The Monument Project: Africa

Article by: Jennye Garibaldi|@jennyegee

Tue January 28, 2014 | 00:00 AM


Think festivals are just about doing drugs and dancing to electronic music in the middle of nowhere? Think again.

Even in the case of EDM festivals, there's a spirit of charitable giving and humanitarian efforts. Take for instance Shrine, a California artist whose stunning pieces have appeared at festivals like Burning Man, Secret Garden Party and Electric Forest. Working with recycled and found materials, Shrine gives new life to otherwise forgotten objects. It makes perfect sense, then, that he would turn his attention to erecting a monument in Kenya for children with autism. As he says, "...these particular autistic people in this part of the world are truly discarded." In Kenya, children with autism are stigmatized to the point of being banished from their village. Shrine is endeavoring to bring awareness to this issue through his monument and accompanying documentary. In order to accomplish these goals, he's created a Kickstarter page. There's only about a day left to be a part of this worthy cause, so watch the video to be inspired, and in Shrine's words, "celebrate the unique beauty of autistic people."