for Leilani

The summer she was leaving, I watched a weaver bird build its nest. At home, we packed her things.

I started to notice baskets everywhere, raffia palm fronds woven into strips and shaped carefully into vessels for anything you might want to hold. They reminded me of the bird and its nest, the delicate art of weaving, our desire to contain what we love. But only with her gone did I start to pay attention to the empty space between those intricate patterned designs.

Perhaps this has been a balm, or just a way to occupy time, fill my hands with a task - follow a rhythm, live another day without her.

Ungo, Tenga, Ukili Kichizi, Kikapu
Woven fine art paper
30 x 42 cm

New Shapes, Nafasi Art Space, Dar es Salaam
Curated by Jesse Gerard Mpango
Group Exhibition, December 2021