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THE GOLDEN SHOES SABIR ADAM ALI
THE GOLDEN SHOES
SABIR ADAM ALI
This powerful painting tells a story of a father sending his son to Kakuma to try to find work and send money
back to the family. The father lowers his boy down into a pit with the hope that he will collect the golden shoes,
a sign of status, wealth, and opportunity. But once inside, the child sees the black apples, representing
temptation and destruction. Instead of reaching for the shoes, the boy cuts the rope, so he no longer has to
return to his father.
The shoes remain untouched, a reminder of the dreams the father had for his son, while the black apples
symbolise the lure of drugs within Kakuma,
something that ruins the lives of so many young people in the camp.