The Walls Belong to Everyone
Poornima Sukumar, a wall muralist shares her experience of painting with the Maasai community of Losimingori Village, Arusha, Tanzania.
Poornima Sukumar by Project FUELProject FUEL
My name is Poornima Sukumar and I have been a wall muralist for the past 8 years.
Aipan (2018-03/2018-03)Project FUEL
I am the Founder of Aravani Art Project, a Trans-women and cis-women-led art collective. We work towards creating safe spaces for alternate voices through art.
At Work (2021) by Vibhor YadavProject FUEL
Since 2020, I have been working with the Maasai in the Losimingori village of Arusha, Tanzania, to study their cultural heritage and stories, and bring them to life using art as a medium.
Collaborations for Growth (2021) by Vibhor YadavProject FUEL
Inspired by their stories and cultural traditions, we conceptualised and painted the walls of the Maasai community centre, a central space to assist in the educational and economical advancement of the tribe.
Way of life (2021) by Vibhor YadavProject FUEL
We were joined by the members of the community to paint the centre and it was incredible to not only have painted with the Maasai but also learn from them.
Working with the community (2021) by Vibhor YadavProject FUEL
During the painting process, new people would turn up every day to try their hand at painting. I loved that they were doing what they wanted to do.
Love and community (2021) by Vibhor YadavProject FUEL
I liked them to figure out how to paint. It is important to give them space to share their perspective, creativity, and wisdom, without anyone forcing their opinions or methods on them.
Happy and Glee (2021) by Vibhor YadavProject FUEL
Everything in life, in general, is so instructional, that sometimes they should be allowed to do whatever they want. Every time they finished painting the patch and came to me, I’ll give them a new colour and they would be so happy with that.
Joy of Painting for the First Time (2021) by Vibhor YadavProject FUEL
I really enjoyed working with the group of women who came to paint. Their energy did not feel transactional. They came here not wanting something but wanting to do something new, which was beautiful.
All for Children (2021) by Vibhor YadavProject FUEL
It is important to give them space to share their perspective, creativity, and wisdom, without anyone forcing their opinions or methods on them.
Looking for shelter (2021) by Vibhor YadavProject FUEL
For me, I believe that the walls of this community centre don’t belong to anyone but belong to everyone. And the murals on the walls of the centre celebrates that, celebrates their everyday life. Painting that for me was very important.
Self help Group: wall mural (2021) by Poornima SukumarProject FUEL
I hope that the center and these murals will being them joy and they continue to create art of themselves.
Project FUEL would like to thank the Maasai community in the Losimingori village of Arusha, Tanzania for opening their hearts and home to this research.
This exhibit is part of the Wise Wall Project, an initiative of Project FUEL, to document, design, and strengthen the wisdom of rural communities and marginalized villages using art and community outreach programs. In the third edition of this project, we collaborated with the Maasai, in Arusha, Tanzania, to build an on-ground community centre for the people and bring an exclusive insight into the life, lifestyle, and learnings of this inspiring community.
Photography: Vibhor Yadav, Siddharth Govindan
Wall Murals: Poornima Sukumar
Canvas Art: Advithi Emmi
Cultural Consultant and Translators: Kaay Ndoika Lengima, Elisha Olchakai Kirumui and Lemali Ndoika
Research, Interviews and Curation: Project FUEL
Project Partners: Vijana Inspiring Foundation, Vikram Solar Ltd., Lions Club of Dar es Salaam and Arusha, Google Arts & Culture
