From the rail to canvas, Mathare children begin SGR-inspired art journey

For 39 young artists from Mathare, the Standard Gauge Railway became more than a means of transport, but a classroom - a source of inspiration and the starting point of a creative journey - that will soon be captured on canvas.

As part of a long-term art project with the children of the Dream Building Service Association Art Class in Mathare, the young artists embarked on an SGR journey from Nairobi to Emali and back, giving them an opportunity to experience Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway from a new perspective.

The journey was designed not only to introduce them to the railway as a mode of transport, but also as a subject to observe, interpret and express through art.

From the moment they boarded, excitement filled the air. The children explored the coaches, watched the shifting landscapes outside their windows, and experienced the rhythm of rail travel, each moment sparking curiosity and imagination.

For many of the children, the journey offered an opportunity to see the railway environment beyond what they encounter in their everyday surroundings.

The trip to Emali and back was only the beginning. In the afternoon, the children got a chance to visit the Nairobi Railway Museum, where they were introduced to the rich history of Kenya’s railway and the role it has played in connecting communities and driving the country’s development.

Surrounded by historic railway artifacts, locomotives and memorabilia, the children bridged the past with the present, linking the heritage of the railway to the modern SGR they had just experienced.

Together, these encounters provided a wealth of ideas, images, and emotions to fuel the next stage of the project.

Each child will create an SGR-themed canvas painting inspired by what they saw, experienced and learned during the trip.

Their works will eventually be brought together in an exhibition, creating a visual reflection of the children’s perspectives of the railway and what it represents to them.

The project is therefore not simply about teaching children to paint. It is about giving them experiences, encouraging questions, nurturing impressions, and empowering them to communicate those impressions through art.

For the children of the DBSA Art Class in Mathare, the railway has now become more than steel and tracks, it has become a canvas of possibilities; one journey, one experience and one painting at a time.

And when their artworks are eventually displayed, each canvas will tell more than a story about a train ride.

Together, they will capture how 39 young artists saw, interpreted and imagined the SGR through their own eyes.