Abdul Mkura

Abdul Mkura is an established painter. He was born in Nakapanya on 18th August 1954. He is the younger brother of Omary Amonde who was also his teacher in seventies. Mkura is very innovative artist. He is very popular in Japan.

On the left photo you see Mkura with Daudi Tingatinga who is the son of E.S.Tingatinga. On the right side you see Mr. Mkura in a museum in Japan.

Omari Amonde

Omari Amonde is the last living student of Edward Saidi Tingatinga. He is also a close relative of E.S.Tingatinga. He met Edward Saidi Tingatinga in Nakapanya, in his home village where he was born in 1941.

When Omari Amonde left for Tanga in September 1957, E.S.Tingatinga worked at Muhimbili Hospital in Dar es Salaam. At that time Tanzania was still an English colony and in Tanga there was a big sisal farm called Mkwido. Maybe during the hot days working on the sisal farm Omari Amonde dreamed about to become a painter. It did not last long and Omari Amonde decided to leave for Dar es Salaam and try his luck as a painter under guidance of E.S. TingaTinga.

Though Tingatinga was restrictive about accepting new students he agreed to teach Omari Amonde. Omari just watched and it is how he learned. “When I painted some ugly painting, TingaTinga loughed”, recalls Omari Amonde.

Omari Amonde got also many friends, one of them Jean-Denis Joubert who helped him with hospital treatment when Omari was dying. Jean-Denis Joubert illustrated also a book called “Kilimandjaro – Sommet de Legende”. But the most appreciation of Amonde´s art work comes from Japan. Recently Omari Amonde acted in one and half hour long documented made by the Japanese television NHK. In 1991 and 1992 Omari Amonde was invited on an exhibition in Paris, France and in 2002 he visited China. His art work is displayed on several exhibitions every year.

His two brothers Nakoko and Mkura paint at the Cooperative while the third brother Mlaponi paints on Slipway in Dar es Salaam. His both parents still live in Nakapanya and his father enjoys the status of tribal chief in Nakapanya village, being called Mwenye Nakoko. Amonde has following students: Jaffary Aussi, Nasombe Mchisa, Abdul Mkura, Saidi Chilamboni, Nakoko and Mlaponi.

Saidi Chilamboni

There is a place in Dar es Salaam which is called Mjini Taabu. It is in Msasani and it means “The hard life in the city” (Mjini = city, Taabu = problem). And this is because of Saidi Chilamboni, a Tinga Tinga painter. Saidi Chilamboni explains:” I came to Dar es Salaam from my native village Nakapanya in 1968, I was 23 years old, at that time.” It was my brother who invited me. But upon coming to Dar es Salaam he declined to provide me accommodation or a place to sleep”.

Saidi was looking for a place to stay (it was fourth time now). Luckily he got friends from Waporogo tribe (from Ifakara). They all shared one room and the life went on. But one day the government of Tanzania ordered all people without an ID card and without job to leave Dar es Salaam and return to their homes. All who wouldn´t follow the order would be caught. And really – one night came police to the room and hit the door when all four friends slept. Saidi was lucky, he run away.

“But when I returned back to Dar es Salaam in 1973 my new life started". He could afford to build even a house, though it was made of clay and grass as in villages. It was in Msasani and it was in 1983. And on the wall he painted a painting of his life story. He painted himself as he went back to the village after so many failures. And above the painting he wrote “Mjini Taabu”. Many people stopped when they passed and took even photos of the painting. There were many many Mzungus (White men) who came to see the painting. It was very popular.

 

Charinda Mohamed

Mohamed Wasia Charinda was born in the Nakapanya village in the Ruvuma region in southern Tanzania in the year of 1947. Charinda’s teacher was Hashim Mruta. Charinda started to paint in 1975. It is said that he was the first painter who changed from masonite boards to textile canvas, which was in 1989. Charinda is married and has six children. His art is well known. He was recently included in the book ANGAZA AFRIKA by Chris Spring, curator at Sainsbury African galleries at the British Museum of London. He exhibited in Switzerland in 1999, in Reunion Island with John Kilaka (photo 4 from left) and many other places. His three sons also paint: Athumani (teacher of Zuberi and John Mwangu), Apai and Amili. His daughter Fatuma married recently with Maulana Saidi (The illustrator of Tinga Tinga Tales by BBC/Disney) Charinda´s wife Dalili also paints (photo 2 from left).