It was a certain beautiful afternoon. I was in our garden harvesting maize. Our garden is situated in a swamp called Rhaga. Rhaga is a swamp situated in Nakivale where most inhabitants are locals, and not refugees. Our garden measures two hectars, which does give us a good amount of maize whenever we harvest. We hire a lorry to come and help us carry the harvested crops. This afternoon I was very tired since we had been harvesting all morning wand the work is almost reaching the conclusion. We were resting when some boys who were working in the next garden from ours started shouting. “Snake!!! Snake!!!” All of a sudden my brothers ran to them to check what had happened. I saw a black cobra running. I felt freezing because I was so scared. It looked like the one I always see in my documentary and movies. The other guys were still yelling whereby my brothers went to hunt for it but they couldn’t find it. It never harmed anyone, but until now I’m scared of going to Rhaga again.
Personal Narrative
Yellow Brick Road Rough Terrain, collaborative piece
The piece I chose to work on in the Half Baked Art Collaboration is named Yellow Brick Road in Rough Terrain. When I first saw it I was reminded of The Wizard of Oz. I learned that many refugees in those camps arrived as young adults and ended up as grandparents without ever leaving the confinements. The yellow brick road in the artwork seemed to me as a pathway to get out of the prison they were trapped in. The higher part of the road is a bright place where people aren’t trapped in camps. The road descends into darkness, which represents the camp and dwindling freedom. I decided to add some word bubbles to show cries of help from the refugee camp while the people who have freedom ignore them. I wanted to show the stark contrast between the two places and highlight the yellow brick road that leads from one end to the other. Caroline Gao United States
Yellow Brick Road Rough Terrain, original
Member of the My Start Art Collective Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya
