6 December

Mawulidi Diodone Majaliwa, With Family And Mask

by Jon Katz
Mawulidi

It was important to see Mawulidi at his home, a small apartment walk-up near downtown Albany. Mawulidi’s wife was camera shy, she retreated into the kitchen. He has two older children, and two young ones, Makato and Movita, above, holding his new African Protection Mask, soon to be finished, painted and sold here on the blog.

It is a great pleasure to know this gifted artist, who has endured so much, but never lost his dignity, or the Creative Spark. Mawulidi believes his own Protection Mask, left behind in the refugee camp, helped save him.

6 December

Mawulidi’s Next Carving: An African Protection Mask

by Jon Katz
Mawulidi’s Next Carving

I visited Mawulidi Diodone Majaliwa in his walk-up apartment in downtown Albany.

He told me he is working on 10 carving projects now, including five birds and an astonishing African Protection Mask – this one is nearly finished, he has some more carving to do, and then some vivid painting.

I didn’t know about these masks, Mawuldi said they are used for protection in Africa, they are everywhere in Southern Africa, especially in countries ravaged by war, genocide or disease.  He says he can vouch for their power, he survived a civil war and 20 years in a U.N. refugee camp.

The masks are believed to protect whoever has them in the homes, or up  in nearby trees.

They  ward off thieves, demons, militias, enemy soldiers, robbers, and all kinds of bad luck and evil people.

He will be finished with the mask – it will be brightly painted –  and more birds and carvings in about two weeks. it is sometimes hard for Mawulidi to find time to work on his carvings, he has no car,  and has a long bus ride to and from his work as a bread maker in a bakery in Albany.

And he has four children, two of them very young, and still at home. His days are very long and exhausting. I had a long talk with Mawulidi, I asked him what his goals and plans are. He says he would love to be a carver full-time, but he didn’t know if that was possible.

He is a quiet and shy and determined man, he is smiling more when we are together. I think he thought I was a spirit from some other world. I suppose I am.

I said Maria and I believed he had the talent for real success, but we had to move slowly and patiently, and see how much he can produce, how much he can charge for his work and how many people want to pay for it. So far, so good.

This will all take several months, and no one can predict what will happen. I told him I would support  him in every way I could for as long as he wished.

I said Maria and I were excited about selling his work for the time being, I gave him a check for more than $400 dollars and Francis Regabo a check for $137 as a donation for RiSSE, the immigrant and refugee support center in Albany. This is his first art sale in America, may it be the first of many.

Mawulidi asked me again how much money I was receiving for this work, and I said none, I didn’t want payment. He said that was wonderful but it bothered him and he wanted me to make some money from his carvings if I was selling them.

I said I was a writer, my income comes from my books and that is how I wish to make my living. I said my wife would want to charge a commission if she took on the sales of his work for the long haul. But we were far from that.

I told him about the Army Of Good and the growing waiting list for his work – Maria and I think the mask will draw great interest, we are trying to figure out what to charge for it.

Mawulidi said he was very happy and very grateful. He never expected to carve again in this life. If would be wonderful if Mawulidi could some day make a living off of his carvings, but the odds are very long, and I won’t make any false promises to him. We would love to support his work.

I told Mawulidi about Etsy and Facebook and other sites where artists sell their work. Maria is a real champion of Mawulidi, she just loves his carvings.

She can be a powerful support for an artist she loves, I’ve seen it over and over again.

The Army of Good is pretty potent as well, many artists have started and succeeded with much less.

We shall see.

It really depends on him, on how many carvings he makes, how special they are, how strong a market there is from them. Judging by the reaction last week, there is real promise.

But let’s see what happens. I told him if the Gods want it to happen, perhaps it will, and he smiled and nodded at that. We spoke through and interpreter, he speaks almost no English. Maria says she wants to meet with him when I make my next trip to Albany.

So my best guess, subject to change, is that Mawulidi’s  Protection Mask – I can’t wait to see the final result – will go on sale just after December 22, or whenever it is finished. Maria has a waiting list for Mawulidi’s work. If you wish to be on the list, you can e-mail her at [email protected].

It is awesome to see a gifted artist reborn. Come to think of it, I could use some protection these days.

6 December

Albany Odyssey Today. Winter Clothing, Mawulidi’s Carvings.

by Jon Katz
Albany Odyssey

It seems like  I’ll be going to Albany at least once a week for the foreseeable future, that is where I meet the refugees and immigrants coming to America, see Ali and the RISSE soccer team, and today, will see Mawulidi Diodone Majaliwa, give him the money for his carvings, and collect some more to sell.

I’m also bringing some clothes I picked up for the winter Refugee Clothing Drive, they need jackets, sweaters, snow pants, winter socks, scarves, gloves,  especially the children. Used clothes are welcome, as long as they are in good condition. You can send them to ISSE, 715 Morris Street, Albany, N.Y., 12208.

Most of the refugees came here hurriedly, they couldn’t bring much with them. They need everything, especially as the winter approaches.

Many people are liking swap.com, a consortium of thrift stores and also finding wonderful discarded winter clothes in their attics. I’ve got to get going, when I return it will be with some fresh carvings to sell. Maria is handling the sales, [email protected]

There is a substantial waiting list, if you are interested, I’d get on it. Thanks.

3 December

The Short Visit Of Mawulidi’s Guinea Hen

by Jon Katz
Mawuludi’s Guinea Hen

On Monday or Tuesday, the Guinea Hen of Mawulidi Diodone Majaliwa will be shipped out to the person who bought her. In the meantime, I put her out  on the back bench to keep Flo company.

The Guinea Hen, like the crane, is just passing through. She was also sold instantly, as was all of Mawulidi’s work.

The Guinea Hen is not listed in any of the animal totem or spirit books, she has a different vibe than the (heron/crane/egret) now the subject of some debate on Facebook. She is more homey, more of a protector I think.

Lots of people h ave different ideas about what the heron carving really is, I will have to ask Mawulidi. As the creator, he gets to say what it is, and that is right. It could very well be a mix of several things, a creation of the artist.

I feel fortunate to have these beautiful creations gracing our home for a few days. There is a special quality about them.

Twenty-five per cent of the  sales goes to RISSE, the refugee and immigrant center in Albany, the rest goes to Mawulidi. He can use the money, he has four small children at home.

Please consider supporting the urgent winter clothing drive started on Friday here on the blog for the refugees and immigrants who have come to the Northeast in recent years and months. Details here.

2 December

Mawulidi’s Heron. A Spirit Animal Comes Again, And Goes Again

by Jon Katz
Mawulidi’s Spirit Crane

I am mesmerized by Mawulidi Diodone Majaliwa’s white heron, by its elegance,simplicity and strength of character. It was cut from a single piece of wood taken from Pompanuck Farm, Wally, the caretaker at the farm, cut a tree in chunks and Mawulidi walked silently and purposely through the pile of wood choosing the ones he wanted.

We all helped him load the wood into the car of Francis Sengabo, the operations director of RISSE.

I was truly astonished by the response to this carving when it went up for sale on my blog Thursday evening. Within minutes, scores of people offered to buy it – one generous soul told Maria she wanted to pay $200 and give it to me. At first, I thought it a heron, but after some research I think it’s a heron.

By that time, Maria had already promised it to another person who insisted on paying $200 for it, the asking price was $150.

The other three carvings – the Guinea Hen and two blue pigeons also sold quickly. The waiting list for Mawulidi’s work was at 40 early Saturday morning and growing rapidly. He touched a lot of people.

This is the second time a heron has entered my life and altered it. I took a photo of a blue heron a couple of months ago and sold more than 60 prints of it.  The herons are spirit animals. Herons and cranes look alike, but actually are two different species.  Herons are common in Africa, where Mawulidi comes from. Looking through some photos online, it seems to be a heron.

Cranes have thicker necks and are not common to Southern Africa.

I see a heron in this carving. I will ask Mawulidi.

The herons are symbols of balance, and they represent an ability to progress and evolve. The long think legs of the heron reflect that one doesn’t need great massive pillars to remain stable, but you must be able to stand on your own.

This ability allows the heron to follow his or her own path, writes Ted Andrews, the author of Animal Speak: The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great & Small. There is little stability or security in the life of a heron, they stand out in their uniqueness and independence.

How strange for me to say I feel this strength emanating from this carving. Today, we went to Staples and bought secure packaging to send it off into the world. We are its temporary curators and protectors, it needs to go off into the world, but I will be very sad to see it go.

By now, most of you know Mawulidi’s story. He fled the Congo Civil War and spent 20 years of his life in a U.N. Refugee camp with his wife and four children. He was a carver in the Congo, a trade he learned from his grandfather,  who left Mawulidi his carving tools. Authorities refused to let him take the tools on plane to America, he left them on the ground.

The Army Of Good bought him some new tools, and he came out to the farm to find wood. He found some here, and then I took him to Pompanuck. He was hospitalized recently for a surgical procedure and when he recovered, he got to work. The four carvings are the first result.

Mawulidi is a quiet, humble man of great faith, otherwise he would not be alive. No one in his original family survived the Congo wars. He belongs here in America, even thought he government seeks to keep people like him out. His story is quite American to me, he has not come to hurt us or take our work. He just wants to be free and for his children to be safe.

Maria and I are going to Albany next week to meet with him, receive additional carvings. We will sell them on my  blog, and then meet with Mawulidi again and again to figure out how he can best sell his work. Hundreds of people loved it and wanted to buy it.

A gift like this needs to be nurtured, guided and protected. We will help him become independent, and in the meantime, sell his work.

If you wish to get on Mawulidi’s list, please e-mail Maria – [email protected].

I would love to keep this crane, and I thank the very generous spirit who tried to buy it for me (Maria won’t tell me who she is, as requested), but I believe that would be unethical. So many people want it, it’s isn’t fair for me to buy it. I can get in line like everybody else, even though I sleep with the sales manager. Maria wanted to handle Mawulidi’s sales, she declined any kind of compensation.

I won’t take any money from the sales either.

We are, with Mawulidi’s permission, donating 25 per cent of all sales to RISSE, the refugee and immigrant center in Albany, where so many refugees and immigrants go for help. I am also working closely with the RISSE soccer team to help them get the uniforms and supplies they need to compete. We offer scholarships, small amounts of financial aid, and help with clothing for men and woman, children and adults.

This is inspiring and important work, I am humbled seeing the soul of this gifted artist survive the worst kinds of hardship and suffering and triumph in this way. There is lots of bad and troubling news out there,  I am happy to offer this joy.

I don’t know how to describe it, but this crane has a powerful spirit inside. I walked it through the pasture this afternoon and showed it to the animals.  It radiates strength and inspiration. I don’t know what Mawulidi is making this week.

Mawulidi speaks little English, works long hours as a bed baker, and has no computer.  He helps to care for four children.

I told him to make what he wants, not what people ask  him to make. I have no idea what we will be selling this coming week.

I do know an awful lot of people will be waiting to see it and bring it into their homes. I’ll be on the list. I think I’ll bring it out to the animals Sunday and let them consider it.

Friday, the Army Of Good launched an urgent winter clothing drive for the refugees and immigrants of RISSE, so many do not have appropriate clothing for the winter, especially the refugees, who came with almost nothing but the clothes on their back and face a difficult upstate New York winter. Many of the children have only flip-flops and sneakers. The children need snowpants in order to play outside during school. None of them own snowpants.  Used clothing is acceptable as long as it is in good condition. Sweaters and jackets and winter boots are urgently needed, especially for children. You can donate directly to RISSE or buy or send winter clothing to RISSE. Details here. They have almost nothing and need everything. I hope you will consider helping.

Bedlam Farm