Artists Registry
Bamenda Cameroon
Artist's Statement
After seeing the attacks of 9/11 on TV in 2001, Celestine feared for the future, and felt that the world was coming to an end. Since then, his dream was to come up with a project to show how these attacks happened, using his skill as a craftsman.
He one day hopes to come to the U.S. to bring this project as a gift of commemoration, as a symbol that the world still stands together, even from far away places in the grassroots.
Although he has no secondary education, Celestine has taught himself, working with raffia bamboo. This project marks 30 years of his work for the community, showing the world that he never gives up hope, and will continue to create beautiful works from local materials.
Celestine's 9/11 project is sponsored by "Farmer" Tantoh Nforba, an Ashoka Fellow dedicated to improving his community through grassroots efforts. He hopes to see Celestine's dream of coming to the United States come true, and works with other organizations to make this possible.
If you are interested in helping us bring this work to America, please contact us at fatantoh@yahoo.com or fatantoh@gmail.com. Thank you all for your support!
Resume
Fombe Nfor Celestine
P.O Box 4141, Bamenda-Up Station, Mezam Division, Northwest Region-Cameroon
EDUCATION:
1989: Government Primary School St John-Bamenda. First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC)
WORK EXPERIENCE:
1985-present: Designer of cars, bikes, air craft, and houses using local bamboo (29 years experience in bamboo arts)
COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP:
2006-present: Volunteer in whole of Sop village, planting flowers, trees and lawns to fight erosion and make environment beautiful.
REFERENCES:
Farmer Tantoh, Ashoka Fellow-Cameroon.
E-mail: fatantoh@yahoo.com Tel: 237 77 38 33 70
Ndi Richard, Peace/conflict Consultant.
E-mail: nditanto@yahoo.com Tel: 237 77 73 60 68