Kelly GreenLight | Nairobi | USA

In Kenya, the matatu is the most common and affordable form of public transportation, taking many forms throughout the country from humble minibuses to lavish 33-seaters. Although thousands of women pile into matatus everyday for work and other adventures, very few women are involved in the business of driving and conducting in the actual operation. It is common for women to be catcalled by conductors trying to get their attention or be unexpectedly pulled aboard by a conductor or middleman and it is all too easy to be grabbed or fondled while squeezed in with other passengers and no one truly managing trouble onboard. The experience reminds me very much of riding the subway through New York City: so much life and excitement, however there is a lawless danger to riding as well. The “Sacred Sister Party Bus” is a creative action that reimagines the matatu as a sacred space where women can be free and fully expressed in mind, body and spirit while being honored, seen and respected in the process. The project gives visibility to women’s stories & experiences with various modes of transportation and explores the metaphysical transportation that women access through spirituality, creative practice and acts of remembering.

SACRED SISTER BUS SOUNDS PODCAST

an intergenerational transcultural cypher on a bus. womxn traveling through stories. through histories. through time.

Production Credits

Sacred Sisters: Acey Gracey, Obunga Guya, Kelly GreenLight, Joy Kioko, Syowia Kyambi, Gloria Mwivanda, Nzilani Simu

Videography: Gloria Mwivanda

Video Editing: Kibe Wangunyu, Kelly GreenLight

Music: Sunset Eyes by Inossi, A Place to Cry by Kelly GreenLight, Fujo by Lady Bud

about the artist

Featured

Kelly Greenlight

Ritual Performance Artist/Organizer

Nairobi | USA

Currently based in Nairobi, Kenya, Kelly 'GreenLight' Thomas is a ritual performance artist, wellness worker and cultural organizer. A New Jersey girl with roots in Alabama and The Commonwealth of Dominica, Kelly is currently pulling from her diverse cultural background to build a body of children’s music that addresses positive self esteem, cultivating healthy relationships and embracing the natural world. For over a decade, Kelly has been creating music & performance around emotional health, women’s narratives, and nature. As a performance artist, Kelly conceives interactive & transcendent arts experiences that activate her background in gender studies, theater, group dynamics, Afro-Diasporic cultural practice, and holistic healing.

Kelly is the foundress of Black Arts Retreat, a community arts organization which focuses on exploring African diasporic art and culture, communing with nature and holistic wellness through retreats, workshops and affinity groups in the US, digitally and around the world. Through Black Arts Retreat, Kelly has facilitated groups in Bahia, Brazil Berlin, Germany and throughout Haiti since 2016. Kelly holds a Bachelor's Degree in Educational Theater from NYU's Steinhardt School and a Sound and Music Integrated Practitioner Credential from the New York Open Center

WEB | IG

OTHER WORK FEATURED TODAY

Featured