We don’t want to be selfish (winks) : An interview with Maasai Mbili Art Centre and a Thought from the Editor
An inpromptu online interview with Maasai Mbili Art Centre’s Kevo Stero in Kibera, Kenya, clipped with just a little editing fresh from the web. With art from Maasai Mbili artists and the following thought from your editor : Whose art is it anyway ?
Paintings by Kev Stero
tell me more about Maasai Mbili please
i prefer you asking a question maybe
ok.. who runs the centre?
we run the center
the users?
8 artists, 5 active artists, nobody like really owns the place but we have an office (to try and formalize everything)
it’s more of an art studio
by ‘active’ artists you mean professional ?
i think everyone is working ‘professionally’ but we have some of us with part time stuff, the rest we are fulltime artists
and your canvas is the ‘street’ ?
you could say that
but when we say street we mean the walls, the people, the culture, the emotions … everything that happens in these Kibera surroundings, so when we are not painting out in the streets we are painting them in the studio
sounds a very active process
dynamic
thanks
what drives you to do it ?
it’s not profit ?
automatic – no profit, but on the other hand …
that is a strong motivator
there’s a big difference in the perspective of the locals today and 5 years ago from the locals
about art
what kind of difference?
and its impact !
i see !
that’s great
i’m impressed !
what about ‘authority’, the ‘authorities’, do you get any hassle for what you do ?
i would say they try most of the time not to cross us
you know what happens here is that if you dont trouble them they won’t trouble you
ok
we try to make our projects stunning to the public and all (including authorities e.t.c) so we always have an equal reaction from everyone
so not always much from them
the other thing is that in Kibera authorities don’t really want to associate with the locals, so they try to keep off
does the art you do ever get a platform outside of Kibera ?
yeah, we do exhibitions and stuff, presentations for public works, at least we try to work with art institutions and n.g.os from outside Kibera
does that in turn help alter perceptions?
i mean, the impact of what you do touches people outside Kibera, in a positive way?
can you give an example of that?
what we are trying to do is not creating only a way of understanding each other but even using our differences, fusing them, to do so
so we always do stuff that reflects to people in general
we dont want to be selfish 
that’s a very interesting perspective
‘generous art’
may I use this conversation as the basis of a blog feature?
thank you!
thank you too
