Week 14

The week 14 starts with great news; there is water again at the school! This is particular good now since we are planning to build the concrete beam this week, and it needs a lot of water.

On Monday morning Mr. Matoli comes with Kimaroro, a man from the village who is supposed to be able to build the cypress doors. Unfortunately after explaining the pattern to him, he admitts he can’t but at least he will provide us with the material needed which is collected in a forest up in the mountain. A few days later another two men come and this time they are confident to be able to make the webbing.

At the same time we continue on our research of how to make the baskets. It seems that every body who knew how to make them in the village have passed away and never passed the knowledge to another person. We try to make them ourselves but it is more difficult than expected. Finally, Mr. Matoli comes with the idea of going to Himo, a village one hour away from Kibaoni where he thinks we can find “fundis” who know how to make them. We go with him to Himo on Friday and luckily we find a man who knows the technique. Our idea was bringing him home for a few days so he could also teach us but he doesn’t want to leave his home and finally we arrange to come back next week to collect the panels. It is incredible but we seem to be one step closer to get it!

On the site, after Priscus the carpenter finishes the shelves, we are ready to start the wall in the middle, the last rammed earth wall of the library. We place the formwork with the two shelves as side walls and start tampering. In this last wall we have decided to change a little bit the method. Instead of using the climber formwork in order to make the wall as one continued thing, we will use the traditional way in which you put metal rods every time you move the formwork up. In this way, we will take advantage of the wholes made by the metal rods to place shelves afterwards.

After preparing the metal reinforcement, we also start pouring concrete inside the wooden formworks on top of the walls to build the concrete beam all along the perimeter of the library. This week we have also hired a new carpenter called Godfred. He is busy cutting the wood and shoftening it to prepare it to build the pillars in the next days.

On Wednesday we are invited to a party organised by the chief of the cookers. We enjoy the evening playing cards and drinking local beer and on Sunday, our cookers and friends Kimweli and Evagre bring their families home and we enjoy a dinner all together. Slowly we are getting to know more deeply the people of the village and we are making really good friends. We are so happy that every body are so welcoming and nice to us. Life in Kibaoni is just great.

Monday market in Tarakea. So colorful!

Mr. Matoli explaining the cypress weaving to a worker.

Mr. Matoli and the two weavers planning how to make the doors.

The two weavers in action.

Detail of one of the door panels.

Some girls bringing water. It is the end of dry season and water is starting to be a big problem.

Patricia becoming a “fundi” of basketry.

Lara destroying a fruits basket to understand the pattern.

Godfred, our new carpenter, preparing the wood for the pillars.

Primli and the Kid preparing the reinforcement for the concrete beam.

Some workers carrying the mixture of the concrete beam.

Lifting the mixture in one of the corners.

Anatoli pouring the mixture of concrete inside the wooden formwork.

 

Godfred working with the wood and sorrounded by sawdust.

Anatoli and Lara tampering the middle wall.

The concrete beam is almost finished.

Women serving food in the party of the chief of the cookers.

Lara with Mama Kimweli, her son and Evagre’s daugther.