Documenting the Undocumented Project at the Africa Rising Conference

Earlier this year, we worked with four visual artists in Tanzania to explore  the role of women artists as documentarians of the African narrative. Implemented by Arts and Culture for Development (AC4D) and hosted by Emergent Art Space (EAS), the Documenting the Undocumented project aims to promote and record Tanzanian culture and support artists to take part in cross cultural collaborations and dialogues. 

From 29th – 31st August 2022, Jennifer Msekwa is engaging in dialogue at the Africa Rising Conference  in Arusha, Tanzania. A key highlight at this year’s conference was the feature of our Documenting the Undocumented project where Jennifer Msekwa, Tanzanian visual artist and environmental activist presented about the artwork she created during the project. In her presentation, she reflected why preserving and presenting history through art matters and why it was important for her to be part of AC4D’s project.

She also reflected about her approach to the project which she titled ‘impala’ to shed light on the purpose it serves for Hadzabe women during their menstruation due to the lack of water in their community. 

She shared about her motivation being rooted in the role of art as a tool for activism with women at the forefront.

“My artwork aims to show how natural resources available in the Hadzabe community enable them in their daily social activities. It helps to dispel negative perceptions of the African continent that seem not to have enough resources to facilitate daily life needs, especially the basic ones”- says Jennifer Msekwa.

Africans Rising is a Pan-African movement of people and organisations, working for  justice, peace and dignity. The conference convenes Africans, both at home and in the Diaspora, and offers a platform to reconnect, ask deep questions about the African continent and come up with key recommendations to take forward.

The conference is being attended by more than 300 people from different African countries and over 5,000 registered participants online. 

Follow Jennifer

Documenting the Undocumented Project

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My artwork aims to show how natural resources available in the Hadzabe community enable them in their daily social activities. It helps to dispel negative perceptions of the African continent that seem not to have enough resources to facilitate daily life needs, especially the basic ones. 

The Hadzabe community is a good example that shows how natural resources can sustain human life since the tribe depends on nature for almost 100%. In my research, I found out that the Hadzabe are self-sufficient in the field of herbal medicines and use natural remedies found in their areas. 

I have regarded the Commiphora Africana plant as one of the most important herbs used by the Hadzabe in various ways such as medicine, skincare (natural sunscreen) and many other uses. This plant in Hadzabe’s native language is called  “Sisiedako “.

The hornbill bird is one of the important birds in the Hadzabe community; after hunting the bird for food, they preserve the mouth and quills. The mouth is used as the tool used for crafting accessories, and they sell these accessories to visitors who come to their area, helping them to buy water from a remote area during the dry season. The Hadzabe use the quills for making arrows. I have attached materials from the Commiphora Africana  plant I found in the Hadzabe land during the research tour to emphasise the concept.

The impala has a significant role in the Hadzabe and Datooga communities and it also helps the environment. Although a popular animal worldwide, the Hadzabe community’s view of the impala is more precious as it has a significant purpose that many are unaware of. I discovered, for example, that the Hadzabe women use the skin of the impala as sanitary pads during menstruation. They use the impala’s skin because it is soft  compared to skins from other animals. The dry season has water shortages, and so they also use the impala’s skin to help them save water as the pads are not washed by water but exposed to the sun after use in order to dry them. After drying they wipe it by hand and they are ready to be used again. 

As a visual artist who is also an environmental activist, I made sure that my research was based on the natural resources available in the Hadzabe areas and to find out how nature and the environments, in general, enrich their lives in all aspects. I found this technique unique but also I realised that the use of this kind of pad does not harm the environment as much as the modern ones do since it is eco friendly. 

The impala is also one of the larger animals selected to be given as a dowry paid to women, as well as a good source of food in the tribe of Hadzabe. The impala  also helps the Hadzabe to use the skin from the animal as a financial alternative of exchanging items with the Datooga tribe as barter trade.

The impala’s skin is one among various skins the Hadzabe use for doing barter trade with the Datooga tribe where the Datoogas use the skin to make clothes for women (only the women from the Datooga tribe wear these clothes). The toothbrush plant or scientifically “Salvadora Percica ” is among the plants that the women collect berries from. This plant is highlighted among many other plants from the tribe because they don’t eat its fruits until they get permission from the Chief.

Jennifer is a visual artist based in Dar es Salaam. She has loved art from an early age. Images fascinated her to the point where she decided to practice drawing them, referencing the drawings she got from books found at home. Drawing became her hobby for many years and was later inspired to be a visual artist.

Jennifer enjoys creating collages done only by natural materials. This style is derived from her childhood; growing up in a home where people loved and cared for nature and the environment, which changed her perspective and appreciation for plants, living things, and the environment in general.

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This body of work is about finding true joy. Happiness is not really a thing to be found, but more something to be unveiled within ourselves. Happiness is independent of wealth, success, or any other material things we believe will eventually make us happy. 

Look at this Hadza man in the painting; he has dust all over his body, he doesn’t have much that we may perceive as substance, but he is grateful and overjoyed with the little he has.

Happiness is internal and not external because if we dwell on our external ever-changing circumstances we will be waiting forever for true joy.

Beatrice Mashala is a full-time visual artist born in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, and graduated from Makumira University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Law.

Her interest in art began in 2018 after finishing law school;  she wanted to be able to add value to her community and the world through her creations. Her inspiration stems from life experiences, surroundings, and the ever-changing issues in the contemporary world.

Her ultimate mission is to make great art that becomes a bridge that revives lives and uplifts souls.

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Shiija  B. Masele is a painter and a makeup artist based in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. She has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Public Administration from the University of Dar Es Salaam.

She began creating artworks at a young age, having been inspired by her father and in 2020 she was part of the first ever Nafasi Academy – a series of artistic workshops hosted by Nafasi Art Space in Tanzania.

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Ammal Aboud is a photographer born and raised in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Ammal uses candid imagery and portraiture to tell the stories unique to the groups and individuals that feature in her images.

From an early age, Ammal was always encouraged to paint and draw. Eventually she discovered that photography was her preferred craft, because it provided an instant and immersive self- expression tool.

As a result, Ammal is inspired to document life in objective and authentic representations of those featured in her images, as more than nameless objects to be observed from afar but rather as sentient individuals and groups who are indeed unique and as equally complex as the viewer and worth a closer look.

Like many young individuals just getting their bearings in the world, Ammal has many aspirations. In brief, she aspires to hone and expand her skill set and build a larger body of work that will benefit this generation and the next.

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A moment with Nise Ngajilo

Nise Yolim Ngajilo founder of Nien production shares his motivations and experiences as a Tanzanian digital artist. 

Nien production is a creative organisation that provides Illustrations, and  creative design services for branding and promotional materials. We design arts to express needs, events, activities, initiatives, and special occasions.

Background

For as long as I can remember, I was inspired by the arts. I came to learn about Leonardo da Vinci by watching anime and animations and his work really inspired me.

Back then, the only material I had was paper and pencils.  I knew then that live sketching was not for me , but I kept drawing to refine my skills. After some hard work and practice, I was nominted as the best artist in the class. 

 I graduated  from secondary school in 2016, so I used that break  to explore creatively. I  spent a long time surfing the web and that is when I learned and fell in love with about digital arts. I borrowed my brother’s PC  and  tried to learn everything that I could about digital arts.

WHY CHOOSE A CAREER IN ART?

Out of everything that I do, I feel that art brings the best out of me. Art has been  a great form of expression and it is how I present my ideas, feelings, and emotions. It is something that I love to do and it is also how I  make a living.

HOW AS YOUR PRACTISE CHANGE OVER TIME?

My approach is to never stop learning. I have been learning, which has helped me to keep discovering new ways of solving different problems. This  has also helped me focus on producing new and creative projects.  With my long term experience and skills , I have succeeded in adding value to my customers by  providing a combination of  various creative services. Many of my clients are attracted to our graphic content (including digital arts) and branding, which is very unique in Tanzania.

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Below is a glimpse into Rodney’s creative experience during Covid-19.

My art form is painting, but I can also draw portraits and illustrations. My themes mainly explore social consciousness in society with inspiration drawn from my mind, daily observations of my surroundings (Nature and Environment), and my work with Community.  I enjoy exploring different techniques that are dictated by the message am always putting forward.  My work is always figurative, with a lot of symbolism, patterns, and color aimed at bringing out the subject.  I use materials like pastels, pencils, Acrylic Paint, Oil Paint, charcoal to explore different surfaces both big and small like paper,  canvas, wood, metal, and walls.

Rodney’s Vision

My Vision is to see a world of equal opportunity where every young person especially the not so privileged has immediate access to opportunities available. I know a lot of young people especially the underprivileged out there that have limited or no access to opportunities not because they aren’t good enough but because there’s an enormous gap between them and the opportunities for something I long to address. My goal is to create and nurture platforms where this can manifest itself.

Platforms for example Streetlights Uganda a Nonprofit using art to empower street children in Kampala Uganda where I deploy my art as a vehicle to help build resilience in these young ones through mentorship, training, and support.

I also work with Reminac Comics an art and design inspired publishing company focusing on illustration and publication of storybooks and comic books for all ages. Through this, my team and I create opportunities for children to write self-inspired stories which we turn into comic books with them as authors helping them grow their writing, comprehension, and marketing skills.

Challenges Faced

Speaking with different creatives in the same line of work has kept me going, knowing that I am not in this alone and this too shall pass.

Through retrospection during this season, I have been able to derive inspiration from within my own personal experiences. This has enabled me to overcome the urge to always move out and look for inspiration elsewhere. For example, I did a 10 piece series while trying out a Nigerian inspired painting technique called Araism that I learned while in a residency in India last year.

To overcome the challenge of creative blocks, I have learned to always pen down my ideas even before I draw them. There I will always have a reference point when the creative spark is ignited and this will keep me from creating something even when I don’t feel like.

The future for the creative industry

I see my art form growing with me exploring more techniques, taking part in different residences, workshops, and opportunities to build the art form and connect with different creatives. I see the art form growing its audience from the one it has now both online and offline. I hope to onetime create Merchandise for some of my works to give back to my clients. I hope to create more spaces and platforms for other young artists to join in on the journey of creating. Creatives need to go digital by embracing different digital platforms because the creative industry in the postmodern era will be accelerated towards digital and it’s already happening.

The future of the Creative industry with support from the relevant bodies, especially after Covid-19 is on to greatness. Governments need to recognize the creative industry as a relevant/essential industry in society and hence have an integral part in the economic, social, and environmental recovery plan post-Covid-19.

If these illustration inspire you and want to contact the artist click here.

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