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 ƚŚĞ ĨŽƵŶĚŝŶŐ ĨĂƚŚĞƌ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ dŝŶŐĂƟŶŐĂ ^ĐŚŽŽů ŽĨ WĂŝŶƟŶŐ͕ ǁĂƐ ďŽƌŶ ŝŶ ϭϵϯϳ͕ ƚŚĞ ƐŽŶ ŽĨ subsistence farmers in southern dĂŶnjĂŶŝĂ͘ /Ŷ ϭϵϱϯ͕ dŝŶŐĂƟŶŐĂ͕ ůŝŬĞ ŵĂŶLJ LJŽƵŶŐ ŵĞŶ ďĞĨŽƌĞ Śŝŵ͕ traveled north to look for work on ƚŚĞ ƐŝƐĂů ĞƐƚĂƚĞƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ dĂŶŐĂ ƌĞŐŝŽŶ͕ ĞǀĞŶƚƵĂůůLJ ĚƌŝŌŝŶŐ ƐŽƵƚŚ ƚŽ Ăƌ ĞƐ ^ĂůĂĂŵ͘ dŚĞƌĞ ŚĞ ũŽŝŶĞĚ Ă ƐŵĂůů ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƚLJ of Makua and Makonde tribe people, who had already established ƚŚĞŵƐĞůǀĞƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ǀŝůůĂŐĞ ŽĨ DƐĂƐĂŶŝ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ŽƵƚƐŬŝƌƚƐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ĐŝƚLJ͘ ^ŽŵĞ found work as casual labourers on ƚŚĞ ůŽĐĂů ƐŝƐĂů ĞƐƚĂƚĞƐ ĂŶĚ ďƵŝůĚŝŶŐ ƐŝƚĞƐ͕ Žƌ ĂƐ ĚŽŵĞƐƟĐ ƐĞƌǀĂŶƚƐ͘ KƚŚĞƌƐ ǁĞƌĞ ŵĂŬŝŶŐ ŶĂŵĞƐ ĨŽƌ themselves as sculptors of African Blackwood and had already been ƚĂŬĞŶ ƵƉ ďLJ ĚĞĂůĞƌƐ ŝŶ ƚŽǁŶ͘ tŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŶƟŶƵĞĚ ŵŝŐƌĂƟŽŶ of people to the towns from the ĐŽƵŶƚƌLJƐŝĚĞ͕ ŵĂŬŝŶŐ Ă ůŝǀŝŶŐ ĐĂůůĞĚ ĨŽƌ ŵŽƌĞ ĂŶĚ ŵŽƌĞ ŝŶŐĞŶƵŝƚLJ͘ ůƚŚŽƵŐŚ dŝŶŐĂƟŶŐĂ ŚĂĚ ǁŽƌŬĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƉĂƐƚ ƐĞůůŝŶŐ ĨƌƵŝƚ͕ ǁĞĂǀŝŶŐ ŵĂƚƐ͕ ƚĂŝůŽƌŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵŝŶŐ ŝŶ Ă ƚƌĂĚŝƟŽŶĂů ĚĂŶĐĞ ŐƌŽƵƉ͕ ŚĞ ǁĂƐ ŝŶƐƉŝƌĞĚ ďLJ ƚŚĞ ŽŶŐŽůĞƐĞ ƉĂŝŶƚĞƌƐ and the speed at which they sold their Western style canvases to ƚŽƵƌŝƐƚƐ͘ ZĞƐŽƵƌĐĞĨƵů͕ ŚĞ ŵĂŶĂŐĞĚ ƚŽ ĂĐƋƵŝƌĞ ƐŽŵĞ ĚŝƐĐĂƌĚĞĚ ĐĞŝůŝŶŐ ďŽĂƌĚƐ͕
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Dar Life I MAY 2022
