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On a recent Saturday evening, Teri and Ken Lebow opened their Montecito house for an unusual art event to benefit St. Joseph’s Home for Boys in Harare, Zimbabwe.
The distance between the Lebows’ historic San Leandro Lane home, once owned by the late Dame Judith Anderson, and impoverished Zimbabwe could not have been more vast. But the fundraiser was inspired by the couple’s relationship with Amy and Keegan Cooke, friends from Zimbabwe now living and working in the 93108.
In 2007, Keegan Cooke and two fellow countrymen — artist Daniel Hagemann and musician Tapiwa Mugadza, better known as “Taps” — relocated to the United States.
The three, who first met on the St. Joseph’s soccer field, share a desire to see Zimbabwe rise beyond its current state, and believe the best way it can happen is through its children and young people.
To help achieve that, they’ve partnered with the nonprofit Rock of Africa Mission, a Costa Mesa-based Christian relief organization working in sub-Saharan Africa, which includes Zimbabwe.
Mugadza was left on the steps of St. Joseph’s when he was just 2 days old. He spent his childhood yearning to do something big with his life through music.
Growing up in an orphanage gave him a perspective on life like no other, he told the more than 100 guests listening at rapt attention at the Lebows’.
When he was accepted to the Musicians Institute-College of Contemporary Music in Hollywood, Mugadza said, “I vowed to never forget where I came from.”
Hagemann grew up loving art, majored in graphic design at Laguna College of Art + Design in Laguna Beach, and sells his graphite drawings to pay the bills. At the gathering, he showed off many of his pieces, which reflect his love for his homeland; the art depicts elephants, zebras, lions and young Zimbabweans.
Keegan Cooke was accepted to Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, and starred in track and field. After competing in his first decathlon and breaking the Zimbabwe national record in the event, he was offered a full track scholarship to the University of Arizona in Tucson.
After graduating from UofA in 2013, Keegan made the transition to the world of professional track and field. He is training with the Santa Barbara Track Club under the direction of U.S. national coach Josh Priester. He hopes to become the first Zimbabwean to compete in the decathlon at an Olympic level.
The young men have been holding annual fundraising events to help address the most pressing needs of the place that Mugadza used to call “home.” Funds from previous fundraisers have helped install toilets, repair broken windowpanes and provide real beds so children are no longer sleeping on the ground.
This year’s proceeds will be focused on purchasing a new industrial stove and a generator to smooth out the challenges of an unreliable electrical grid.
Those in attendance nibbled on hors d’oeuvres, enjoyed South African wine and had some photo ops with the guests of honor.
After a short presentation by Cooke and Hagemann explaining their interest in helping the “kids back home,” the audience was treated to a guitar performance by Mugadza.
On hand to support St. Joseph’s Home for Boys were many locals with ties to the African continent, as well as athletes and friends of the boyhood trio.
In addition to Hagemann’s artwork, fine artist Karen Bezuidenhout — who splits her time between South Africa and Santa Barbara — donated one of her paintings to help raise funds for the Harare orphanage.
Her paintings, described as rich with an earthy color palette, reflect Bezuidenhout’s sense of adventure, and are sold worldwide. They can be viewed and purchased locally at Upstairs at Pierre Lafond in Montecito’s Upper Village.
Click here for more information about Rock of Africa Mission, or call 949.610.6295.
— Judy Foreman is a Noozhawk columnist and longtime local writer and lifestyles observer. She can be contacted at judyforeman@noozhawk.com. Click here for previous columns. The opinions expressed are her own.