Africa On Canvas

Introducing the Tingatinga painters of the Slipway Store

Africa on Canvas is proud to work with many of the over 75 artists of the Tingatinga Arts Cooperative in Dar es Salaam Tanzania.

The following photos are of artists working at the Slipway Tingatinga Association. Twelve of the thirteen artists working from this group are from the Makua tribe in Southern Tanzania, a tribe known for their specialization in African Tingatinga painting.  Each artist brings their own unique style and will typically focus on a particular method of African painting - brush or knife painting.  Tingatinga paintings are vibrant paintings depicting birds, giraffe, elephant, cheetah, hippos, buffalo, zebra etc, and various people especially Maasai, as well as African lifestyle.

 

Issa Malindi

Issa Malindi specializes in the art of Tingatinga brush painting and has been painting in Dar es Salaam since 1980.  He started his work at the original Morogoro stores location before joining Rashid Chombo, the founding member of the Slipway Tingatinga association, in 1994.  He paints all kinds of subjects and explains Tingatinga as a creative art form that allows him to draw anything that comes to mind.  He trained under the instruction of his late uncle and founder of Tingatinga painting, Edward Saidi Tingatinga.

 

 

Rashid Chombo

Chombo, as he is commonly known, is the founding member of the Slipway Tingatinga association.  He started painting in 1983 and learned the art from his uncle Mzee Mbuta.  He specializes in brush painting and in addition to drawing people, animals and various landscapes he also draws still life fruit, an art form he taught himself by study different books on the subject.  He has traveled all over the country painting various Tingatinga murals on buildings, hotels and offices.

 

 Agustino Samwel

Agustino is the only non-Makua artist in the Slipway group and was born in the Arumeru district of the Arusha region in Northern Tanzania.  Agustino is both a knife and brush painting artist and has been painting Tingatinga since 1999.  He learned to paint under the instruction of his brother-in-law Chombo, but his art focuses on depictions of the Maasai community.  The Maasai are a herding tribe with a distinctive colorful dress making them especially popular with tourists visiting the area.  Agustino views the Maasai community as the only tribal group in Tanzania that has maintained its culture.  Apart from being a painter, Agustino is also a teacher of Tingatinga.  He works with different expatriate families living in Tanzania and currently holds painting classes for children between the ages of 6 and 8.

Simon Clement

Simon has been painting Tingatinga since 2001 and he specializes in both brush and knife painting.  The focus of his paintings is on the Maasai tribe also, as this style of painting is one of the most popular with the tourists that frequent the Slipway.  He was schooled under Chombo and has taken his craft to an international level traveling all the way to China where he has painted hotels in the Tingatinga style.

Mazito Rajabu

Mazito is the younger brother of Rashid Chombo and he started painting in 2002 after apprenticing with his older brother. His brush style paintings often focus on giraffe, fish, Maasai and sunset scenes, but it's his flare for sunset painting that has enabled him to travel to Zanzibar to paint for a number of different clients.

Anthony Kaspal Tedo

Tedo is another member of Chombo's family and he also owes his start into painting to his brother-in-law. Tedo also got a start as a brush painter with a focus on animals and fish, but he is now working to learn knife painting. Tedo’s paintings are of the highest quality and he often outsells other painters at the Slipway store. Others painters at the store believe that Tedo is an artist by birth, carrying his father’s skills. Mr. Kaspal Tedo, Tedo's father was one of the original Tingatinga artists. Tedo owes his success to a strong focuses on quality and it's not unusual for him to spend 4 days, or more completing a single painting and he will never paint more than one in a single day. In addition to painting Tingatinga, Tedo also spends his time teaching painting to people who are interested in learning the craft.

Issa Amonde Mlaponi

Best known as Mlaponi among his friends. Mlaponi started painting Tingatinga in 1973. He is one of the eldest Tingatinga painters at the Slipway store and he has seen a lot of changes take place. Back before the Tingatinga painters were painting on canvas, all the Tingatinga paintings were done on hard, ceiling tile cutouts, which of course was not an easy item to carry for international customers. So, as the demand for paintings increased, a simpler and more transport friendly material had to be found, so the painters started painting on canvas. Mlaponi also notices the major changes in painting style from earlier years. There has been a big move away from painting animals as many artists now focus on painting people as well, especially the Maasai. Mlaponi is one of the tingatinga artists that is now working with the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) to promote Tingatinga artwork and artists around the world.

West Nankopwe

West is an innovative painter and certainly one of the best artists at the Slipway. He started painting in 1997 and specializes in both brush and knife painting. When he started working with his grandfather he was only taught to paint animals, but building on his natural talent he soon moved away from animals and now paints any number of different styles including people, fish, African spirits etc. West has been able to improve his skills and the quality of his work while traveling. He credits his increased exposure to being able to personalize his paintings and stay innovative in what he paints.

Andreas Selemani

Andreas is a young artist out of the store that has focused on the unique art of candle wax, batik cloth painting. He started working with batiks in 2004 and he now creates colorful images of animals, African lifestyle, the life of women and African dance. He draws what comes to mind and that depends on his mood and what moves his heart. His images focus on the social element of Tanzania and you can sense the African life in his drawings.

Introducing the Tingatinga painters of Morogoro Store

The Morogoro location in Dar es Salaam was the original storefront for Tingatinga artwork. The artists that work at the store today paint in a common stall owned by one member and rented out by any number of other cooperative members. The painters spill out of the stall into the nearby alleys where they skilfully stretch canvas over wooden frames to be primed and then left in the sun to dry. Oils are mixed with resin to keep then from drying out and then colours are perfectly blended into the bright palate that will become an African Tingatinga painting.

Masoud Ibrahim Kibwana

Masoud is a shy 19 year old and a very talented artist. He belongs to the Makonde tribe and learned his craft while attending a vocational training center. He paints vivid abstracts, fine art and paintings depicting the lifestyles of different communities. He says his paintings are based on his feelings and are shaped by the problems facing society.

 

 

Gregory Celestino Mchopa

Gregory was born in Dar es Salaam on December 23, 1978 of the Makua tribe. Gregory is a very talented Tingatinga artist who started painting in 1996. He was trained under David Kyando of the Morogoro store. Gregory specializes in painting abstracts, impressionist knife paintings, but also paints Tingatinga animals, African dance and Maasai. He also enjoys teaching children to paint in the Tingatinga style at the International School of Tanganyika. He is a very ambitious, serious and hardworking young painter who is excited to have his paintings being sold in the international market.

Jaruphu Muhalami Kibira

Was born in Central Tanzania in 1978 and is of the Nyamwezi tribe. Jaruph is a quite but reflective Tingatinga painter. He started painting in 1997 and trained with his elder brother Suleiman Kibira who is a painter based in Northern Tanzania. He began his career with a focus on traditional Tingatinga animals, but has since found his own style in painting African dance and Maasai.

Hassan Mboti

Born in 1973 in Mtwara and from the Makonde tribe, Mboti started painting in 1996. He was born an artist and did not need to learn how to paint, instead developing his own artistic skill. He paints animals, village life and African dance. He is a teacher of young artists who are learning to paint Tingatinga and he works especially with students in the Isles of Zanzibar.

Ali Alphan Mitimu

Ali is a young Tingatinga artist. He was born in 1988 in Dar es Salaam but originates from Zanzibar and has been painting tingatinga since 2003. He specializes in painting giraffes. He learned his craft from his teachers Agneri Jacob, who is best known as Nelly and Paulo Mwakolo.

Agneri Jacob

Is best known as Nelly, which he uses to sign his paintings. Including the Africa on Canvas painting shown here! He was born in 1966 in Dar es Salaam, but comes from Morogoro and the Pogoro tribe. He first learned how to paint from his friend Paulo Mwakolo and started painting professionally in 1993. In the Tingatinga style he paints mostly African dance, but he also paints South African Ndebele style, which he learned from the South African Ambassador’s wife. He is the founder member of Bantu Union which has 25 member painters. Nelly also takes commissions from a number of different hotels and private homes to paint Tingatinga murals and custom designs.

Mwenge artist - Ndali Kiswanta

Ndali is 58 years old and he is of the Fipa tribe of Southern Tanzania. He is a realist painter and creates paintings from his real life experiences. He prefers to draw wildlife and people in a more realistic style because it is a more unique type of painting in Tanzania and less painters are able to perfect it. He uses oil paints and a parou knife as tools in his painting. He was able to learn his craft from his late brother, Costa Kiswanta.