to provide a sustainable source for funding wildlife conservation. If you love animals like I do and are  interested in adopting one, you can check out their  site  for more information.

KiloMetreS specializes in the up-cycling of recycled tyres and inner tubes by turning them into fashion items such as wallets, phone cases, musical instrument cases, kitchen-dining items, custom made cushions and poufs . They are unique, stylish and environmentally friendly all mixed with colorful local textiles like kitenges, kangas and batiks.

House of Kaji on the other hand is a couture clothing company based in Nairobi that specializes in Women's wear. They use materials acquired both locally and internationally and recently ventured into Men's wear dealing in suits and sweaters. They also offer bags, shoes and styling services.

There were many inspiring stories about how the visual artists that were at the Art Fest are fairing on with or started their artistic careers. I will sample a few. 

Sandra Shiami wowed me with her beautifully quilled paper. Quilling is a form of art that involves rolling, shaping and gluing tiny strips of paper together to create decorative designs. In this case Sandra forms beautiful floral designs. She was kind enough to show my friends and I how she does it. Quilling needs a really patient and talented person and Sandra is just the perfect fit.

Paul Magori the soapstone sculptor just made me happy. We kept bumping onto each other throughout the day. He is from a family of soapstone sculptors and thus learnt his craft through observation and the occasional trial and error. He is now a pro at it and was so excited when I noticed he had sold one of his pieces when I passed by his stand again. His work is really beautiful.

Melissa Pola amazed me with her colourful pieces and the fact that she had no formal training and instead had learnt her craft through YouTube. She too is interested in learning how to animate like I am. 

Then there was Edmond Nonay,  who I think was the youngest exhibitor. A 17 year old who is very gifted. What touched me about Edmond was his answer when I asked him what his favorite piece was. I wanted to take a picture of him holding it. He did not think through it but just picked up a piece of a young looking lady and said that it had to be the portrait he did for his mother. How sweet.

We enjoyed performances from poets, musicians such as h_art the band as well as the modelling of some Kenyan designer pieces. The day was full of activity until my friends and I lost track of time. When we finally decided to head towards the safari walk section it was too late they had closed it for the day. All the same we had a great time. I'm looking forward to the next Art Fest and hopefully we'll see each other there.

AA
Wendi Mutisya