Culture Center
Four Corners Cultural programme
It started with an idea. Like a distant thought slowly turning into a dream. The late Dr. Evjen Olsen, Mzee Olsen as he was called by the four corners of Haydom, slowly started assembling all the bits and pieces of his dream and did what most of us never dare do- take the first step forward. He did not know if the dream would become reality one day, he did not have the money to start, he did not have people to help him, he had nothing but an idea. But like all great achievements, the programme now known as the Four Corners Cultural Programme, started with his first step forward.
In 2003 Dr. Evjen Olsen bought a plot for the cultural center and three years later, the first workshop was held in Haydom with representatives from the Four Corners, NGOs, government representatives and other stakeholders. They all listened and discussed, some did not understand, some saw it for its significance, some turned their backs and some came on board.
And today the dwellings of the four corners are being built: slowly the value of language, stories, songs and dances is growing in the minds of everyone. Old artefacts are now being cherished as legacies from ancestors, and the value of culture and history is becoming more and more recognized with pride by everyone.