The Untold Story of Tingatinga Legacy Edward Saidi from 1937 – 1972
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LJ 'ůŽƌŝĂ DĂǁũŝ
Tingatinga art is a familiar sight around Tanzania’s tourist centres. The exuberantly crowded canvases of fantastic birds, sinuously graceful animals and traditional village life can be seen across the country. Tingatinga is a uniquely African art form, characterized by its simplicity and brightly coloured two-dimensional images against a flat colour background. But where did this style originate from, and who was Tingatinga?”
ĚǁĂƌĚ ^ĂŝĚŝ dŝŶŐĂƟŶŐĂ͕ the founding father of the E dŝŶŐĂƚŝŶŐĂ ^ĐŚŽŽů ŽĨ WĂŝŶƚŝŶŐ͕ ǁĂƐ ďŽƌŶ ŝŶ ϭϵϯϳ͕ ƚŚĞ ƐŽŶ ŽĨ subsistence farmers in southern dĂŶnjĂŶŝĂ͘ /Ŷ ϭϵϱϯ͕ dŝŶŐĂƚŝŶŐĂ͕ like many young men before him, ƚƌĂǀĞůĞĚ ŶŽƌƚŚ ƚŽ ůŽŽŬ ĨŽƌ ǁŽƌŬ on the sisal estates in the Tanga ƌĞŐŝŽŶ͕ ĞǀĞŶƚƵĂůůLJ ĚƌŝĨƚŝŶŐ ƐŽƵƚŚ to ar es Salaam.
There he joined a small community of Makua and Makonde tribe people, who had ĂůƌĞĂĚLJ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚĞĚ ƚŚĞŵƐĞůǀĞƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ǀŝůůĂŐĞ ŽĨ DƐĂƐĂŶŝ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ outskirts of the city. Some found work as casual labourers on the local sisal estates and building ƐŝƚĞƐ͕ Žƌ ĂƐ ĚŽŵĞƐƚŝĐ ƐĞƌǀĂŶƚƐ͘ Others were making names for ƚŚĞŵƐĞůǀĞƐ ĂƐ ƐĐƵůƉƚŽƌƐ ŽĨ ĨƌŝĐĂŶ ůĂĐŬǁŽŽĚ ĂŶĚ ŚĂĚ ĂůƌĞĂĚLJ ďĞĞŶ taken up by dealers in town. tŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŶƚŝŶƵĞĚ ŵŝŐƌĂƚŝŽŶ of people to the towns from the ĐŽƵŶƚƌLJƐŝĚĞ͕ ŵĂŬŝŶŐ Ă ůŝǀŝŶŐ ĐĂůůĞĚ for more and more ingenuity. ůƚŚŽƵŐŚ dŝŶŐĂƚŝŶŐĂ ŚĂĚ ǁŽƌŬĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƉĂƐƚ ƐĞůůŝŶŐ ĨƌƵŝƚ͕ ǁĞĂǀŝŶŐ mats, tailoring and performing ŝŶ Ă ƚƌĂĚŝƚŝŽŶĂů ĚĂŶĐĞ ŐƌŽƵƉ͕ ŚĞ was inspired by the Congolese painters and the speed at which they sold their Western style ĐĂŶǀĂƐĞƐ ƚŽ ƚŽƵƌŝƐƚƐ͘ Resourceful, he managed to ĂĐƋƵŝƌĞ ƐŽŵĞ ĚŝƐĐĂƌĚĞĚ ĐĞŝůŝŶŐ boards, dregs of household paint
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Dar Life I MAY 2021
