Ali Abdalla Skanda comes from a family of carpenters and dhow builders in Lamu, Kenya. For the 2014 Folklife Festival, he donated one of his dhows and restored it on the National Mall.

The dhow, fully refurbished, has since been transferred to The Mariners’ Museum and Park in Newport News, Virginia, to be included in the International Small Craft collection.

Videography: Max Lenik, Albert Tong, Sally Holland
Editing: Max Lenik