2013 saw Kenya celebrate 50 years of independence in a beautiful ceremony filled with pomp and color at the Safaricom Stadium in Kasarani, Nairobi.
The event graced by President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto saw dignitaries from across the world join Kenyans to celebrate fifty years since Kenya gained her independence.
But amidst the song and dance during the commemorative period, something stirred the hearts of guests at Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).
A sand artiste delivered a performance that “narrated” the story of Nairobi over the last fifty years.
Joe Castillo, an artiste from city of Mexico, USA, took them through an intriguing journey starting with a simple picture of a map of Africa that transmutes into a face of an African woman.
With a similar smooth transformation Castillo turns it into the African wild with antelopes grazing on plains before easing it gently to become Nairobi, a developed city under the sun that is surrounded by a Game Park thriving with animals.
His performance comes to an emotional end as it transforms into a young woman, holding a candle that then turns into a white dove.
The background music easily imbibes one into the stellar performance as it clearly sends a message of inspiration.
Most Kenyans seem to have missed out on this performance by Joe Castillo who had performed on invitation from a Nairobi County Team spearheaded then by creative producer Bruce Odhiambo.
Castillo creates art images by drawing them on sand with his hands-on light table then scored and choreographed to live or recorded music with a video projected on a screen for large audiences.
In his website Castello is described as an expert on change who has applied his creative genius to the challenge of transformation.
