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How artists hit the jackpot after decades of toil

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Published on Sunday, 29 July 2007 00:18
The rough road to Tabaka in Kisii twists and dives tortuously through maize plantations and wooden houses and leads into a quarry where noise from soapstone mining fills the air. At the carving centres, the finished products on display glitter with a new coat of paint as the artists toil to make more. The story narrows down to two sculpture centres — Master Carvers and Tabaka Classic Carvers — which now export their wares to the UK.

Previously, members of the two centres eked out a living from the statues, although they did not make much progress in the business until 2003 when they met a man who sold them the brilliant idea that they could be official suppliers of a company in Britain.

As Mr Daniel Oigo, the chairman of Master Curves, says, the statues did not reap much benefit, and this prompted him to move to Nairobi in 2001 to market his carvings. It is here that he met Mr Peter Wahome who had a link with the UK firm. Mr Oigo sent an application to the UK, and the company — Craft Village — replied with samples of cartoons that they wanted Master Carvers to make.

“At first, it was hell,” he recalls. “We tried for almost three years, and every time we sent the carvings to the UK, the firm would reply that they were not well done.” But Mr Oigo says he was determined to make accurate carvings of the Simpson carton characters, and finally the determination paid off this year and the group signed a contract. “When we finally made it, the company, through the managing director, Mr Paul Young, signed a two-year contract with us on May 25, this year, so that we could produce for them the Simpson bust sculptures and other miniature ones,” says Mr Oigo with excitement and obvious smug satisfaction. Now, the group carves characters such as Cruster Crown, Chief Wigam, Mergie, Batt and Bann. Master Carvers also make characters like Simpson, Willie, Lisa and side show Bob Simpson.

The unlikely relationship between Tabaka and Craft Village in the UK is the brainchild of Mr Young who had a connection with a carving centre in Nairobi where Mr Oigo met Mr Wahome. After making contacts with the Tabaka groups, Mr Young sent Simpson models to them and the carvers have since maintained the standard required by Craft Village.