Peaceful Activists ‘Wafrika hatuna umoja’

By Sanaa & Culture

From 'Why Africans aren't united'

EDUCATION IS A SHOWBIZ

Kuna msemo wa Kiswahili usemao ‘umoja ni nguvu..’ Mara nyingi huwa najiuliza, hili bara liliojaliwa na rasilimali kadhaa ikiwemo mbuga za wanyama, mito na bahari, madini chungu mzima. Iweje leo limetanda na dhiki, njaa na umaskini. Ni kweli jibu la swali hili, wengi barani waweza kukujibu kwa ufupi 'angalia historia yake'. Yani Wafrika tuliaswi, tangu mateso ya utumwa mpaka ukoloni na sasa ubepari ambao kwa mtiririko huu Afrika yabaki kwenye mkia.   

Sema bara hili limekuwa huru na kujitawala kwa zaidi ya miaka hamsini kwa nchi zilizo nyingi. Kama Tanzania ambapo mi ni mzawa. Je ni kweli bado twaweza shika tama, na kusema changamoto zetu kiuchumi na juhudi zetu kujikwamua kimaendeleo; zimekwamishwa bado na Watu wa Ulaya au Mashariki Kati tu.

I doubt it, if our fore mothers & fathers could ensure all of our nations today on the continent are led by Africans even if just by ink. Then there’s simply no excuse to not look at what me and you need have done yesterday and today to further the freedom of Africa in actuality.

On the 1^st of Nov last year I was at Nafasi Artspapce, here I stumbled on an art exhibition which relayed in plain terms via vivid conceptual photography and beautiful puzzle collages. What we need to understand in further solving our problems on the continent.

Here Taye Balogun and Muthua Matheka say the solutions will begin when we adhere to that saying ‘Umoja ni nguvu’. And so there exhibition under the title ‘Why Africans are not united’ goes to highlight key challenges facing the majority of countries on the continent.

From 'Why Africans aren't united' AFRI AID

The exhibition opened in Nairobi – Kenya at Kuona Trust, Safari Park Hotel – during the Africa Union (AU) and UNDP conference on ‘How to Silence the Guns in Africa’. This being part of the celebration of the 54th year of Independence in Nigeria at the Nigeria High Commission in Kenya.

Taye is a native of Nigeria while Muthua is a native of Kenya. On October 25^th was when the exhibition opened at Nafasi Art Space in Dar, currently it’s already been to major African cities including Lagos and is now in Johannesburg to finally end in Addis Ababa.

Now let me dish on the actual pieces, as you entered you’d be met by these huge puzzles of the African continent on the floor, two in particular with vivid colors from the respective country flags. It may have come off cheesy if the following artworks on the walls were not so powerful.

Imagine a film maker and a landscape photographer coming together using photography and theater joined by their Pan African convictions. The result is very inspiring; I know I am dragging myself to comment on the actual artworks  you see I’m terrified of besmirching their message.

Anyhow here goes, first off let it be said the artworks in question didn't sugar coat the current environment in which many Africans live in Africa. Picture this one of the artworks titled ‘ African Leadership Forum’ has a picture of a classroom with only one student (A European descent male) with the rest of the seats empty except for cow head carcasses on the desks.

From 'Why Africans aren't untied' TRADE

It gets better in another artwork titled ‘Trade’ you see a big wall at the top are two (African descent males) retailers having mastered the huge task of climbing this Berlin like wall with their little goods. They are now barely able to do business.

Another artwork and one of my favorite titled ‘Education is a Showbiz’ is the one Muthua gave Mkeka in proper resolution. It was custom that no one take photos of the exhibition still Taye and Muthua were kind in letting me sneak my phone camera for these other stills.. Its the first photos here judge for yourself it’s message and relevance.

Yes I was totally inspired by this exhibition and hope you too will be spurred to join hands with other Africans in bringing freedom back to the continent in actuality. I also can’t remark enough on the skills that these two exuded for this exhibition. “Some of these works ensured we had to stay up whole weeks outdoors waiting to catch that perfect still of the storm…”Taye elaborates on the work it took to deliver these works.

Taye Balogun is a Film Director, Producer and a Photographer. He attended University of Lagos where he studied Chemistry and went on to study Film at the National Film Institute, Jos – Nigeria where he majored in Cinematography and Photography.

Taye has directed Broadway Musicals which include: Once on This Island, Fiddler on the Roof, and Grease respectively. He has directed documentaries/photography for International NGO’s like: Water Aid, Oxfam and Ace Africa, and consulted for various charity projects in and outside the continent e.g. Health Box, Photo Power, Studio 24 amongst others. He recently directed 5feature films for African Magic by Spielworks Media, in Kenya.

From 'Why Africans aren't united'

RELIGION PROPAGANDA

Mutua Matheka is an artist born and bred in Machakos and fine-tuned by Nairobi. He holds a degree in Architecture from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology (J.K.U.A.T), which he now applies to capture cityscapes & landscapes. Muthua’s images have captured many cooperate organizations as well as camera makers in and outside the continent. He has been featured in several media platforms in recognition of his work, amongst them include: BBC, Talking Drums, and Nation Newspapers

The artworks in ‘Why Africans aren’t united’ in a raw manner bring out the similar challenges of imperialist exploitation and or corruption from Africans by fellow Africans. Rigged education systems that don’t allow the graduates to effect real entrepreneurship on the ground, religion fascism that ensures we fall into the trap of ‘divide and rule’. For much of the religions fanatically followed on the continent have roots in our colonial and slave masters. Look for Silhouette Pictures which is responsible for this work and others like this that emancipate African stories.