KARIBU TANZANIA

Welcome to Tanzania

Karibu Tanzania is a collection of mosaic art pieces and photos featuring animals, people and landscapes encountered during two trips to Tanzania, in 2016 and 2018.Before the first trip, I knew I would love being close to and observing the legendary African wildlife we would see on safari. What caught me by surprise, however, was falling in love with the people of Tanzania! Everywhere we went, we encountered warm smiles and the word “karibu” (welcome); welcome to Tanzania, welcome to this village, welcome to our home... It was very humbling to see people who were obviously less privileged than us and yet happy to stop and sing us a song or try to say “hello” to an American tourist. Tanzania is a place full of brilliant colors, stimulating textures, intriguing lifestyles, and a true “hakuna matata”(no problem) outlook on life. Oh, and there is a world of beautiful landscapes and amazing wild animals there, too! These art pieces are a tribute to the visual and emotional memories I brought home with me from Tanzania. I continue to experience the beauty and wonders of this place in my life every day. Debbie Cash is a naturalist and former science teacher who gets much of her inspiration from what she sees in the natural world. Her creative endeavors have always been types of “assemblage” (putting things together),including jewelry, mask & doll making, collage, and most recently, mosaic. She has focused on mosaic-making since 2010, when she made her first mosaic piece as a 6-month anniversary gift for her husband. Since that time, she has explored the use of broken china, leftover tiles, hardened fabrics, and old jewelry to bring alive the images she sees. Debbie used to think art was only for a talented few who “knew what they were doing.” She was fortunate to have her creative spirit awakened in an Art and Spirituality class several years ago. She now realizes that making art is accessible to anyone who is willing to listen to their inner voice and trust the creative process.