^{Together is better}

The Poem: Learn from the Past

_The year is 3021. _

_A group of strangers from separate tribes, _

_stumble upon a mysterious artefact; _

in the form of a lotus, an ancient instrument.

_ _

_They feel it, and uncover sounds, samples of a distant past, _

a coming together, through unity of communities...

What we have around us isn't taken, it's a gift.

Materials change, the masks stay the same.

_What we pass to our descendants, is what they pass to theirs. _

_How do we want to be remembered? _

The Song: Sampling the Nile

Our friends shared sounds such as the Masenqo from Ethiopia (played by HaddinQo), the sound of the Nile's water from Egypt (provided by YouDesign Lab & Open Architecture Collaborative) and a song about the Blue Nile from Sudan.

With advice from Bengatronics and Mwalimu Gregg Tendwa, the sounds were assembled into an entire piece, produced by Phinoshey.

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The Art: African Symbolism

The patterns used for the petals of the Lotus of the Nile are inspired by Afrikan traditions and culture. these include : Afrikan symbology - with symbols inspired by Egyptian hieroglyphs, adinkra symbols, instruments, architecture, community and more.

These symbols were etched on walls, some printed on clothes, household items and artefacts. Symbols carried unique meanings to a story or message.

Afrikan traditional lifestyle, including intricate hairstyles, homesteads such as round earth huts, application of Henna as temporary tattoos on the body for special occasions in places such as Sudan Afrikan masks were used in various ceremonies, and were considered a link between humans and supernatural world of the dead and our ancestors.

In Congo, for example, there were many different masks, some that took animal forms, uniting the wearer with animal spirits e.g Bwadi Bwa kifwebe masks of the Songye people in Congo basin , they mix the stripes of a zebra (or okapi), the teeth of a crocodile, the eyes of a chameleon, the mouth of an aardvark, the crest of a rooster, the feathers of an owl and more. socioeconomic activities such as basketry, beading, fishing, herding cattle.

Many Afrikan communities keep cattle, like the Tutsi of Burundi and Rwanda, the Dinka of Sudan, the Karamajong' of Uganda traditional musical instruments like the Nyatiti from Luo community in Kenya, the Drums which were used widely in many Afrikan countries, Appreciation for nature including different animals and plants.

Nature was an important element in Afrikan traditions, with different communities associating features like the river, mountains, and specific trees and animals with supernatural powers.

Humans were meant to coexist in harmony and respect with nature, or otherwise get punished by nature.

Artworks were hand drawn by Naitiemu.

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