cided to take some time away from Canada and go somewhere I had never been before ... why not Africa? Travelling by myself, I headed for Sou
th Africa with the plan of volunteer
ing with an organization called Hands at
Work. After a 2 month orientation period they sent me off to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to live and work with an amazing man named Erick Rukang ... Erick became my guide and good friend. We worked side by side for 5 months in some of the poorest communities that region had to offer. It was ... without a doubt ... a life changing experience. I met lots of incredible people that I now can call friends and family.
The languages spoken in the Katanga province that I lived were for the most part French and Swahili. I picked up little more than greetings ... pathetic I know but I had Erick t
o translate for me. Anyway ... I soon realized that I was referred to as "MZUNGU" in most s
ettings. After hearing it so often followed by laughter from the people I was w
orking with I had to ask. Erick told me that it is a word used for "white person". I thought it was hilarious and immediately
started thinking of how I could bring it back here to Canada.
I had photoshop on my computer at the time and started to
incorporate MZUNGU into photos I would play with when I was
bored ... soon the idea of t-shirts was born.
Only 1 design has been printed since I've been bac
k but more are on their way. Check out the Facebook page for regular updates on r
eleases and events.
Fire it UP
Willis
