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Life Onboard |
LAST UPDATE
July 12, 2005
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| November 12, 2004 |
Peter Band Welcomes Peace Boat to Kenya – Peter Band - "Jambo!" |
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| Peter, Eric, Ndodos and George on stage (Photo by Erik Liongoren) |
The four members of the Peter Band, three from Kenya and one from Rwanda, brought their hythm and energy onboard Peace Boat between Singapore and Kenya. Drumming, dancing, and "Jambo" (the Swahili word for "hi!") were regular sounds that echoed throughout Peace Boat as the ship sailed across the Indian Ocean. Peter Orwa, Eric Mwangi, George Nina and Dodos Bizimana made up the group of drummers, guitar players, dancers and singers, who not only charmed participants with their talents on stage but who also held workshops to teach African drumming and dancing. |
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| Peter Orwa: musician, dancer, wildlife conservationist and master Japanese storyteller |
The founding member of the group, Peter Orwa, is an energetic and spiritual man of 57, who uses music as a way expressing his Christian faith and of exposing others to the traditional music of his beloved homeland. Born in a small tribal village by Lake Victoria, Orwa majored in African literary history and at age 23 went on to be a bronze medallist in middleweight boxing at the Munich Olympic games. Having spent years as a boxer and entertainer in Japan, he is fluent in Japanese and also runs his own tour operating company with centers in Nairobi and Tokyo. |
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| Participant Seo Mariko facilitating a Swahili language lesson (Photo by Erik Liongoren) |
This multi-talented, inspirational individual helped participants to learn about African culture not only through interactive music and dance but also through educational lectures, Swahili language classes and discussion circles. He is most passionate when presenting the case of the hunted elephants in Kenya, and is heavily involved with the preservation of African wildlife and its natural habitat. His lectures exposed a shocked audience to the harsh reality of black market poaching. While the Washington Treaty of 1989 rendered the international trade of elephant ivory an illegal activity, elephant poaching is still rife in Kenya. Orwa stated that as long as there was demand there would be supply but that the only way to a peaceful world is to learn how to coexist with the animals, not exploit them. |
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| By mid-concert, everyone young and old was up and dancing |
Having spoken on this subject to Japanese people both in and out of Japan, Orwa wants to stress the fact that Japan ranks in the top five ivory-consuming countries in the world, due its manufacturing a variety of products including stamps and piano keys from ivory. By organising a variety of conservation tours for Peace Boat during the two-day stay in Kenya, Peter wants to raise awareness about threats to Africa's wildlife. He states that his main aim in this life is not only to bring enjoyment to those around him, but also to help preserve one of the most important economic resources of Kenya and the African continent. |
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| Jembe power by Eric |
Singing songs and grooving to African dance steps they'd learned from Peter, Eric, Ndodos and George, participants waved good-bye to their friends as Peace Boat pulled away from Mombasa's dock after two daysÅfexperience in Kenya. As Peace Boat heads for South Africa, the gift of understanding of aspects of Kenya and Africa, from the music and dance to people and wildlife, will remain with participants long after their return to Japan. |
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| For more information on Peter Orwa's education and exchange tours in Kenya which focus on environmental and conservation issues, please visit the Conqueror Tours website – www.conqueror.co.ke |
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