Alnoor, Tanzania
Alnoor was born in the City of Mwanza, Tanzania, a port city on Lake Victoria, but grew up in the then capital City of Dar es Salaam (meaning “Haven of Peace” in Arabic). His grandparents moved to East Africa in the late 1800s to early 1900s, along with many East Indians attracted to East Africa by the Omanis first, then the Germans, and finally by the British, all bringing along with them various trades and skills. Many were shopkeepers, having fled Kutch and Kathiawar in the State of Gujarat, India, due to the persistent famines during British rule. His paternal grandparents settled on the Island of Zanzibar, while his maternal grandparents lived on mainland, in the City of Dar es Salaam. Alnoor attended elementary and secondary schools in the City of Dar es Salaam.
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Before moving to Dar-es-Salaam in 1959, Alnoor spent the first three years of his life in the remote village of Kibara on Lake Victoria, situated on the peninsula across the Speke Gulf from Mwanza, and on the western fringes of Serengeti. His parents were shopkeepers by trade, and sold various dry goods to the local farmers. He recalls vividly, the nightly visits from lions and hyenas outside his home. Their calls, both rattled the corrugated tin home, and became amplified by it. He recalls the nightly calls to the outhouse in the backyard being a family affair, with his dad standing guard with a loaded hunting rifle and a bright lantern as the family took turns to use the outhouse.
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Upon completing high school in 1971, the political landscape in East Africa was in the midst of change. Idi Amin Dada was expelling all Asians from Uganda, creating uneasiness among Asians in Kenya and Tanzania. Alnoor felt compelled to seek further education elsewhere. After researching his options, he narrowed his choices to England, India and the U.S.A. In 1972, he decided to come to the United States of America, as he had a sister settled with her husband in Miami, Florida. Alnoor attended Miami-Dade Community College and attained an AA degree in Business Administration. However, being a Business Major did not satisfy Alnoor, who started pursuing his childhood aspirations to be in a creative field. He recalls that his first grade arithmetic workbook had pictures of three roosters, a big, bold “plus,” and then two roosters, followed by a bold “equal-to” sign. The intent, of both teacher and the workbook, was to teach Alnoor to add, but Alnoor being Alnoor, he began drawing five roosters instead of the number. The teacher, trained in Colonial schooling methods, quickly picked up the workbook and smacked Alnoor in the face with it, screaming self worth-shattering put downs at him.
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In America, Alnoor was determined to be an artist. In Tanzania, as a teenager, he had dabbled in creative endeavors such as local colorful tapestry design, wood carving inspired by the Makonde carvings and more. He liked being creative and wanted to make a living off of it. He was accepted to the University of Miami’s School of Fine Arts, received a full scholarship for a degree in Graphic Design, and also took many fine arts classes. Upon graduation, after working several jobs, he ended up working for a trial consulting firm, creating medical illustrations, crime and accident scene recreations, and product infringement comparison illustrations for courtroom presentations. He also dabbled in jury research for attorneys. Some of the cases Alnoor worked with, included State of Florida vs Tobacco, various drug cartel cases, Benlate Victims vs DuPont, and St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant’s Force Majeur case.
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Alnoor moved to Washington in 2005, with his wife of now 20 years. Although retired, working various small jobs, Alnoor has constructed his own art studio at home. He is now ready to embark on a new, well-earned creative phase of his life.
Occupation: Artist, retired graphic designer.
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Family in the US: all siblings live in various parts of the US. Both of his parents, who also eventually moved to the US, are now deceased
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Languages: English, Gujarati, Kutchi, Swahili, and a bit of Hindi,Urdu, French, and Spanish
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Favorite pastimes: Watching documentaries about nature and human issues, You-Tube videos about fixing things, and TED talks; cooking, gardening.
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Favorite music: New Age Ambient (Deuter, Peter Kater, 2001); Jazz (Dave Brubeck, John Coltrane, Stan Getz); Rock Music 60s/70s (The Cowsills, The Seekers, The Animals, ELP, Neil Young, Yusuf Islam, Van Morrison, The Doors, Quick Silver Messenger Service); New Bollywood Music (Atif Aslam, Arjit Singh, et. Al.)
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Language challenges: Certain pronunciations (for instance rolling “Rs” and pronouncing V as a W and viceversa, like “Very” or “where”)
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Could do without: Alnoor dislikes being asked “Why are you here?” as opposed to “What led you to become a citizen of the U.S.A.?” The answer would, of course, be his love for this Country and the respect for the Constitution, but such a question like “Why are you here?” seems to imply that he does not belong here, or is less American or Patriotic than someone born here. In general he dislikes people professing to be more patriotic than others when they pick and choose what is and what is not “Patriotic.”
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Favorite expressions: In English “Great!” “God-willing” and “It is, what it is.”
In Gujarati, Je chhe y chhe! (“It is what it is!”)
In Kiswahili, Shukuru Mungu! (“Thanks be to God!”)
Objects:
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His own Linoleum and woodcut prints: They represent for him, a fusion between centuries old African wood carvings and the art of block prints from India. As a young boy, he spent hours in his maternal grandfather's warehouse, looking at thousands of wood carvings made by local artists, ready for export overseas, and imported Indian block print cotton cloths for the local markets. His own prints are a way for him to simultaneously mimic the traditions, experiment with different materials, and express his own ideas.
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Alnoor, Tanzania (Swahili)
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Jina langu ni Alnoor. Inamaanisha "Nuru" kwa Kiarabu. Nilizaliwa katika Jiji la Mwanza, Tanzania, jiji la bandari kwenye Ziwa Victoria, lakini nilikulia katika mji mkuu wa wakati huo wa Jiji la Dar es Salaam (kumaanisha “Uwanja wa Amani” kwa Kiarabu). Babu na nyanya yangu walihamia Afrika Mashariki mwishoni mwa miaka ya mia kumi na nanne hadi mwanzoni mwa miaka mia kumi na tisa, pamoja na Wahindi wengi wa Mashariki walivutiwa na Afrika Mashariki na Waomani kwanza, kisha Wajerumani, na mwishowe na Waingereza, wote wakileta biashara na ujuzi anuwai. Wengi walikuwa wauzaji, wakiwa wamekimbia Kutch na Kathiawar katika Jimbo la Gujarat, India, kwa sababu ya njaa inayoendelea wakati wa utawala wa Briteni. Babu na baba yangu walikaa katika Kisiwa cha Zanzibar, wakati babu na mama yangu walikuwa wakiishi bara, katika Jiji la Dar es Salaam. Nilisoma shule za msingi na sekondari katika Jiji la Dar es Salaam.
Kabla ya kuhamia Dar-es-Salaam mnamo kumi na tisa hamsini na Tisa, nilitumia miaka mitatu ya kwanza ya maisha yangu kijijini cha Kibara kwenye Ziwa Victoria, kilichoko kwenye peninsula kuvuka Ghuba ya Speke kutoka Mwanza, na kwenye kingo za magharibi za Serengeti. Wazazi wangu walikuwa wafanyabiashara wa maduka, na waliuza bidhaa kavu nyingi kwa wakulima wa huko. Nakumbuka vyema, ziara za usiku kutoka kwa simba na fisi nje ya nyumba yangu. Wito wao, wote wawili walitikisa nyumba ya bati, na wakazidishwa nayo.
Nakumbuka wito wa usiku kwa nyumba ya nje katika ua wa nyuma kuwa ni jambo la kifamilia, baba yangu akiwa amesimama akiwa na bunduki ya uwindaji iliyojaa na taa kali wakati familia ikibadilishana kutumia nyumba ya nje.
Baada ya kumaliza shule ya upili mnamo kumi na tisa sibini na moja, mazingira ya kisiasa katika Afrika Mashariki yalikuwa katikati ya mabadiliko. Idi Amin Dada alikuwa akiwafukuza Waasia wote kutoka Uganda, na kusababisha wasiwasi kati ya Waasia nchini Kenya na Tanzania. Nilihisi nikilazimika kutafuta elimu zaidi mahali pengine. Baada ya kutafakari chaguzi zangu, nilipunguza uchaguzi wangu kwa England, India na U.S.A. Mnamo kumi na tisa sibini na mbili, niliamua kuja Amerika, kwani nilikuwa na dada aliyekaa na mumewe huko Miami, Florida. Nilihudhuria Miami-Dade Community College na kupata shahada ya AA katika Utawala wa Biashara. Walakini, kuwa Meja wa Biashara hakuniridhisha, na nilianza kufuata matamanio yangu ya utoto kuwa katika uwanja wa ubunifu. Nakumbuka kwamba kitabu changu cha hesabu cha darasa la kwanza kilikuwa na picha za majogoo matatu, ishara kubwa, yenye ujasiri "pamoja", halafu jogoo wawili, ikifuatiwa na ishara ya "sawa". Kusudi, la mwalimu na kitabu cha kazi, lilikuwa kunifundisha kuongeza, lakini mimi nikiwa mimi, nilianza kuchora jogoo watano badala ya nambari. Mwalimu, aliyefundishwa kwa njia za kusoma za Kikoloni, haraka akachukua kitabu cha kazi na kunipiga nacho usoni nacho, akipiga kelele kujipuuza ananiangusha.
Huko Amerika, nilikuwa nimeamua kuwa msanii. Nchini Tanzania, nikiwa kijana, nilikuwa nimejiingiza katika shughuli za ubunifu kama vile usanifu wa rangi wa rangi ya rangi, uchongaji wa mbao ulioongozwa na nakshi za Makonde na zaidi. Nilipenda kuwa mbunifu na nilitaka kujipatia kipato. Nilikubaliwa katika Chuo Kikuu cha Miami's School of Fine Arts, nilipokea udhamini kamili kuelekea digrii ya Ubunifu wa Picha, na pia nikachukua madarasa mengi ya sanaa nzuri. Baada ya kuhitimu, baada ya kufanya kazi kadhaa, niliishia kufanya kazi kwa kampuni ya ushauri wa majaribio, na kuunda vielelezo vya matibabu, uhalifu na utaftaji wa eneo la ajali, na vielelezo vya kulinganisha ukiukaji wa bidhaa kwa mawasilisho ya chumba cha mahakama. Nilijiingiza pia katika utafiti wa majaji kwa mawakili. Baadhi ya kesi nilizofanya kazi nazo, ni pamoja na Jimbo la Florida dhidi ya Tumbaku, visa anuwai vya wauzaji wa dawa za kulevya, Benlate Waathiriwa dhidi ya DuPont, na kesi ya Kikosi cha Nguvu cha Nyuklia cha St Lucie.
Nilihamia Washington mnamo elfu mbil na tano, na mke wangu wa miaka 20 sasa. Kufanya kazi za kazi ndogo ndogo, nimejenga studio yangu ya sanaa nyumbani. Sasa niko tayari kuanza awamu mpya ya ubunifu wa maisha yangu.
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My deepest appreciation to Alnoor for translating his story in Swahili and for recording it in English and Swahili