Change Story : Lydia Dola

“I have been a beneficiary of the GoDown; I have learnt at the GoDown without paying a single coin, I have attended concerts without paying anything, I have sung on their stage and they have paid me. It’s a beautiful thing to support the arts,” – these are the words of Lydia Dola, the very first person who has managed to complete our Raising 19 challenge. We had asked her what motivated her support for us, and she left us both proud and in awe. Lydia exudes passion for and

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Lulu Saidi

Lulu Saidi doesn’t remember her mother ever buying them school uniform. “If your uniform was old she would make a new one for you.” She chuckles. She’s a petite girl with bountiful energy. Her mother was a hairdresser who ran a small salon when they were growing up. She later went into catering because she loves cooking. “My mom’s inclination to the artistic influenced me a lot and maybe my siblings too: My sister is an artist, a painter on top of being a financial analyst, my brother is a

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A Storyteller, in short

When Roselidah Taabu goes to a party, what does she introduce herself as? “I’m a film and video editor. Freelance film and video editor, currently attached to the XYZ show and any other project that comes with XYZ,” She says. “I edit documentaries, feature films…” She’s been editing 12 years now, in various jobs. She studied journalism and TV production at Star Media Institute. “I chose this discipline because the other option that appealed to me was being a cameraman, but with my small frame, I didn’t want to struggle

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Mama Vero

“Everybody plays the piano.” Eleven-year old Veronica Njeri Wanjau, sitting next to her mother, says. “But a violin? Not many people play the violin because it’s not an easy instrument to play. It’s one of the hardest instruments to master.” They are seated on a bench at the GoDown Centre’s only restaurant. Maureen, otherwise called Mama Vero has been bringing her two children (the other one is 9-years) to a small music school to learn to play instruments for many years. Actually since Veronica was about six years old. “My

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My Dad wanted me to be a pastor

“Even from way back in primary school, I always saw myself as an artist.” Kevin Oduor says. “So I started behaving like an artist. I started drawing. That was my mindset then, that an artist was a person who drew. But over time, that changed. It was no longer about drawing. It was also about the way I thought, but that came much later. And that’s why I’m saying in the early years I used to behave like I’m an artist. But now I don’t feel the same.” He’s having

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Boy, what on earth is going on in this centre?

In the late 90s, Joseph Ngatia operated a taxi from Madaraka Shopping Center in Nairobi. It was a small jalopy with a busted exhaust pipe and a back-left door that would not close properly. He had to come out to open and close the door for his fares. Which was fine, because it made them feel special. He worked days and sometimes he worked nights. Then he got a client from the GoDown Arts Centre. She had banners and ribbons and all these decorative thingimajigs that she wanted ferried to

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