American woodworker with deep 'Mpingo' affection
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James Harris |
One day in 1996 after viewing 'The Tree of Life' video on a US
TV system an American woodworker contacted, by mail , an East African botanist
who was being featured. They stuck a deal to save
the East African Blackwood (mpingo), a commercially threatened tree. Recently
they celebrated together the planting of one million trees. Hans Nakora Reports.
This milestone was reached in association with a number of local and
international groups that have been working, under Chuwa's guidance, in tree
planting initiatives to reforest Mt. Kilimanjaro, improve economic
conditions on the mountain, and conserve the African blackwood tree. Chuwa has
been an inspiration to his community to carry on these activities during the
past 13 years.
"I first made contact with Sebastian (Chuwa) in 1996. After viewing 'The Tree of
Life' video on the US Public Broadcasting System TV series called Nature. I
wrote a letter to Sebastian through the
Wildlife Conservation Service of Tanzania", says Mr. James Harris, an American
woodworker, narrating how he found himself joining East African conservation
efforts.
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Ornamental turned clock tower design
by James Harris. The piece is 10cm x 27cm, and the top lifts off to
allow access to a box with
removable tray in the bottom. The materials used are African blackwood
with Mother-of-Pearl inlays. |
He was so thrilled by the video on the African Blackwood that
he wanted to make a deal with the Tanzanian Botanist, Mr. Chuwa, on the
conservation of the tree, said to be one of the commercially
threatened tree species in East Africa.
"In my letter I asked if I could help in his efforts to conserve and replant
mpingo, which were profiled in the film. He replied in time that he would be
delighted, and so our relationship began", narrates
Mr. Harris.
He immediately started fund raising efforts on behalf of Mr. Chuwa whom he
describes as an extraordinary man with a vision for the future. He mailed a
fundraising letter to fellow woodworkers in
the US and began to collect some funds.
"My wife, Bette Stockbauer, soon joined me in my efforts and we have had a
partnership together with Sebastian since then", he says, obviously relishing
the fact that their work has been of great influence in
reaching the goal of planting a million trees in Kilimanjaro. Their efforts have
been spearheaded
through an organisation they jointly formed, African Blackwood Conservation
Project (ABCP).
The ABCP immediately acquired United States Internal Revenue Service 501(c)3
status for the project, which establishes the ABCP as a government-recognized
tax-exempt public charity in the US.
With Sebastian Chuwa leading the campaign on the ground, Bette, Mr. Harris'
wife, did the grant writing, and has been successful in winning for Sebastian
Chuwa the Lindbergh Grant in 2000, The Spirit
of the Land Award from the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics Organizing Committee
in 2002, The Rolex
Awards for Enterprise Associate Laureate Award, also in 2002, and multiple small
grants from the Cottonwood Foundation as well as the New England Biolabs
Foundation and oil major, BP.
Mr. Harris himself has been investing his time in, among other activities,
creating the ABCP website, publishing a yearly fundraising and informational
newsletter and managing project
accounting and other support activities. Together they manage all the business
affairs of the ABCP on an unpaid, volunteer basis from their home at Red Rock,
near Austin, Texas, USA.
Born on Nov. 9, 1946 in San Antonio, Texas, Mr. Harris holds a Bachelor's of
Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He
has worked as a highway engineer and then
carpenter, cabinetmaker, furniture maker, and now ornamental turner.
"I gained a tremendous respect for African Blackwood through my use of it in
working as an artist in wood. I wanted to see its future well-being secured, and
that is why I initiated this project in
cooperation with Sebastian Chuwa".
He says he would like to see a sustainable future for this great wood, so that
its place in the natural ecosystem of East Africa would be protected, but still
artists such as himself and the carvers of East
Africa, as well as makers of fine musical instruments - himself included - would
be able to create items of beauty and value from the wood that commands its
special place as one of the finest exotic woods in
the world.
His wife, Bette Stockbauer, born in Victoria, Texas on May 16, 1945, is an
expert in fine hardwood jewelry boxes, has been a volunteer in various
environmental causes, and so found a natural home in engaging
her energy in support of the ABCP and Sebastian's environmental work.
Chuwa and his American partner in conservation only met once, when the Tanzanian
flew to Salt Lake City, Utah to accept his award during the 2002 Winter
Olympics.
"Bette and I feel very blessed to have made the acquaintance of this
extraordinary man. His vision for the future, his hope and optimism, and his
boundless energy inspire us to think that if we all do our small part to make
this a better world, it is possible to preserve for future generations some of
the natural beauty and wonder which we all take for granted, but is now in
serious threat in many parts of the
world due to the impact of human development", says Mr. Harris.
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