My Top10 Picks…
Art, Design, Electrical, Mechanical…

The Maker Faire Africa 2010, second edition celebrating African ingenuity, innovation and invention, was held on the 27th and 28th of August. Here are afer highlights of the exciting exhibits on display at the show.

1. Pata Pata Art

PataPata Art 1

PataPata Art 2

PataPata Art 3

Pata Pata or rather Pati Pati is a swahili name for flip-flops/slippers. The artists exhibiting these collect lost slippers from the beaches at the coast and slum streams, then knife and glue them up into these beautiful sculptures.

2. BushPunk Glasses

BushPunk Stunners 1: Check out the detail on this pair

BushPunk Stunners 2: And these made from old speakers

BushPunk Stunners 3: Captain Crook

Couldn’t get enough of the creativity and resourcefulness Cyrus Kabiru, the maker, put into his designs…

3. Kitengela Glass Art

Awesome souvenir from Kitengela Glass Art!

More Glass Blown Art

4. Tea Maker

Electronic Tea Maker

Simon Mwaura’s brilliant Electronic Tea Maker is a system that integrates mobile technology to make a remotely activatable Tea Maker that can have your tea ready just when you get home.

5. FabLab UoN CNC Router

3-Axis CNC Router

Sample one of the CNC Router’s fabricated at the Fab Lab. This Machine is a replica of the machine used to make it… interesting!

6. Solar Chargeable Torches

Solar Chargeable Torches

Aren’t these just beautifully pieced? Pricey though… IMO.(KSh.3,500~USD45)

7. Crafting Peace Art

Crafting Peace Art 1

Crafting Peace Art 1

Now twitter should know they need to patent this lil’ birdie…! Cool crafts!

8. HBS1 Bag (Hawker/Back 2 School Bag)

HBS1 Bag on the back

HBS1 Bag on when hawking

Designed by Chika Okafor from Nigeria, can be worn/carried almost four different ways (I like to call them modes) since the diversity of use that it can be put to is just incredible… ie for hawking, hiking, books, sports, supplies etc.

9. The Masiro 2010

The Uber Boda Boda: Masiro 2010

Micheal and Absalom Onyango have design and custom built the “Masiro 2010″ that is said to be able to carry two and a half times (250Kg’s) the weight manageable by the average boda boda. Must say, the ride a ride on this baby is super smooth. They have double suspension on the rear as well as the front wheels.

10. The Electronic Well

The Electronic Well

Students from the UoN FabLab hacked up this contraption only three days before the Maker Faire. The electronic well can fill up water for use/storage from a borehole unattended. Well, I’m not too sure why a pump would not be more effecient, but the clever mechanics employed were quite a spectacle.

There goes… Which was your pick?