Using art as a tool for conservation

It is not every day that you walk into the lobby a five-star hotel to find artists with paintbrushes, oil and canvas doing their thing. This was the scene at the Villa Rosa Kempinski, Nairobi, for the better part of last week as 15 artists created and showcased their work as guests and hotel workers went on with their business.

Among them was Collins Okello, famous for sketching Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta and Barack Obama’s portraits. Dubbed Wasanii Jukwaani (Artists on Stage), the five-day event held in partnership with Kuona Trust was meant to create awareness for the conservation of elephants, coming hot on the heels of the ivory burning in Nairobi last Saturday.