Tinga Tinga Arts Co-Operative: an Inspiring Introduction to African Art ITM London

City Tourism Tinga Tinga Arts Co-operative: An Inspiring Introduction to African Art ITM London The Tinga Tinga Arts Co-operative Society in Oyster Bay, an affluent neighbourhood of Dar Es Salaam is a serious but friendly place. Artists work diligently creating unique, colourful paintings and talk to visitors about their work and ambitions. Art work in the co-operative From a purely technical standpoint, painting on masonite using bicycle Tingatinga art can be defined as paint. The paintings can be as small as ceramic tiles, while the distance travelers, including size. Gallery tells the story of his life biggest paintings are hanging The choice of motifs in Tingatinga noting that unlike most Tanzanian above thousands of family room art has often been adapted to the artists, who had specialized in sofas. Market limitations have purchaser's expectations of what ebony, E.S. Tingatinga was a prevented artists from working in should be included in an African painter. He had no formal art larger formats. A majority of the painting. training, and did not go to art buyers have been foreigners school. His painting resulted wanting to transport the images The heart of Tingatinga art simply from his desire to express out of the country by airplane. is centered on coastal east African himself through the media of From that perspective, Tingatinga design, where the decorative vines Edward Saidi Tingatinga hardboard, paint and brush. His is a genuine form of "airport art" - and patterns of the Swahili culture beautiful, archetypal medieval work was straightforward; its cultural art from developing nations cover delineated spaces that are wooden doors, found in the trading message transmitted to everyone that has been adapted to the never allowed to remain completely cities along the east African coast, because he focused on universal special requirements of long- empty. It is reminiscent of the as well as the many modern images. printed cotton fabrics in the form of Co-operative display area kitenges and kangas. The flat, lush Tingatinga painted animals, birds, surface decorations can even be people, and a score of other things. found in revolutionary illustrations He was born of peasant parents in from early 1970s political 1932 in the remote village of pamphlets, which were produced Mindu, in southern Tanzania's in Tanzania by the exiled Tunduru District on the Mozambican freedom fighters. Mozambique border. He received a rudimentary education during The life story of the founder two years spent attending the local of Tingatinga, Edward Saidi school. The rest of his early years Tingatinga (1932 – 1972) reads were spent helping in the general like a fairy tale – he painted under duties of the home, learning Baobab tree in Dar es Salaam. But various crafts, and most the fairy tale has a tragic ending. importantly, cultivating the land He was accidentally killed by a which is the major means of policeman who mistook him for a subsistence. fugitive. In 1955 E.S. Tingatinga decided to The African Contemporary Art try his luck and travelled to Dar Es Salaam to look for a job. He to watch the work of the government managed to find work as a painters who periodically came to domestic servant in a colonial civil paint the government house in servant's home, where he which he stayed; each time he remained until 1961 when marvelled at the ceiling boards, Tingatinga artist at Tanzanian independence arrived the bright colors and the graceful work and his employer left. During those brush strokes of the painters. He six years Tingatinga had occasion longed to try his hand at the job, Fruit heaven by Chilambo but his regular duties left no time former urge to paint; he managed for it. When his job ended in 1961 to get some household paint and he became desperate. He found a brush from a friend, located a work here and there, but it was piece of crude ceiling board and never permanent, and his life created his first picture. He became increasingly difficult. displayed it outside the Morogoro Stores in Dar es Salaam, where it Tanzania's independence eventually fetched him some 10 brought in painters, mainly from shillings! That was the beginning Zaire (formerly Republic of the of his new career. He bought more Congo) who produced inexpensive material and concentrated on pictures for sale along the city's painting as much as possible. main streets. This new turn of Artist friends advised him on events sparked Tingatinga 's supplies, and he soon changed from household paint to a better time as possible to his art. type. Subsequently, Tingatinga When Tingatinga was not at the TT4774 By Duke found a permanent job with the hospital, he could be found painting Ministry of Health and Social at his home, a room in one of the Welfare at Muhimbili Hospital poorer houses in Msasani, a Dar where he worked as a nursing es Salaam suburb, where he lived assistant while devoting as much with his wife and two children. TT4767 by Sufiani Just before he died, the National National Development Arts Council, a subsidiary of the Corporation, decided to exhibit his works in their display rooms in the his paintings. city center and again later in their Tingatinga felt that he was far from TT4799 By Rubuni pavilion at the 1971 Saba Saba being a polished artist. Although, International Trade Fair. This his works were still somewhat helped him greatly as he gained a artistically crude, he nonetheless contract with the National Arts said, "All the same they are good; Council, who provided him with this is why people buy them. They material and handled the sale of must somehow be meaningful." TT4798 by Amani The tradition of Tingatinga’s work and has been licensing its is being preserved and nurtured intellectual property worldwide for by his family who registered the more than 20 years. Tinga Tinga Arts Cooperative Society (TACS) which produces The decision to form a Cooperative and sells popular art products was not straightforward. After under the trade name Tinga Tinga Edward Saidi Tingatinga’s tragic to form a Tinga Tinga Partnership. Among those who attended the first meeting were Omary Amonde, Hashim Mruta, Saidi Chilamboni and others. Under the umbrella of the Tinga Tinga Partnership the work of the artists expanded and in 1990 it was time to form a stronger organisation - The Tinga Tinga Arts Cooperative Society. The Tinga Tinga community in Tanzania consists of around 700 painters who paint every day on the streets of Dar es Salam, near the beaches of Zanzibar or under the highest African mountain Kilimanjaro. A few painters have gone to Kenya, and South Africa while others have reached Europe, Japan and America. They are linked together either by family or friendship. TT4802 by Bakir The Tinga Tinga Arts Cooperative death he left behind only six Society with almost 100 artists is students: Simon Mpata, January in the center of the Tinga Tinga Linda, Adeus Matambwe, Kasper movement and one of Oyster Henric Tedo, Abdallah Ajaba and Bay’s main attractions. There have Omari Amonde. been problems with breaches of As the co-operative’s website copyright due to the universal notes the artists were disorganised appeal of the exuberant paintings until Mr. Salum Mussa (Mzee which have acquainted the world Lumumba) came up with the idea with African art..

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