TANZANIA: ART AND LITERATURE

Tanzania lies in the midst of the Great Rift Valley, or East African Rift as it’s called now. This refers to the great geographic feat that created the great mountain ranges and peaks we see throughout this region as well as the lakes the people here so depend on. And with these structural changes, created plenty of natural canvas for rock drawings. Many different tribes of people moved into this area and had their own style of rock drawings, some of which are nearly 7000 years old! The Kondoa province has quite a bit of rock art that has been preserved, covering different styles across different time periods. The Sandawe drawings are distinctive for their fine red lines, while other styles (here and elsewhere in Tanzania) include the geometric styles of the Twa peoples as well as paintings from the Maasai and Bukoba.

Quite a few handicrafts are also produced in Tanzania. Batik cloth making is a common trade among women. Batik is made by stamping hot wax onto cloth in patterns and then dipping the cloth into a dye, which will adhere to all the places not covered in wax. Many of these batik designs use tribal or animal patterns. Woven mats and bowls are another common handicraft. Some use bright colors and incorporate designs into these. A lot of these items are sold at open air or roadside markets.

One of the more well-known styles of painting to emerge in the 20th century is Tingatinga painting, named after its creator, Edward Said Tingatinga. It typically uses bicycle paint since it holds up better and has brighter colors; masonite board seems to be the prefered material to paint on since it’s light but durable. Flowers, animals, and geometric designs seem to be the main themes. Many of these paintings have become known as “airport paintings” because of its appeal to tourists and its small size being easier to transport through airports. George Lilanga is quite known for his paintings using the tingatinga style, even though he never specifically studied it. He just hung around a bunch of these particular artists and picked it up from them (see why it’s good to pick good friends!).

George Lilanga with one of his tingatinga paintings

However, George Lilanga originally studied sculpture, which has long been a focal point of Tanzanian artists. Many of these sculptures represent an abstract version of people, animals, and mythological characters. Wood carving, using several different kinds of natural woods found locally (like ebony, for instance), are often used, but other materials, like stones and shells, may also be used, depending on the region.

George Lilanga is known for his shetani sculptures. Shetani are mythological spirits, mostly malevolent, and typically depicted as distorted animal or human figures.

During the latter part of the 20th century, cartoon artists began to emerge as its own field. And they were widely popular. Some published their works in newspapers, and even political cartoons became a thing. Other artists created comic books and published them as a series.

Cartoon by Salum Matata

For the vast majority of Tanzania’s history, its literature has been primarily in oral traditions. Not only would they tell and pass along stories and folktales, but they also told poems, proverbs, and riddles. In recent years, the art of oral storytelling has fallen to the wayside a bit as family structure and modern society has impacted these traditions. However, written literature is still on the up and coming and still fairly undeveloped. A few writers have emerged in the field though, producing works in both Swahili and in English.

Some of the writers who write in Swahili include Shaaban Robert (novelist, essayist, poet; probably one of the most prominent Tanzanian writers), Muhammed Said Abdulla (known for his detective stories), Ebrahim Hussein (playwright, poet), and Fadhy Mtanga (creative writer, blogger).

There are also quite a few authors who write in English as well. Some of the top names include Peter Palangyo (novelist), Gabriel Ruhumbika (novelist, short story writer, translator), Marti Mollel (short story writer), and Abdulrazak Gurnah (novelist, nominated for the Booker Prize and Commonwealth Writers Prize).

Up next: music and dance

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: ART AND LITERATURE

One of the most prolific styles of folk art from the Central African Republic is that of rock art.  Most of the rocks used for these drawings are in sandstone, a generally soft stone.  It’s spread throughout the country, but there are large finds in the northern, western, and southern regions.  And the style varies by region as well.

In the north, the figures are anthropomorphic (a fancy word meaning having human characteristics) representations and are generally white, black, and red in color.  One characteristic of these drawings is the “pot handle arms,” where the arm is drawn like a giant curve from the shoulder to the waist, mimicking the handle on a pot.

In the south, the animals most used in their drawings are the antelope, birds, and felines.  A lot of the figures are shown throwing spears and knifes and tend to be more geometrically and angularly drawn.

I read that there is a unique site near Bwale where the anthropomorphic figures are drawn with guns.  Umm, really? So, unless these particular drawings are the missing links of various alien conspiracy stories, or these drawings are a whole lot newer than the others.

Only a few writers have emerged to the notoriety.  Pierre Makombo Bamboté was the first writer from the CAR to be published in 1962. He is an accomplished poet and novelist, and short story writer, most known for his work Princesse Mandapu. 

Étienne Goyémidé is another poet who also wrote a number of plays and novels. He wrote his first novel (Le Silence de la Forêt) about the way of life of the pygmies.  A year later, his second novel debuted, called Le Dernier Survivant de la Carivane, was written about the external and inner battles between the people and the slave traders. 

Blaise N’Djehoya is a writer, journalist, and a filmmaker who makes documentaries. He was born in Bangui to Cameroonian parents but currently resides in Paris.

Cyriaque Robert Yavoucko is most known for his novel Crépuscule et Défi: Kité na Kité (1979). There’s not a lot of biographical information out there. He either had worked or currently works at the University of Bangui.  I tried to find him on the university’s website, but the site is under construction. It’s the only university in the CAR as of 2006.

Up next:  music and dance