LINCOLN MWANGI’S VISUAL VOCABULARY TRANSLATES INTO A STRIKING SOLO SHOW

By Margaretta wa Gacheru (drafted 27 April 2021)

Water boarding, that infamous practice of interrogation and torture practiced widely during the Iraq War, made a profound impression on Lincoln Mwangi.

He was still in his early teens the first time he saw it on CNN. But it made a lasting impression on this sensitive young Kenyan artist, according to the curator of his current solo exhibition, Veronica Paradinas Duro, CEO of Gravitart Gallery.

“He was disturbed that he couldn’t see the identity of the one being tortured, but he could feel the man’s emotions. That realization has shaped the way he’s worked ever since,” she told BD Life.

“Lincoln is committed to conveying emotions and feelings through his art. He aims to communicate the unseen more than the seen,” she adds.

Her explanation is in response to my query as to why the faces of Mwangi’s characters are invariably veiled. The archetypal animals, the goat and egret, that often appear in the 40 paintings in his show are free from that encumbrance. Could it be that the creatures embody innocence and freedom while the veil conveys a sense of separation and concealment?

Veronica, who’s an artist in her own right, suggests his works can have many interpretations. But the collection which is up until mid-May in her Peponi Gardens gallery, comes with Mwangi’s own esoteric code and symbolic language. The code serves as a kind of key enabling one to appreciate the broader significance of the artist’s creative concerns. It also allows one to see the way even the title of his exhibition, “A Painted Book of Life, Time, and Feeling” signifies the unity of all the paintings.

Without Mwangi’s inventive code, one will miss out on how to translate his visual language into meanings that make sense. For instance, the egret and the goat have feminine and masculine qualities respectively. One further signifies the sky while the other the ground. Colors also carry symbolic value, be they red, blue, black, or white. And the person who recurrently appears in Mwangi’s paintings is Wanjiru, who is his feminine symbol of every woman. Finally, the other image that stands out in Mwangi’s work is the mango tree, which is said to symbolize growth and shelter for the other characters in his book of life.

“All of these images are meant to be archetypal,” says Veronica several days after the show’s opening on April 11^th. She adds that Mwangi intentionally keeps Wanjiru veiled in order not to have us focus on her individuality, but rather to see her in more “universal” terms, particularly in terms of the feelings he aims to affect through his art.

So when one sees these symbols set against a neutral backdrop, what’s significant is not just the delicate details of his egret or the draping of Wanjiru’s gown, which we can see in works like ‘Decisions’, ‘Anointing a Harvest’ and ‘Fire and Ground’. It’s the unspoken interaction going on between the characters that he wants you, the audience, to contemplate.

I especially like his goat portraits since Mwangi allows them to have individuality and character unlike his anonymous Wanjiru whose emotions feel ambiguous to me. Ironically, it is his goats which convey a depth of feeling that allows one to see them as conscious beings. The three portraits of Wanjiru that succeed at being contemplative are his ‘Silence I’, ‘Silence II’ and ‘Pleasure’. In these three, her body language communicates more than the stoical standing Wanjiru who is in a work like ‘Changes’ which is made with mixed media on linen. His other mixed media works are either on canvas or paper.

The other innovation about Mwangi’s show, apart from his original language, is the three-dimensional virtual exhibition that one can find on the Gravitart website. Veronica, being an architect as well as an artist, works regularly constructing virtual 3D structures for her clients. So it wasn’t difficult for her to transfer Mwangi’s ‘Book’ of paintings onto a brand new gallery platform that enables one to click around corners and see the entire show, including clicks that will give you the full details of each painting and another click to decide whether you want to buy the work or not. The price range of his art runs from less than Sh30,000 to more than half a million. Then again, a collector might want to buy the whole book which would pose a problem since several have already gone. But then, everything’s negotiable.

Mwangi, a BIFA graduate, can be found at his studio at Brush Tu in Buruburu.

MUSICAL CLASSIC COMING SOON WITH ALL-KENYAN CAST

                              AUDITIONS FOR THE SOUND OF MUSIC

                                     Judges Stuart Nash and Regina Re at Kenya National Theatre for auditions

By Margaretta wa Gacheru (posted May 1, 2021)

Nairobi Performing Arts Studio is half-way through its auditions for the leads to perform the company’s upcoming Christmas musical. They began last Saturday, May 1^st, at Kenya National Theatre and they’ll continue tomorrow for roles in the much-loved family musical, ‘The Sound of Music’.

“Unfortunately, tomorrow’s auditions are closed since we had hundreds of applicants and they must get first priority,” says NPAS artistic director Stuart Nash. “As it is, we will be having three sets of auditions going on simultaneously tomorrow and each one auditioned will get five minutes only in order for us to get through the applicants we already have.”

                                     Martin Githinji with a child actor awaiting her audition for The Sound of Music

The challenge will be to find children from ages five through 18 to play the seven children of widower Captain von Trapp who needs to be around 35 years old or more. The novice nun, Maria, who becomes the children’s nanny and eventually a bit more to the Captain needs ideally to be in her twenties.

It’s a large order to fill. But the show will offer Kenyan youth an opportunity of a lifetime as they participate in this family classic.

One reason the show is being staged is because Loresho ladies alumnae are celebrating their school’s centennial and ‘The Sound of Music’ was a favorite musical that Loresho Msongari staged more than once under the direction of the late James Falkland

                                                    Tina Njonjo and Janet Wells are producing The  Sound of Music

“We all love the production and will still sing songs from it when we meet,” says Tina Njonjo, a graduate of Loresho Msongari. “I was just six years old when I first saw ‘Sound of Music’ staged at the school,” she adds. That fond memory got her thinking about ways that Loresho alumnae could celebrate their centennial by recording songs from the musical sung by the group’s members.

“Then I met Noelina Adagala [a Loresho Valley Road alumna] who was also passionate about the musical but suggested the whole show be re-staged live,” says Tina who came around to considering that possibility.

“We also have a vision and want to achieve more than merely put on a musical,” she adds. “We want to inspire young people’s interest in the theatre.”

“We also want to let young people know there are opportunities in the arts to earn a living,” says Noelina who also grew up with fond memories of Kenyan theatre.

“My father was [the late] Seth Adagala,” she adds proudly as we reminisce about her talented father who was also my first stage director back when Seth was the first Kenyan managing director of the Kenya National Theatre.

                               Judges at the auditions: Brian Ogola and Noelina Adagala at Kenya National Theatre 

It was serendipitous that Noeling and Tina, in looking for a director with the capacity to help them realize their vision, got linked up with Stuart Nash who coincidentally was once the artistic director of KNT. Stuart’s experience staging musicals in Kenya includes shows like Jesus Christ Superstar, Sarafina,  The Caucasian Chalk Circle and plans to stage Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s I’ll Marry when I want’ in the nAmong the eight judges who will be making choices about the cast, most are notable local stage or screen characters. They include Brian Ogola, Regina Re, Brian Kabuge, Tina Adagala, and Angel Waruingi among others. “And our vocal coach will be Andrew Tumbo [the founder-director of Spellcast Media KE],” adds Stuart who is a musician and composer in his own right.

Compounding the significance of these auditions is the fact that filmmakers from the UK are doing a documentary of the process of creating the Sound of Music production. Janet Wells and Nina Ruiz just recently produced a film on the Kenya Women’s Lacrosse team entitled ‘Sleeping Warrior’ which they plan to premiere later this year in Nairobi. But for now, they are interested in following the development of this musical. “They plan to make a [documentary] on the process of producing the musical,’ says Stuart.             Tina Njonjo with child actor Zawadi Kayyoh and  her mother at Kenya National Theatre

“We will be filming the auditions and following up on the cast,” adds Janet Wells, who coincidentally is also a graduate of the Loreto schooling system, only in Canada. “We’ll also be filming the rehearsals.”

So the idea is not to film the final production. It is to create what Stuart describes as a ‘talent search’ style of film which ideally will attract global attention to the kinds of creative talents that exist in Kenya today.

 

SEVEN WOMEN EXPOSE ART IN THE TIME OF COVID

                                                              Leopard by Celeste de Vries at Village Market 

By Margaretta wa Gacheru (April 25, 2021)

Seven accomplished women presented “Art in the time of COVID” for four days earlier this month at the Village Market.

Mounted on the top floor of the original Village, just next to the open-air carpark, seven sets of paintings hung in a cozy corner that looked like it had been perfectly designed to fit the best works of women who had all been enthused to extend the ‘women’s month’ mandate of March into April as well.

“I was quite keen to exhibit together with other women. But as I have only been in Kenya a year, the show took shape gradually as we made contact with like-minded ladies,” says Gillian Douglas, the chief instigator of the show.

                                                                                            Mary Ogembo

Gill initially made the suggestion of an exhibition to her fellow South African artist Celeste de Vries who in turn linked up with Milena Weichelt, a trained silversmith who’d studied painting with Kenyan artist Adrian Nduma and has been in several pre-COVID exhibitions since then.

“Everything snowballed from there,” recalls Milena who got in touch with Mary Ogembo who in turn called Nadia Wamunyu who just opened her own N.W. Art Gallery in South C, but was happy to join with other women artists.

Gill then connected with two more fine artists: Lisa Davis, an art teacher at her daughter’s school, and Kushweet Bharji whose art she had seen on Facebook courtesy of a family friend who also happened to be Kush’s brother.

                                                                                 Milena Weichelt's Octopus

Gill was also keen on broadening the significance of the exhibition, so she linked up with a group based in Londiani that works with women who have been especially hard time by the pandemic. Brighter Communities Invest in Women & Assist COVID-19-Affected Families will also be a beneficiary of this show.

“Each of us donated an artwork that was just auctioned by Brighter Communities,” says Celeste whose art sold well both at the auction and at Village Market.

“The online auction ran from April 9^th through 14^th, and Brighter took charge of running it since they felt they had a larger [fanbase] than we had,” says Gill who understood the auction had made over Sh300,000 which included sales of several more pieces donated by Lisa Davis.

                                                                                 Nadia Wamunyu's Lamu Donkey

“All the funds raised will go straight to the organization to assist the women of Londiani,” she adds.

The exhibition itself reflected a diversity of styles as might be expected since the women come from assorted backgrounds. There are three Kenyans, two South Africans and one American. Each one had her own distinctive approach to painting. For instance, both Gill and Mary pay most attention to portraiture of beautiful women. But while Mary highlights the feminist features of African women, including faces and masks, Gill paints expressive images of young mainly European women in the prime of their lives.

“The larger portraits were layered in oils as well as textiles, making them quite tactile,” says Gill. “I also wanted to pay tribute to both my mother and grandmother in these works. So I sketched on top of the oils with embroidery. You practically had to get up close to the work to see the stitching. But I wanted those works to reflect the essence of the beauty of their youth,” she adds.

                                                                                             Nadia Wamunyu

Kushweet also includes one portrait in her collection, but most of it is abstract, colorful and infused with an electrifying energy. Milena shares Kushweet’s love of color, but her focus is what one might describe as a semi-abstract wildlife style. She will take a portion of a zebra, octopus or bird, and concentrate, using vibrant colors, on the details of that part, be it an eye, arm, wing, snout, or beak.

Nadia is the youngest of the seven, but her passion for painting is manifest, especially in her Lamu pieces which reflect on the simple things about the island that give it its special appeal, be it the baobabs, the donkeys or the sandy beaches and turquoise blue skies.

Celeste also highlights the everyday features of life in Kenya. But it would seem that everything about her environment is a worthy subject to paint. That includes everything from Nairobi’s skyline and indigenous trees to the lounging cheetah whose majestic portrait greeted you as you walked into the women’s gallery.

And finally, Lisa Davis’s paper-cut ‘paintings’ are extraordinary for their filigreed refinement of design. She combines unusual shapes and precise technique to create works that are masterful as well as magical.

 

 

GOR IS MIA BUT HIS ART REMAINS STRONG

Gor Soudan painted by Dale Webster

By Margaretta wa Gacheru (posted 27 April 2021)

Even before the coronavirus came to Kenya and shut down most businesses and cultural events, visual artist Gor Soudan was missing in action (MIA). His disappearance from the Nairobi art scene happened after he had exhibitions at several local galleries, two at Red Hill, another at Circle Art, and he was even seen participating in an International School of Kenya (ISK) FOTA exhibition sometime after that.

But then Gor went silent and ‘disappeared’ without a word. Fortunately, Red Hill Gallery’s owner-curator Hellmuth Rossler-Musch got hold of an address and snail mailed Gor on the chance that he’d gone home in Nyanza.

And sure enough, Hellmuth received a response from Gor who said he’s in the process of designing a studio gallery right around where he stays. That’s good news for Nyanza but sad for Nairobians who have appreciated Gor’s inventive approach to sculpture and painting.

Fortunately, the artist left a number of his paintings and etching with Hellmuth at Red Hill where the Gallery is currently holding a Retrospective of Gor’s early works. Drawn from the ‘Bubbles and Shells’ exhibition that he had in Tokyo in 2015, the Red Hill show, which will run from the last week in April through May, serves as a snapshot of this dynamic artist’s experimental works conceived in 2014.

Throughout that year, Gor was doing art residencies first in Senegal, then in Japan. Both experiences were nurturing of his quirky imagination and culminated in that Tokyo show. Many of the mini-series contained in ‘Bubbles and Shells’ are up at Red Hill. The one important set of works that are missing are his ‘protest wire’ sculptures. That’s because they were so wildly popular that virtually every one was quickly snapped up either at the East African Art Auction or in Tokyo.

The sculptures were mainly abstract pieces fashioned out of wires which had survived the tire burnings that were part and parcel of that traumatic time in contemporary Kenyan history, the 2007-2008 post-election violence. Burning of car tires was unfortunately a common practice even before those tragic days when Kenyans were so unkind, even cruel towards one another. This was because the Chinese were buying up scrap-metals by the ton, and there are sturdy steel wires inside all of those tires.

Leave alone the poison that gets released in the open air every time a tire is burned. Poor people made quick cash selling those wires as part of what is now known as the ‘gig economy’, meaning the informal or jua kali sector.

But during PEV, burning tires became a means of protest against marauding characters who were hell-bent in doing no good to their fellow Kenyans. Gor managed to collect those scrap metal wires in order to weave them into three-dimensional forms that he entitled ‘bubbles’ during his Tokyo show.

But even without the sculptures, Red Hill’s retrospective of Gor’s works on paper convey the artist’s fertile imagination and experimental approach to both painting and etching. Abstract in character and minimalist in form, Gor often worked with pen and ink on rice paper. On several pieces he would blend his refined lines with charcoal. In others he might use acrylic paints but only at a minimum. But in each of these paintings it’s an electrified energy that Gor’s art conveys. And while he doesn’t have the sculptures in this show, one sees their influence as his inked lines seem shaped in a sculptural style. They have an almost three-dimensional feeling despite being no more than lines and dabs of color on paper.

One might ask what message is Gor aiming to convey. But since he is MIA, we cannot know. In any case, the real fascination of Gor’s art is as much about the process of creation as the final product.

For instance, he draws spherical forms which he calls ‘bubbles’ in charcoal and ink. But to brighten up the monochromatic bubbles, he etches into his paper until he restores droplets of the original pearly white undercoat. And in the few instances when he adds color to his ink drawings, he seems to leave it to the brightly colored paints to situate themselves obliquely on the paper. Whether he dribbles the paints onto the paper surface in a Jackson Pollack style or he consciously creates a seemingly serendipitous style, the bright hues, be it a sunny orange or a dayglo green, we can’t tell.

What’s certain is we’d like to see Gor show off his latest creations, be he in Nyanza, Nairobi, or Tokyo.

ANIDAN CHILDREN’S ART A HIT ON LAMU ISLAND

By Margaretta wa Gacheru (posted 4.12.2021)

Anidan is a children’s home on Lamu island started by one lone Spaniard whose heart  went out to the orphans and abandoned children he saw suffering there while some of the wealthiest people on the planet lived quietly without a care in the world.

Rafael Selas Colorado went home to Spain in 2002 to raise funds to start a center that has impacted not just hundreds of children – giving them shelter, food, clothing, health care, and above all, education.

It’s also transformed the lives of countless artists who have been sharing their skills with the youth ever since professional photographer Corrie Wingate came to Lamu in 2013. She had come to run a short photography workshop for the kids and ended up like Rafael. She too saw the children’s immense potential, especially their thirst for creative expression. It inspired her to enlist friends and philanthropists like the British art collector Robert Devereaux to help her set up Anidan’s Art Center in 2017 and establish artists residencies for Kenyan artists to come teach children to do art.

“I could see that art had been pulled from the Kenyan curriculum, yet these children were hungry for artistic expression,” says Corrie who’s enlisted international support for the Centre.

“The Kobo Trust family and one Italian known only as Leo helped build the actual art centre,” Corrie adds. “But during the lockdown, it was Kenyan artists who pooled their resources and sent the children a big box of art materials.”

Currently, Anidan artists are having an exhibition of their work at the Kijani Hotel.

“We actually have annual exhibitions and have won a number of MASK [children’s art] awards,” says Corrie who notes how Anidan artists, ranging from age 7 through 18, have shown their art all over the island, from the Peponi Hotel and Baraka Gallery to the Lamu Fort.

“They have even exhibited in London at Saatchi Gallery as well as in Madrid and Milan,” she adds.

Anidan currently assists nearly 300 children, half of whom live at the center while the others come for meals, after school studies, and other extracurricular activities like sports, music, computers, and art.

Only 25 children have their paintings and etchings up in Kijani Hotel. ‘We brought just 20 oil paintings and 17 etchings,” says Corrie, noting that prices for the work range from Sh6000 to Sh8000. “The etchings are selling well,” she adds, noting that whatever profits are made go straight back into the purchase of more art materials.

The one exception is with the children who have reached 18 years. “We give them the funds from any sales of their art since they are technically considered adults, and need to earn a livelihood,” Corrie adds.

During the long lockdown of 2020, Anidan children were rarely visited by either local or international artists. But the good news is that two new art centers have opened up and welcomed Anidan students and graduates to come and work from their art spaces. One is run by Nyambura Wahu of The Africa Centre, the other is at Phoenix Studios founded by the Lamu-based artist known as Satan.

Meanwhile, Corrie managed to raise funds for hiring a full-time art teacher to supplement the workshop training from the Nairobi-based artists who come several times every year to teach the skills and techniques that they are both proficient in and can easily share with the children.

“I have heard people say that Anidan children are more knowledgeable about art than some of us,” says artist Bushkimani Moira, half-jokingly. ‘Bush’ had been scheduled to teach at Anidan just before the pandemic hit. “I hope to get there eventually,” she adds.

Among the artists who have already taught at the Centre are Patrick Mukabi who shared basic skills in painting and drawing, Kevin Oduor did the same with sculpture, James Njoroge taught the kids easy techniques for making collages, and Jackie Karuti showed them how to make books.

Then too, David Thuku went to Anidan to teach paper-cut art while Agnes Waruguru taught them skills in screen printing, Dennis Muraguri showed them how to make wood-cut prints and Joan Otieno shared skills for turning trash into treasured works of art.

There are scores more Kenyan artists who have gone to Anidan, courtesy of the African Arts Trust - funded artists’ residencies. They have stayed three weeks, and some return to volunteer just because they’ve found it so fulfilling to see how art can work wonders in children’s lives.

 

Finally, FOTA (Friends of the Arts), the anual art exhibition run by ISK (International School of Kenya) opens today online through April 22 at www.fotaisk.com.

 

 

FOTA ART SHOW GOES DIGITAL

 By Margaretta wa Gacheru (posted April 17, 2021)

This year’s Friends of the Arts (FOTA) art exhibition, held this past weekend online courtesy of the International School of Kenya, was the most well-organized online exhibition that I have seen since the pandemic began.

Like all art venues (and other businesses for that matter), FOTA was hit hard by COVID-19 concerns which compelled them to take their annual show online.

An event that local artists look forward to with high expectations, this year attracted more than 70 artists, painters, photographers, and sculptors who shared a platform that was exceedingly well designed and easy to follow. That is, if you had the patience to not just ‘browse’ as you were helpfully advised to do at the outset of the show, but to see that there were tabs available to click on to simplify your online viewing.

The tabs were simple and clear: You could filter your search of artworks either by price, type, or artist. Otherwise, you could plow through all 222 pieces which just displayed the title and price of a piece if you didn’t personally interact with it. If you wanted to know more about the work, you had to know to click onto the title and behold! The artist’s name and other valuable details about the work would be there. And if you decided you wanted to buy the piece, you either clicked on the centre of the artwork, see a red heart pop up and confirm. You wanted it in your cart! Then when you were all done, you headed to the checkout and finally, there were various convenient ways of payment.

Otherwise, the exhibition was a bit overwhelming for having over 200 paintings to view as well as 16 sculptures and four amazing photographs (all provided by professional Usha Harish). It was definitely an exercise in online navigation, and the webmaster deserves extra credits for making the show exceptional.

But this exhibition definitely required patience to get through all 222 artworks which were as varied, colorful, fascinating as they come. Unlike the past FOTA shows which were also overwhelming for their rich content, one could not simply breeze casually through the painterly partitions or speed swiftly through the whole lot at one fast and furious full sweep, this online show required study.

No longer a social event as in past years, a big part of previous FOTA exhibitions had been the pleasure of meeting friends as well as the artists who flocked to the show and freely spoke to the prospective buyers.

Apart from all those challenges, East African artists turned out in full force by sending in their art in response to an online call. Most were Kenyans, of course, but several Tanzanian and Ugandan artists also had their paintings in the show. What was skewed was the enormous price range in paintings. One work sold for Sh6,000 while the average range was around Sh100,000. But one artist who was billed as a painter but whose work was actually a sculpture was selling for Sh325,000.

The joy this year was seeing the diversity of topics included in the exhibition. There were themes frequently seen such as portraits, wildlife and cityscapes. But there were also skyscapes and landscapes that reminded one of Kenya’s exquisite natural beauty.

Mobility was also a major topic with everything from matatus and motorbikes to bicycles, solo walkers and rickshaw-like mkokoteni carrying heavy loads of water, chicken, and sugar cane being featured. Portraits of ordinary working people were less in evidence this year, although there were several market scenes, one of women doing laundry, two village boys milking a goat, and a surprisingly picturesque painting by Ismael Kateregga of refugees standing in line waiting to be ‘processed’.

Among the more widely represented topic seen at the show was that of wildlife. Artists painted everything from rhino, elephant, ostrich and hippo to zebra, water buffalo, and an array of beautiful birds including a Golden breasted bunting and two Black-headed weaver birds by Fayid Mahfudh.

Some of the most aesthetically pleasing paintings were of local landscapes like John Kariuki’s Nyeri, Coster Ojwang’s Karai Tea Farm, Patrick Kinuthia’s Noonday at Narok, and Arnold Birungi’s view of Mount Kilimanjaro.

What was most disappointing about FOTA 2021 was seeing how few women artists were represented. No more than six women apparently took part. Who knows why East African women stayed away, especially at a time when FOTA opened doors wide open for them to take part. Hopefully, they’ll be better represented next year.

MY OCTOPUS TEACHER: A LOVE STORY IN THE SEA

 By Margaretta wa Gacheru (posted 11 April 2021)

My Octopus Teacher is a spine-tingling story that is forecast to win an Oscar at this year’s Academy Awards in the Documentary category.

The first film I have ever seen earn a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the cinema rating system much like Moody’s for the Wall Street Stock Exchange.

But it isn’t just critics who are bedazzled by this deeply moving story. Filmed off the coast of South Africa largely in a turbulent Atlantic Ocean, it’s also ordinary viewers who watch and then recommend the film to friends and family alike.

It’s a film that is safe for children and delicate minds to watch because it is not only beautiful, presenting some of the most exquisite underwater photography imaginable. It’s also bitter-sweet since it is a kind of love story that, as most love stories do, ends in tragedy.

But then, the finale of the film includes redemption of an equally fulfilling kind.

My Octopus Teacher is all about two characters: Craig Foster, a photographer who was facing a kind of midlife crisis which gets turned around once he encounters a curious creature he has never seen before in the sea. It turns out to be an animal capable of camouflaging itself more ingeniously than a chameleon.

Foster finds this invertebrate can not only change her color, texture, and size; she can shape-shift into an infinite number of forms, depending on what is happening in her environment.

Foster grew up on the ocean’s coast line, right where the tides and giant waves keep rolling in at all hours of day and night. A first-class swimmer, he is not at peace with himself on land. But he tries doing a day job for years. That takes him to the Kalahari Desert where he meets indigenous people, men who are what he says are some of the best trackers in the world.

He is in awe of these scouts who can distinguish between foot tracks left in sand by sundry creatures, and they will know which one. These bush trackers inspire him to go back to the place he loves, namely the ocean and try tracking creatures in a way similar to what they do. That leads him to find one relatively small octopus, the one that intrigued him that first day.

Committing himself to watching her respectfully every day until he gains her trust, what might seem incorrigible about the man is why he would do such a thing with his life? In fact, Foster doesn’t disclose the nature of his crisis and feeling of desperation. But he speaks with such humility and even reverence for nature and the wild, you easily see he was looking for a purpose. And this octopus gave him what he desired.

In fact, My Octopus Teacher is something of a love story because Foster dedicates himself to tracking and visiting her every day in the ocean. He wears no body suit and only shorts and a small oxygen device. He says that’s because he wants to understand her environment personally.

Her domain is a thick green kelp forest filled with an abundance of fellow sea creatures, both predators and prey. Because he eventually gains the octopus’s trust, he is able to witness her everyday life in the wild which is still pristine clean and clear.

The moment she actually allows herself to touch his hand is breath-taking. Maybe not everyone will feel this way. But Foster together with a brilliant co-cinematographer Roger Horrocks and sensitive sound man Kevin Smuts, build up such a beautifully emotive backdrop to her dropping her defenses that one cannot help but be moved by that delicate moment.

But their bonding doesn’t change the predator nature of Pajama Sharks, the fish most threatening to the octopus’s life. Foster admits he would’ve wanted to step in and save her from that sneaky stalker. But he soon discovers she can take care of herself. And this is where we see her shape-shifting as only a spineless, soft-skinned being can move.

I won’t give away how the romance between Foster and his ‘Teacher’ ends. But we the audience can’t help feeling that we have been taught many things by this film. First and foremost is the true beauty of an unpolluted terrain. We also see the incredible allure of the underwater world. Foster says it feels like flying once you catch the rhythm of that world.

In the end, Foster is able to share his joy of the sea with his son, and that’s his ultimate redemption.

My Octopus Teacher is on Netflix.

WILLY MUTUNGA, A ‘HERO OF JUSTICE’

Reviewed by Margaretta wa Gacheru (posted April 7, 2021)

You can tell without even opening the book, ‘Willy Munyoki Mutunga of Kenya: Our Hero of Justice’ that its author Elizabeth Orchardson-Mazrui is an academic.

Why? Because academics love to construct lengthy titles for their manuscripts. And the third line of her book title (after ‘Justice’) is ‘A Semi-Fictionalized Biography for Young People.’

You can also tell just by seeing the cover that the author is also an artist. That’s because she has filled it with alluring photographs and a colorful African design shaped as the cover’s border frame.

The artist Mazrui is also the illustrator of the book, making it engaging for the ‘young readers’ as she draws many of the young Willy’s amusing escapades which she also talks about in her book.

But it would be a mistake to assume that Mazrui’s book is just for children. The adults who might like a quick insight into the life and struggles of Kenya’s former Chief Justice of the High Court can also get a useful overview of Dr. Mutunga’s most memorable experiences from Mazrui’s book.

The book also weaves a load of Kenyan colonial and post-colonial history into Willy’s story. Backed up by a wide variety of archival photographs, particularly of people who made a significant impact on the Chief Justice’s life. They include everyone from the Guyanese African historian Dr Walter Rodney who was his lecturer in law school at University of Dar es Salaam and Julius Nyerere whose Ujamaa theory and practice was admired by Mutunga to Yoweri Museveni who was his classmate and the Chairperson of the University Students African Revolutionary Front even then.

And while children may be enchanted by Mazrui’s vivid interpretation of Mutunga’s early years, especially the way his thought process evolves as he experiences new environments and learning institutions, it’s the political Willy that may be a greater interest to adults.

One point the author aims to underscore is that Mutunga had been concerned about social justice from his early years which is why he went into law. He was also taught the importance of education. This led to not only his excelling in school and practicing law (often pro bono) and even teaching it for a while. But he also went for his master’s degree and doctorate of jurisprudence in Canada.

Mazrui skirts over some of the most fascinating periods of Willy’s life, like the years he headed the Kenya Human Rights Commission followed by his leading the social justice and human rights division of the Ford Foundation.

But for me, where the book gets really interesting begins when Willy takes up a political role. He’s lecturing at the University of Nairobi and becomes the Secretary General of the University Staff Union. The Union takes up the fight for the release of Ngugi wa Thiong’o from detention and his activism eventually makes him a marked man. This is a time when the Government is getting increasingly repressive, banning literature and detaining people accused of aiming to ‘overthrow the Government’.

Willy is one of those accused and detained along with activists like Maina wa Kinyatti, Koigi wa Wamere, Alamin Mazrui, and following the failed coup attempt in August 1982, Raila Odinga.

Given that Mazrui is still writing for a youthful audience, she doesn’t go into detail about the torturous life of detention. But we do gather Willy had to struggle to stay alive under deeply oppressive conditions. His will to stay alive is fueled by his love of family and his desire to “continue the fight for justice.”

Mazrui frames her book around the idea of Mutunga being a ‘hero for justice’. It is an idea that the CJ apparently aspired to from an early age, after his beloved grandmother prophesied he would be a hero. Whether that was the motivation that inspired him to excel and commit his life to the fight for social justice, one can only look at the man’s life to tell.

Mazrui is especially well positioned to write a book about Willy Mutunga, given she has been a close family friend for many years. What’s more, he gave her permission to fill in the gaps of his story when he hadn’t shared every detail.

What she couldn’t tell us is what the former Chief Justice is planning to do in his retirement other than mentoring youth. That is a worthy cause, but perhaps her book will inspire him to write his own memoir and fill in the gaps on his own terms.

 

KENYAN ANIMATORS WIN BIG AT KWETU FILM FETE

 By Margaretta wa Gacheru (posted 7 April 2021)

Easter weekend was a time for binging on online animated films that were being shown for free during the Kwetu International Animation Film Festival (KIAFF).

For two days straight, April 2^nd and 3^rd, the public had a chance to watch dozens of animated films, many of which were focused on Africa-related topics by African animators.

Featuring everything from full-length feature animations and children’s cartoons to TV commercials, film shorts, and original films by African animators, the theme of the festival was ‘Between Art and Reality’.

Launched late last year by Tanzanian filmmaker Daniel Nyalusi, former CEO and manager of the Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF), the inaugural festival ran from April 1^st through 3^th with 48 hours-worth of nonstop animated films being shown to viewers watching from all over the world.

“We screened 50 animated films out of the more than 1660 submitted,” says Festival manager Kassim Mtingwa. “They were all shown on Nuella TV. But unfortunately, the link to the screening came down once the awards were announced on Monday evening [April 5^th],’ he adds.

Among the ten top awards given, three of them went to Kenyans. Two were selected by a three-person jury of international filmmakers while the remaining one, the Audience Award, was determined by the votes of viewers. That honor went to Stanislas Manthi for his science fiction animation, ‘208’.

The other two were Kwame Nyong’o for ‘The Legend of Lwanda Magere,’ which won ‘Best Film Made in Africa’ and Brian Msafiri for his animation, ‘From Here to Timbuktu’ which won ‘Best East African Film.’

None of the other winners were from East Africa. They were from either Costa Rica, winning for Best Sound and Best Story Script; Denmark for Best TV Commercial; France for Best Short Film; and Iran, for Best Feature Film, Best Character and the Special Jury Mention.

Otherwise, Nyalusi, who is a filmmaker himself (though not an animator), anticipates that many more African animators will participate in next year’s festival. “We received calls from many filmmakers after submissions were already closed. It was too late for them to be in this year. But now that the word is getting round, we expect even more entries next year,” he says.

Having been the manager of ZIFF before becoming its CEO in 2017, Nyalusi watched ZIFF grow from its infancy into being an important international festival that attracts top filmmakers from all over the world. This is one reason why he feels so optimistic about KIAFF becoming a platform where African animators are able to exchange ideas among themselves and with filmmakers from other regions as well.

“During my time at ZIFF, I saw animation being treated as if it were less important than filmmaking. But I also saw the interest growing in animation among young Africans as well as worldwide,” says the 41-year-old filmmaker.

“I felt it was time to fill in that gap and give the animators the opportunity they deserve to be recognized for their talent and artistic skills,” he adds. Thus was KIAFF born, not only as an annual event but as a platform for fora, workshops, and cultural exchanges.

The East Africa-based animation festival is not the first to be held in the region. Accra had its first Animation Film Festival in July 2020. There was another one meant to take place in Cape Town, but it was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic.

Fortunately, Nyalusi had already cultivated partnerships with the Goethe Institute in Dar es Salaam and Nuella TV which enabled viewers on the African continent to watch for free while those viewing from other regions had to pay a small fee to watch the films. The awards night was viewed on Facebook, so KIAFF was able to circumvent to COVID hurdles.

The fact that three out of the ten top awards went to Kenyans is indicative of the artistic emergence of the country’s animation film industry. There are an increasing number of schools, colleges, and universities that are teaching animation. And we can even see animated characters creeping into our TV networks, especially into the commercials.

But the knack of the three award-winners is that in spite of their films being very different, one science-fiction, another legendary, and the third historical and political, they all combine technical, digital, and graphic skills with imagination that transcends the ordinary. All three directors are storytellers who not only scripted their films but also mastered the technology to create award-winning films.