Twelve years. This is the duration of time it took for someone to recognize and point out the Kenyan bracelet on my right wrist that I wear daily. In 1983, my father left Shela, Kenya to come to San Diego as a last resort attempt at financial freedom. He sought to flee the limitations of small island life and desired safety and opportunities that he lacked. When my father came to San Diego, he was wearing a beaded bracelet of the Kenyan flag. I wear my Kenyan bracelet to represent my country in the same way my father did. With the lack of Kenyan heritage in San Diego, my parents sought out familiarity and found UWEAST—an organization that brings together East African refugees. It was here that I finally met people from the same region who not only recognized, but understood the meaning behind my bracelet. For many of us that grew up in the program, we learned about East African culture second hand and as diverse as San Diego is, it does not provide much East African representation. Although we have turned San Diego into our new homes, we are not going to forget our original homes—the homes our parents left behind.
In creating this art piece, I wanted to depict the four major East African countries that are represented at UWEAST—Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea. Using colored pencils, I made the 4 countries' bracelets stacked on top of one another to represent unity amongst the East African region, specifically within San Diego—hence, the county outline in the background. It is designed in accordance with UWEAST colors—black and gold stripes branching outwards from the bracelets to symbolize the expansion of East African refugees settling across the county. The white spaces between the gold stripes were purposely left blank, leaving room for the expansion of the East African population in San Diego county. One day I hope to see those blank spaces filled. I named the piece “The Horn of San Diego” as a tribute to Africa’s horn, which sits in the continent’s Eastern Region. It is the horn's culture and heritage that UWEAST represents and has brought over to San Diego.
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