Artist of The Month: “Haji Chilonga”

By Neema Maro

Haji Chilonga was born on January 24th, 1969 in Lukuledi in Southern Tanzania. He comes from a pottery and blacksmith family background. As he was interested in drawings since he was young, he started off earning his living by painting commercial advertisements. He became a serious painter in 1992 when he was tutored by more experienced artists. At this time when Chilonga started to paint, he drew a few artists to himself. For instance he taught Aly Kitogo and he considerably influenced Florian Ludovick. All of these painters had very similar styles initially, but as time went they each found their own personal style and developed a distinctive imprint. Chilonga prefers to paint portraits and local life situations.

DL - What inspired you to start painting? Chilonga – For the most part I got inspired just by observing daily life around me.

DL - How long have you been an artist? Chilonga - I have been serious about being an artist since 1992.

DL - What mediums do you like to use? Chilonga - I prefer acrylic over oil paints.

DL - Tell us about your first exhibition. When was it? Chilonga – I was so excited to have the opportunity for the first time. It was held at

BAMAYU GALLERY in Dar es Salaam in 1997.

DL - Do you work from life, or from photographs or from imagination? Chilonga - I work from my imagination for my abstract style paintings, but sometimes I paint from real life too.

DL - What moves you most in life, either to inspire or upset you?

Chilonga - There are so many things I can’t mention all of them, but I’m always inspired when I travel and meet new people and new challenges. DL - Where do you feel art is going?

Chilonga - In my country the current state of art is not good, because very few people have an understanding of art and its role in society.

DL - What is the role of the artist in society? Chilonga - Musicians and actors have come to play an important role in society, but visual artists still have a very long way to go to be respected.

DL - What technique do you use? Which is more important to you, the subject of your painting, or the way it is executed?

Chilonga - The technique I use is abstract, but the most important thing to me is the subject of the piece.

DL - Do you prefer a perfect smooth technique or a more energetic expressive technique and why? Chilonga - To me it doesn’t matter, either smooth or energetic expressive technique.

DL - What do you think makes your work stand out? Chilonga – My passion comes through in my work and I think people can sense that.

To purchase any of Chilonga’s paintings and to inquire about his exhibitions, please contact: Haji Chilonga +255 (0) 754 297 471, chilongahaji@yahoo.com or visit http:// hajichilonga.weebly.com/index.html