The impact of the coronavirus pandemic has truly been global. Every part of the world has been significantly impacted socially and economically by COVID-19. There have not been communities left untouched.
While the world tries to take care of its own, one American with a strong connection to a particular corner of Africa was spurred into action by the plight of traders and artists there whose livelihood has disappeared completely during 2020.
Sean Swarner is enabling spectacular, hand-crafted, original works of art from Tanzania to reach homes across the United States, with the proceeds going to help a hard-pressed community at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Who is Sean Swarner?
Sean Swarner is the only person in the world to have suffered from both Hodgkin’s Disease and Askin’s sarcoma, two particularly virulent forms of cancer. At one point he was given only two weeks to live. Not only did he survive, but he also went on to confront, and pass, a series of the most grueling tests the world has to offer.
It is no surprise that the message on his business card reads: “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
Despite having only one lung, he has skied to the North and South Poles, finished the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii, and completed the Seven Peak Challenge, which means climbing the highest mountain on every continent – including Everest, where he reached the summit in 2002.
"I'm more afraid of not living than I am of dying," he says. Small wonder that Sean has been placed fourth on a realbuzz.com list of the top 10 inspirational men in history.
“I’m more afraid of not living than I am of dying,” he says.
From his home in Colorado, Sean now works as an international keynote speaker. But his connection with climbing persists in the form of annual trips to one of the world’s most famous mountains, Africa’s highest peak, Kilimanjaro.
How have Sean’s friends in Africa been affected?
Each year Sean leads an expedition to the top of Kilimanjaro, a 5,895-meter peak he has now scaled nearly 20 times. Among his group are cancer survivors, whose trip is paid for by a charity. Each recipient of this generosity then raises funds to enable another survivor to make the trip the following year.
Three cancer survivors were due to attempt the climb in 2020 – but then COVID-19 struck and the adventure had to be postponed.
In Moshi, the town at the foot of the mountain, there is a shop run by a friend of Sean that sells souvenirs including trinkets, carved masks, and Masai spears.
This outlet relies on tourism for 100% of its income to feed the families of the team that works there. The advent of the pandemic, hard on the heels of February’s rainy season, means it has had no income for nearly six months.
Bringing African Art to the USA
Transporting large pieces of art from eastern Africa to the USA represents a considerable logistical challenge. But to say Sean Swarner is undaunted by challenges would be a colossal understatement.
Many of the people who create souvenirs for the shop are artists, so Sean asked the shop owner to send a selection of paintings that could be sold to raise money for the shop and its suppliers.
What arrived on his doorstep in Colorado was a stunning selection of artwork. The pictures included vivid depictions of African wildlife and the unforgettable landscapes of Kilimanjaro and the surrounding countryside.
“My breath was taken away,” says Sean. “I couldn’t believe how beautiful they are. Seeing them in person was even better than looking at a photograph. It was like watching a movie and then seeing it again in an IMAX. Some of them are really large too, over six feet wide and three feet high.”
“My breath was taken away,” says Sean. “I couldn’t believe how beautiful they are. Seeing them in person was even better than looking at a photograph. It was like watching a movie and then seeing it again in an IMAX. Some of them are really large too, over six feet wide and three feet high.”
At the same time, Sean began receiving responses to his email alerting those who had accompanied him on previous trips to the mountain to the opportunity to purchase a unique memento of their experience.
As Sean says, people who have traveled to Kilimanjaro have a strong personal connection to the people of the area, intensified by the life-changing nature of the trek to the peak.
He adds: “They’ve been on my trips, they know what people are going through, they know how much it will help. It also helps that they’re getting something in return, a 100% hand-crafted original piece of art from Africa.”
“They’ve been on my trips, they know what people are going through, they know how much it will help. It also helps that they’re getting something in return, a 100% hand-crafted original piece of art from Africa.”
The response was amazing. Almost as soon as the paintings arrived on American soil they were sold to buyers in Wisconsin, New York, Florida, Washington, and more.
More paintings are now on the way, and thousands of dollars from the proceeds of the sales have begun to arrive in Moshi, to the profound gratitude of people who desperately need that money. As Sean points out, one US dollar goes a long way in Tanzania.
“A thousand thanks to you, brother,” read one message from Africa, “I really respect your help. Thank you for your support.”
“A thousand thanks to you, brother,” read one message from Africa, “I really respect your help. Thank you for your support.”
How you can find out more about contributing
While Sean has not set a fund-raising target for his efforts, it is clear that there is now significant interest in the artwork, which will mean so much to the people whose lives depend on tourism to Kilimanjaro.
If you are interested in knowing more about the pieces of art available for purchase, you can see many on Sean’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/585521803/videos/10158573005546804/, purchase them from the website: https://www.seanswarner.com/kilimanjaro-art/ , or email him directly at kili@cancerclimber.org
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