Community Connex with True Daley: Ian Kamau
IAN KAMAU: A VOICE IN THE VILLAGE
True Daley
By True Daley
According to the African proverb, it takes a village to raise a child – not an NGO, charity or not-for-profit organization. Community worker, visual artist and musician, Ian Kamau, believes approaching social issues from a grassroots level is the most effective way to have a meaningful impact on a community.
“All the communities that have been successful in a capitalistic society have shared their resources, open businesses and people within that community frequent those businesses. Community development in a capitalist society has to be about social entrepeneurship and responsible economic development. If it’s not about that, it’s just about spinning wheels.”
After leading various youth programs and community projects since he was a teen, he’s convinced the bureaucratic process of federally-funded organizations turns frontline workers into administrators.
“The reality is, the majority of people that are doing community-related work – specifically in the black communities and communities of colour, and specifically around youth and the arts – spend a majority of their time writing and reporting grants as opposed to doing what they’re supposed to do, which is running and developing programs. That’s a travesty.”
While he understands the importance of having organizational and management skills in order to sustain programs, he feels there must be a shared responsibility and ongoing mentorship in order to have a long-lasting impact. The relevance of the African teaching, ‘Each one, teach one’, was realized during his experiences with Schools Without Borders.
Ian Kamau/ JOHN HARGRAFT
“I used to run this program called the Emerge Program. It took young people who were running projects with other young people and supported them so that they would be able to continue to run those programs.
The people running programs were not being supported. They saw an issue, they responded to that issue, and had to go through an entire learning process once the program started to grow or they needed the resources to continue. Emerge is an intermediary program which helped them with their administrative back- end. It was inspired by a program that was running in Brasil for much longer due to the severity of the circumstances in the favelas.”
Ian Kamau says modern terms such as ‘not-for-profit management’ and ‘food security’, simply categorize a process which has existed since the beginning of time. He strongly believes the dependency on government funding is a colonial cycle which he hopes will eventually come to an end.
“When a large influx of money comes and great things are able to happen out of that large influx of money, the question is, ‘What happens beyond the standard 3-5 years funders give this program?’ Often these programs disappear, or the people who run them get tired, have a family, or they’re not able to find the people who can continue what they’re doing. The amazing Fresh Arts Program disappeared because someone decided we’re not going to continue the funding for this anymore. Yet the need is still there.”
Admittedly, Ian Kamau has benefited from this system considering he’s the recipient of numerous arts grants, and says he holds grant writers in high regard for their craft. However, when Toronto’s current mayor plans to privatize public libraries, stating he’s never heard of famed author and activist Margaret Atwood, and Ontario’s government continues to cut funding for organizations which support newcomers, youth, and the arts, it’s becoming more and more evident that the current system cannot sustain itself. That being said, he remains focused on using his creative talents and leadership skills to create social change, and doesn’t claim to have all the answers, but states we must begin the conversation.
“Right now, I’m just trying to figure it out. I consider music and art in general, as a form of communication, and if you’re going to be communicating make sure that it’s productive, not necessarily always positive, but productive. The community is who you are communicating to – in any way you define it…the hip hop community, arts community, black community, or my neighbourhood. I got involved in community work because the community has always been there for me and I am part of the community.”
One Day Soon is set to be released on October 7th. www.iankamau.com
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