On March 10th, a ceremony was held at the Loreto Mary Ward Centre in Nairobi to honor the many contributions of Sane and Eunice Wadu to the development of the creative arts therapies in East Africa. In attendance were members of the East African and Visitor Leadership Teams, as well as the newest cohort of TAPTA participants — an apt representation of the Wadu’s legacy and ongoing impact.
The ceremony began with a declaration of their contributions, including the many years of arts and therapeutic arts services they have provided to children and, more recently, to adults in their community, as well as their involvement in the development of the Therapeutic Arts Paraprofessional Training in Africa (TAPTA). They played a key role in the TAPTA, beginning in 2008 as contributing participants and subsequently became founding members of the East African Leadership Team (EALT).
This special event included a poem written and read by CAALN East African Program Officer, Nelly Ndenga; the presentation of a memory book put together by Emily Anne Evans that contains the art, photos and words of gratitude from many TAPTA colleagues and visiting participants from over the years; and the awarding of certificates that acknowledged the Wadu’s many hours of therapeutic arts training and their status as pioneers of therapeutic arts in East Africa. Heartfelt words of appreciation were offered by EALT members Grace Atieno and Haji Maeda, as well as Visitor Leadership Team member Cathy Moon and CAALN Executive Director Linda Stolz. The ceremony concluded with brief remarks from Sane and Eunice, through which they conveyed their lasting impact on therapeutic arts in East Africa and their deep appreciation for being acknowledged as pioneers in the field. And finally, as with any East African celebration, the event ended with singing and dancing!
