Hakuna "Matatu"

Obama-mania!

They like Oprah too!

FORGIVE THEM FATHER...for they have sinned...

and this bus will drive off a cliff and turn into a massive FIREBALL.

Hardly...

Love the hoop and basketball!

...yet.

In God We Trust... here's hoping...

Uh oh..

Oh... the suffering...

You'll never forget this...

Keep on praying...

Try not to...

Hakuna Matata means "No worries" in Swahili....which is what you are wishing for when you are riding in a cramped and crowded Matatu taxi bus in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.  The harrowing hairpin turns on mountainside roads can have you holding onto your stomach as well as your life.  The buses have some entertaining, funny and ironic graphics...here are a few, courtesy of fellow photographers on Flickr.  A picture says a thousand words...

Rwandan Wedding Negotiation Ceremony

Sandrine and me

Flower Girl in a mushanana

Traditional Dancers

Rockin' Hairpieces

Bride and Groom

While I was in Rwanda, I was invited to a friend of a friend's wedding negotiation ceremony. I wore the dress I had made out of Congolese fabric by the women's collective, Amani ya Juu.  Sandrine and I watched all the very cool songs, dances and costumes whirl around us from our plastic chairs while sipping on the customary Fantas and Cokes. 

Traditional women's dress is a Mushanana: An elastic-banded long skirt, a colored tank top (usually--but not always--white) and a length of material tied over a shoulder...kinda like a toga.  It's not cheap, and you have to have it made. (Cost approx. $70-$100) Women can technically wear it whenever they want, but it’s typically omnipresent during big occasions like weddings, funerals, baptisms, and church services.

One of the interesting things about Rwandan weddings is that the groom is expected to pay for everything, from a cow down to his bride’s wedding dress.  The negotiation ceremony happens prior to the wedding between the two families... the fathers determine how many cows and goats the bride is worth.

No AK-47s please...

For Peace, read the sign.  Thanks.

Photo by Brandon Thiessen - Burundi

Don't Hate, Create!

Found this bummer sticker I designed over a decade ago.
I made this little slogan up for an Art Education class back during my days at Parsons.
Inspired by a Crayola crayons box. I think it's still cute and the message still relevant.