The Original Tinga Tinga Paintings and Handicraft Products

THE INTERWIEV WITH ARTO MIKKOLA: Lead the Meerkats has some really beautiful cutscenes with very strong storybook-esque vibe. Where did the inspiration for these images came from?At the beginning of the project I did some research on Africa and African art to get inspiration for the whole game. By accident I came across a site about modern African art. In that website I found a painting that really caught my eye. It was a painting by Mwamedi Chiwaya and the art style was called TingaTinga. It had a really nice traditional feel to it. I started to explore about TingaTinga and found out that it is a modern art movement started in 60’s in Tanzania. So you could say that the main inspiration for the cutscenes comes from TingaTinga. Source: http://www.leadthemeerkats.com/LeadTheBlog/?cat=3

"Lead the Meerkats" is a new Nintendo Wii game which will be released by Lapland Studio and Inaria Interactive (Finland) in early 2010. In the game you are the young Meerkat seperated from the group and you must find a way to survive and to build your own family. The Meerkats are living in Africa and the game is placed into the African Savannah. But what does it have common with Tinga Tinga?

I was surprised to read on the "Lead the Meerkats" blog that the game´s lead artist Arto Mikkola was inspired by Mwamedi Chiwaya´s paintings and Tinga Tinga art! I thank to Arto Mikkola on behalf of Mwamedi Chiwaya and Tinga Tinga painters that he named them as inspiration source. It is quite fascinating that somebody sits in -20C in Finland and gets inspired by paintings from tropical Africa.

If you want to know more about the Meerkats, go to www.kalahari-meerkats.com. But meerkats live even in Tanzania, not only in Kalahari (they are called Mangusti, but you can correct me). It remains a question if the painters will paint meerkats. Possibly after playing the game!

On 24th December 2009 at 10 AM there was an election of the new TACS leadership. Many members has waited for this important day because TACS has been lead by interim leadership since the beginning of November. The problems started last year in 2008 when the TACS Chairman Mbwana Sudi left Dar es Salaam to Nairobi to illustrate the "Tinga Tinga Tales" for BBC and Walt Disney.

Then the Vice Chairman, the 27 years old Saidi Omary took over. It was difficult time for TACS since he was not an experienced leader and it has lead to wide protests. The Kinondoni Cooperatives Union Officer, Ramadhani Bukuku (In Kiswahili: Afisa wa Ushirika wa Wilaya, Manispaa ya Kinondoni) was contacted in October 2009 and he called a new meeting, new election in November 2010.

The interim leadership of Zabury Chimwanda (The Chairman) and Mbwana Sudi (The Vice Chairman) got almost 2 months time to demonstrate its qualities and the results were beyond expectation. Therefore it is not strange that Zabury Chimwanda was elected again as Chairman while Mbwana Sudi´s post as Vice Chairman was overtaken by Abasy Mbuka. The Board of Trustees (7) consists of Mbwana Sudi, Zabury Chimwanda, Mbuka Abasy, Thabiti Mchisa, Mkumba Steven, Iddi Issa and Farida Husseini. She is also the representative of the members. The post of Head of PR was given to Iddi Issa.

The TACS took also historical decision to increase the number of members from 36 to 53. It means that more than half of the painters working at TACS are members now. It has agreed that the TACS will accept additional members next year. (more information about the leadership you can find at www.tingatinga.org - the official website of TACS)

A wooden candle holder commemorates today's holiday while each day having a new candle be lit. A black candle resides in the middle, symbolizing black skin, while three red candles on the left show hardship and three candles on the right show a prosperous future.

In total, seven principles from African values and beliefs are recognized. The following walks through these seven principles as a family might celebrate them around the dinner table during each day of Kwanzaa.

1. Umoja (oo-moe-jah) "Unity" We reflect on what it means to be together as a family, community, nation, and race.
2. Kujichagulia (koo-jee-cha-goo-lee-ah) "Self determination" Each family member speaks about how they operate independently from others.
3. Ujima (oo-jee-mah) "Collective work and responsibility" Families come up with a work project together that helps their community build and maintain itself.
4. Ujamaa (oo-jah-maah) "Cooperative economics" The whole family can introduce a gift they have bought from their yearly savings and can enjoy together.
5. Nia (nee-ah)-"Purpose" Each family member can ask how their goals for the future will make them a better person.
6. Kuumba (ku-oom-bah) "Creativity" Each family member can make or perform something from the arts, signifying their own creativity.
7. Imani (ee-mahn-ee)-"Faith"-Over a feast, the family can talk about what or who they believe in and why .

Kwanzaa is celebrated by African-Americans from December 26th-January 1st and is observed in addition to Christmas.

References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwanzaa

Left: Akilimali with his new Kwanzaa Tinga Tinga design. The painting is for sale.

It has been decided on the meeting of the Board of Trustees at TACS (Tingatinga Cooperative) to repair the grave of E.S.Tingatinga. E.S.Tingatinga was founder of the Tinga Tinga art style in 1968 but after 4 years in 1972 he was accidenlty shot by a traffic police in Dar es Salaam. He rests at Msasani graveyard. Msasani is the residential area where he was living and where most of the painters live now. Traditionally every year a procession of painters is gathering at Tingatinga´s grave every year to pay him tribute for starting art movement which is now sustaining hundreds of Tinga Tinga painters in East Africa.

Left: A hired brick-layer puting the cement layer. The son of E.S.Tingatinga in the middle and Thabiti Mchisa on the right. Notice the T-Shirt with the face of Barack Omaba, the USA president. Right: A view of the grave.

John Kilaka in Berlin In 2007 John Kilaka went to villages in western Tanzania to collect old African stories. He was supported by Kerstin and Berndt Santesson from Sweden. One of the African tales John Kilaka collected - Amazing Tree - is now published by Baobab publisher in Switzerland. In November 2009 John Kilaka will go on 3 weeks long tour around Switzerland to launch the book, to tell the african tales and to exhibit his art.

Left: John Kilaka at the Berliner Literature Festival while he narrated stories for more than 200 hundred children. PS. The original paintings for the book were never used, since Baobab wanted slight changes. Right: The front cover of the book.

1.10.2009

Tinga Tinga on Zantel bill boards The economic potential of Tingatinga art of Tanzania was already realized by Zantel Company - through their billboards everywhere in Tanzania. But Tingatinga artists get nothing. Can we change it? We have written a letter to Zantel and once we get the answer we will publish it here.

Issa Ajaba is a painter from our Tingatinga Cooperative. Part of his painting was used in nation wide advertisement of Zantel Company, the mobil phone network provider. He was quite surprised to see his painting on big billboards in the city of Dar es Salaam because he was not aware of it.

Right: Ajaba with his "bird" painting Left: Ajaba in front of the billboard.