23/5/21: introducing Stanley the artist!

During a normal working week I walk to and from school, churches, supermarkets etc., to some extent passing the same people on a regular basis. I really like the sense of getting to know people, even if that only means, for example, that I exchange greetings with the security guard outside a block of flats close to school, I don’t know his name, he doesn’t know mine, but we see each other several times a week. I’ve also got to know Margaret and Doreen who sell fruit and vegetables close to where I live. I buy from them quite frequently, on days when I don’t we exchange waves as I walk past. There are a number of reasons why I make a point of greeting people I pass, and thanking boda riders who offer me rides which I then decline. All people in any classification we can come up with – ethnicity, gender, social class, economic status, etc. etc. – are loved by God who knows every detail on us, and it is important to me to respect all people I come into contact with in this light. From a more pragmatic – selfish? – point of view, I know many people who know the wonderful country of Uganda far, far better than I do, spending time with them means they are happy to share their knowledge with me, which is invaluable for travelling and many other purposes. Also, I very much like the idea that in the highly unlikely but not impossible scenario that I am the victim of mugging, that there are many people around who would come to my aid just as I would come to theirs.

Which brings me to Stanley! Stanley is a highly talented young artist who often exhibits his work opposite one of the supermarkets I frequent. I really like his work! The picture above shows a portrait of me which is a gift for Mum and Dad’s 60th wedding anniversary – for which many, many congratulations, more on this later – let me show you Stanley’s introductory video on his YouTube channel designed to demonstrate how to paint African style:

Let me show you some more of Stanley’s work:

I’m aware that the resolution of these pictures is not brilliant, hope that doesn’t detract from the quality of the pictures here.

Whilst I’m keen to celebrate the quality of what Stanley is doing, there is a sense of sadness here. It embarrasses me to tell you how much I pay for Stanley’s work, I estimate that it’s about 1/10 of what I would pay in the UK for work of similar quality. Once the cost of materials is taken care of, the price Stanley puts on his time is way, way below the UK minimum wage. This sense of talent which does not have adequate opportunity to be showcased – and remunerated – is a recurring theme here, my PE teacher colleague says much the same in the context of sport. Meanwhile, at least I can do a little something. I’ve bought some of Stanley’s work which I will be bringing back to the UK as presents, expecting to be flying on June 17th albeit with a period of isolation required. If you are interested in having some of his work, please let me know. Thank you for reading!