Maker Faire Africa is both a yearly pan-African maker faire & a community of makers. A compendium of handcrafters that hail from Africa’s tiniest villages to her most expansive urban burgs. What we have in common is an unwavering commitment to origin, ingenuity & innovation. A fellowship of creators who believe making is the most authentic form of manufacturing, and manufacturing is what forges a vigorous middle class. We’re bold & we’re gritty, curious & quirky. Our inventions have largely stayed hidden in the ‘punk of the bush’ and the outer reaches of the informal sector, until now. At our annual pan-African Maker Faire, we connect up, size up, mash up, and up the anti on redefining the future of the world’s most promising continent through our own authentic, relentless African ingenuity.”
Maker Faire Africa website
Essien, Effiom, and I took off on the daylong journey by bus from Calabar to Lagos unsure of what to expect, but looking for new contacts, creative inspiration, and of course some fun! As the trainers of the Metal Welding/Mechanical Maintenance department of the Mary Slessor Foundation (MSF) Vocational Training & Skills Acquisition Center in Akpap Okoyong, we had much to gain from attending an event such as this, particularly the inspiration to create local solutions to local challenges and to be innovative in their fabrications, all of which we could pass on to the students. The event showcased everything from agricultural equipment to a urine-powered generator, and from fashion accessories to children’s toys. We were all fascinated by the creativity displayed at Maker Faire Africa and each took away something that we can apply to our work at MSF.
Elizabeth Robertson
The Mary Slessor Foundation are saddened by the news of the death of a very dear friend Elizabeth Robertson, the author of Mary Slessor “The Barefoot Missionary”.
It was only recently that Elizabeth supported us in Waterstones book shop in Dundee, signing copies of her book to help us promote the play “Mother of all the Peoples”.
We shall always be grateful to her for her wonderful support and talent.
Our thoughts are with her family and friends.
ROBERTSON – ELIZABETH. Suddenly on 2nd June 2012, at home in Doune, Elizabeth McKay Robertson(nee McMorland), beloved wife of the late Rev. Alex Robertson, treasured sister of Maureen and Alison, much loved mother of Alastair, Sheena and Alan, loving mother-in-law of Eve and Stuart and adored grandmother of Alison, Katie, Rosie, Hannah, Calum and Jay. Funeral service at Kincardine-in-Menteith, Blair Drummond at 12 noon on Tuesday 12th June, thereafter to Falkirk Crematorium at 3.30pm. Family flowers only but if desired, donations to The Mary Slessor Foundation and The Balmore Trust. All family and friends respectfully invited.
Update May 2012
The following is a recent insight of everyday village life in Akpap Okoyong by Christine Adolf, Volunteer Services Officer.
Mary Slessor Foundation Vocational Training Center: School is in Session May 7, 2012 Akpap Okoyong, Cross River State
As you stroll down the green grassy field of the Center when school is in session, you’ll get a glimpse of student life as they practice what they’re learning each day here in Akpap Okoyong.
Students can choose to pursue careers in Carpentry, Fashion and Design, or Mechanical Engineering and Metal Welding. Most of our students are from one of about 40 surrounding communities in the Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria. Many of them struggle to pay for their own education (a modest school fee of NGN 800-1000/month is charged), seeing this as the path to a better future economically and otherwise, while the families of some students financially support their training in the hopes that a skilled child will bring in additional income for the family. Most of the students are college aged youth, though we do have some adults, and we train both men and women.
Our courses comprise of both theoretical and practical training, with lots of individual attention from trainers who are incredibly dedicated to preparing their students. It is inspiring to watch the enthusiasm that the trainers bring to the school and pass on to their students. More than half of the current trainers were part of the first graduating class of the Center, and they take great pride in the Foundation and everything it has enabled them to learn and do. This month, students in each of the three departments are keeping busy, as we’ve been able to purchase materials for them to work with from Calabar town. We also recently hosted an MSF student and staff appreciation celebration, honoring a ‘Student of the Month’ in each department and enjoying an afternoon of fun after yet another month of hard work.
Students each have a unique story leading up to their enrollment at the school, but the opportunity to learn a skill that will help them generate income is what ultimately leads them to register for the program. What prompts them to stay month after month is the fun they have with trainers and classmates, the wonderful environment of the school, and the progress they see in their own skill level, which clearly gives them a great sense of pride (as it should).
On a typical day on campus in Akpap Okoyong, you’ll hear lots of students laughing, trainers patiently guiding trainees, and the generator running loudly in the background. There is something truly special about this place. Maybe it is the hope you can feel in the air, or the peacefulness of its surrounding landscape of palm, banana, and plantain trees, and cassava and pineapple farms, and of course, the perennially majestic sky.
Scottish Charity No. SC032781
© Mary Slessor Foundation 2016