Monday, December 3, 2012
LIVE ANIMALS RE-EXPORT
We are the best in exporting live wild animals from Tanzania to all over the world. We export in The US, Europe, Asia, Middle and Far. Here is the a few photos of animals we can supply. East Be the first to know more about this by contacting us
Thursday, September 6, 2012
SWAHILI AND CROSS-CULTURE TRAINING FOR FOREIGNERS AND HOME-STAY SEEKERS
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SWAHILI AND CROSS-CULTURAL LEARNING TO
FOREIGNERS AND HOME-STAY SEEKERS
KAKOLAKI small WORLD (KAsWO) work with foreigners who come to our country to work in different activities by providing SWAHILI language and CROSS-CULTURE training to individuals and groups any where in Tanzania. Also we assist to those who look for home stay.
Most of your learning will take place through everyday interactions with community workers. However, we do some classroom based learning of Swahili, cultural orientation, translation/interpretation, and briefing on Tanzania to foreigners and visitors. Language learning is essential to make more of their stay by being able to communicate and interact with people of Tanzania. Visitors with KAsWO are required to do this intensive program and the cost is included in the program costs. Since we work with community workers and community based organizations all the program costs goes into the community. Following are the cultural learning services provided by KAsWO:
Swahili Courses:
Beginner:
At the end of this course students will speak survival Swahili using simple vocabulary in different situations, e.g. greetings, introducing oneself, asking and answering simple questions, taking and giving simple messages to get food and services, etc. session is 3 onwards.
Intermediate:
At the end of this course students will be able to comprehend written and spoken Swahili, e.g. reading and discussing short articles from newspapers and books, using basic functional vocabulary at work or as a tourist, and acquiring some idiomatic expressions. Session is 3 months.
Advanced:
This course is for those who have Intermediate Swahili and would like to refresh and improve. The objective is to enable trainees to have a working comprehension of political, economic, religious, and other issues of general interest and be able to express their thoughts on political, social, religious and economic issues, including in unfamiliar situations. Graduates will be able to support opinions and hypotheses, talk about abstract topics. and read Swahili fictional books. With the help of experienced Swahili and Cross-culture trainers, Swahili work books, language games, language community contact assignments, you will learn right from the start the words and phrases in everyday use.
Cross-Culture Training:
The objective is to provide learners with appropriate cultural knowledge and awareness and minimize their cultural shock to the new environment (e.g. do's and don'ts, gestures, and body language) and to breach cultural differences among nations . KAsWO is also able to arrange family hospitality programs, outings to local restaurants, traditional dances, and places of historical interest. Good News! kAsWO Solutions is now offering online cultural/educational interviews to different scholars as well as individuals! Everything you want to know about Africa -Tanzania and more!
Orientation Sessions:
General information on a number of issues about Tanzania so as to make foreigners aware of what's going on in their new environment. The sessions cover a variety of topics including politics, economic and social issues, law, business matters, environmental, and gender issues, etc. The introduction part of cultural orientation includes:
1. Greetings
2. African family life structure
3. Rights of passages
4. African life ceremonies
5. Right of passages
6. Circumssion
7. Removal of the lower two front teeth
8. Female Genital Mutilation
African life ceremonies
· Marriages
· Burials
· Birth naming ceremonies
· Sacrifices
Swahili books, tapes, & CD's for beginners and intermediates.
Translation/ Interpretation:
Swahili to English and English to Swahili.
Cost:
Courses are arranged accordance with the needs, objectives and time available of the trainees .The charges differ according to the number of trainees per class:
One student cost: USD $ 7.00 per hour
Two students, per head cost: USD $ 6.00 per hour
Three students (group) onwards, per head cost: USD $ 5.00 per hour
One student cost: USD $ 7.00 per hour
Two students, per head cost: USD $ 6.00 per hour
Three students (group) onwards, per head cost: USD $ 5.00 per hour
Payment:
Your booking will only be confirmed after paying a deposit of at least 60% of the total cost. The tuition fee is negotiable for organizations enrolling more than five (5) people at a time, especially volunteers, missionaries, students doing research, etc.
Individual or Tailor-Made Courses:
Most courses are conducted at our training centers in Dar Es Salaam and Iringa . However, arrangements can also be made for courses to be conducted outside our training centers. For courses conducted outside our centers, tuition fees will include travel costs for trainers.
Special "Intro to Tanzania" Package:
For the groups and an individuals, Arrangement can be made to meet you at the airport, full board accommodation, travel arrangements, Swahili language, and culture courses (if necessary)
Cooking lessons
Learn different cooking style and recipes from our professional cooks and chefs local flavored food, African cooking which you can enjoy making when you return home. Arrangement will made for trainees who take a long trainingg of 3 months to stay with the local family in the village to learn peaking and culture practically
Be part of the world culture
Contact: Email: kamefo@live.com and kakolakij@hotmal.com
Website: http://kakolakiworld.blogspot.com
SUPPORT EDUCATION FOR GIRLS IN MULEBA DISTRICT
"I personally believe that if the people KAMACHUMU Muleba district give you the honor of serving THEM should keep on doing it when you leave office."
"If we become ever more diverse, we must work harder to unite around our common values and our common humanity. We must work harder to overcome our differences in our hearts and in our laws." – President Clinton''
To create counter actions of gender equality and the well-being of children and increase community knowledge on Education rights for Child-girl. The campaign will be a part of KECA ongoing counter democracy, rights and justice for women and children program in the country (Tanzania). The campaign will include raising awareness and counter actions to community starting with Muleba district. Our campaign is to make sure that any child-girl who get a chance to continue with a secondary education next year (2012) have a hope to do so and who do not get chance to send her to the vocational training centers, This year we managed to support only 35 child-girls in need to three wards who still need our sustainable help to continue with studies. The bad news is that we could not support the many children who asked us to help for the reason of lack of fund. According to our study almost 55 students from the poor families and orphanages will need our support next year
"If we become ever more diverse, we must work harder to unite around our common values and our common humanity. We must work harder to overcome our differences in our hearts and in our laws." – President Clinton''
. Executive Summary:
Four years to go before the 2015 deadline for having the people living in object poverty Africa remain the only region of the world that risks not meeting most Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by that time notes a communiqué by Global to Action Plan (GAP Africa) in commemoration of the 2009 women’s day. The communiqué goes on to ask the civic community in such developing countries like Tanzania to critically evaluate how effective they have been at pressuring their government to adopt appropriate policies like gender equality, empowerment of women and children right, rule of law transparency and responsiveness to the demand of their citizen.
Kamachumu Environment Care Association (KECA) is making this early because it would like to join Tanzania government to decrease a situation when comes 2015 much progress should be made to achieve the MDGs and therefore not breaking the MDGs makes to women and children. As Tanzania preparing for celebration of 50 years of independence bid to establish the extent which government are currently adhering to good governance principles including Organizational and social accountability, with the society will embark on self assessments for the community to establish what extent the society across Muleba district in Kagera region are fairing in terms of governance and gender equality. Poverty, trade and economic issues are very much related to women’s rights issues due to the impacts they can have. Tackling these issues as well also helps to tackle women’s rights issues. And, helps tackle poverty-related issues. This then also affects children especially girls, which makes the dire situation even worse in Tanzania.
In some places claims are made that women’s rights will be respected more, yet policies are sometimes not changed enough—or at all—thus still undermining the rights of women. It is still very difficult for the women to stand for leadership or get the financial resources required to buy equipment etc, as many societies still do not accept, or realize, that there is a change in the “traditional” roles. People in Kagera region like any other people in Tanzania and Africa, they have developed over centuries to this behavior and impact to women, exploration of a racial or national minds takes time, but it should be done slowly by education and its something that can be solved. And yet beyond it there is an inescapable fact that soon there will be a balance between men and women. That is a fight for women life, that is, for the life of every Tanzanian. On the nature of the people, and geography you can’t blame the people but KECA collaborating with the people is take a step for the responsibility.
3. Introduction
The United Republic of Tanzania with a population of approximately over 40 million . It contains a total area of 945,087 sq km (364,900 sq mi), including 59,050 sq km (22,799 sq mi) of inland water. The per capital income as per 2010 government report is $400 per year. The republic consisting of Tanganyika and Zanzibar archipelago, whose main Islands is Unguja and Pemba. The union is headed by a President, who is also head of government. The unicameral legislative body is the National Assembly (parliament). Zanzibar although integrated into the union governmental and party structure has its own presidency system and legislature and exercises considerable self-government. Tanzania like other countries south of Sahara is facing a lot of challenge about democracy, rights and justice facing the women and children. Women and children’s rights around the world are an important indicator of understanding global well-being. Many may think that women’s rights are only an issue in countries where religion is law. Or even worse, some may think this is no longer an issue at all. Take this example; women do two-thirds of the world’s work, receive 10 percent of the world’s income and own 1 percent of the means of production. You would think that as time goes on, there would be more equality between men and women. Unfortunately, movements are moving in the other direction and in turn are that it isn’t easy to change tradition overnight.
A report from Human right watch also describes how; in some places claims are made that women’s rights will be respected more, yet policies are sometimes not changed enough—or at all—thus still undermining the rights of women. In some patriarchal societies, religion or tradition can be used as a barrier for equal rights. But not under the Women’s .Convention to protect women from discrimination and violence such as rape and female genital mutilation. Amnesty International points out.
This is a big reason why KECA intended fully to join hands with other stake holders into this project starting with Muleba district in Kagera region where like other places in Tanzania the women and children’s (girls) right in the area is a big challenge in Tanzania.
Our expertise in this project illustrate that we will be astonished by this project and the owner will be the children (girls) and the community of the area it takes place. Almost all leaders and members of this association born in the village when the world was still natural, traditional and culture takes place and the women and children especial girls treated as second class citizen. Our parents and grand parents were happy for this traditional aspect but when it comes to human right it’s completely a tragedy. Our experience starts there so now we realize that the democracy, rights and empowerment for women and children especially girls protection is essential and must sustain. Gender equality and protection of women and children is a necessity to everyone. Sending girls to school it’s not a matter of choice is one of their rights. We send our request to you to tackle on our following goals and objectives.
Goals and Objectives:
Goal 1.
To create counter actions of gender empowering poor child-girls who finished primary education to continue studies.
Objective 1. To provide support to the poor child-girls of Muleba district Kagera
region who completed primary education in 2011 with an opportunity
of continuation of secondary education in January 2012 becoming
well educated since empowered girls are healthy, educated and
confident daughters. This will not only empower girls to overcome poverty
and live full and productive lives, but will better the lives of children, families
and countries as well.
Objective 2. To increase the knowledge of girls’ equal rights and influence
in the key decisions that shape their lives and those must be enhanced in
distinct field: the household, the workplace and the political sphere
Objective 3. To increase community knowledge on Education rights
for Child-girl by equipping people tackles the important issue of girls’
education, especially where traditionally girls grow up not having the same
access to education as boys.
4. The Project strategy
KECA intend to launch a massive campaign to raise money for child-girls who finished primary school this year (2011) to continue with studies without disruption of any challenge especial school needs including school fees, but also mainly;
ARE YOU IMPORTERS OR EXPORTERS OF AN AFRICAN CULTURE SCRIPTURES? HERE IS MAKONDE CARVINGS, TINGA TINGA PAINTINGS ETC. DON’T MISS, CONTACT:
ARE YOU IMPORTERS OR EXPORTERS OF AN AFRICAN CULTURE SCRIPTURES? HERE IS MAKONDE CARVINGS, TINGA TINGA PAINTINGS ETC. DON’T MISS, CONTACT:
Sales/export & Cultural Tourism Departments
BUKOBA BUKOBA and DAR ES SALAAM TANZANIA
http://kakolakiworld.blogspot.com Email: kamefo@live.com & kakolakij@hotmail.com
Makonde carving is probably the best known art work produced in Tanzania. This art is produced by the Makonde people of southern Tanzania, and their material of choice is African blackwood, or mpingo. Their work is both traditional and contemporary, reflecting a tribal past as well as modern response to urban life. They utilize their tribal myths and stories as inspiration for the masterful work; one carver, for instance, specializes in ghost spirits and clouds. Animal statuettes and human and demon-faced ceremonial masks are common.
Mpingo (ebony black tree) allows them to achieve the incredible detail typical of their work. The image* at the left is called the "Tree of Life" which depicts the members of an extended family,
"Tree of Life" carvings can be as large as six feet tall, encompassing the work of one carver for at least nine months. They exhibit an intricacy of design and detail which would not be possible to achieve in a wood less dense and strong than mpingo. The most famous outlet for Makonde art is the Mwenge market in Dar-es-Salaam, where shop holders either buy a finished product, or buy semi-carved pieces or raw timber and pay carvers to work on-site. A large statue is often sold for an initial price in excess of $1000, but it can bring the purchaser three times that amount when resold in a more affluent country. The statues are found in art collections worldwide. Our company highlighted several pieces of work from the small one to large Makonde work.
Whatever the political restrictions seeking to regulate its trade, it is certain that those who wish to utilize this fine material will find a way to obtain what they need. This reality reinforces the need for programs such as the ABCP which seek to replenish this species and insure its future viability both as a carving resource and vital element in the ecology of the savannah habitats of East Africa. AMONG the major representatives of Tanzanian figurative art are the Makonde people, who are renowned throughout East Africa for their original and often highly fanciful carvings. Authentic Makonde carvings are made from ebony wood. The Makonde are one of the five major tribes in Tanzania who originally migrated north from Mozambique to the southern Tanzanian highlands. They are internationally famous for their intricate carvings, based on Life, Love, Good and Evil and which form their beliefs about the origins of man. The Makonde people had a traditional tale that “In the beginning, there was a man, who lived alone in a wild place and was lonely. One day he took a piece of wood and shaped it with a tool into a figure. He placed the figure in the sun by his dwelling. Night fell and when the sun rose again the figure was a woman and she became his wife. They conceived and a child was born, but after three days it died. ‘Let us move from the river to a higher place where the reed beds grow.’ Said the wife. And this they did. Again she conceived and a child was born, but after three days it, too, died. Again the woman said ‘Let us move to yet higher ground where the thick bush grows.’ Once more they moved. A third time they conceived and a child was born. The child lived, and he was the first Makonde.”
The carvings are possibly the greatest art forms which originate from Tanzania and are considered the most positive and uninhibited of all East African art. For centuries their figures carved from Mpingo or Ebony have played a central role in their ceremonies.
Today the carvings still maintain the traditional elements of the human story in a tribal setting although many of the carvers have inevitably been influenced by the Western demand for their products. It is easy to find what is classed as “Modern Makonde” which is aimed purely at the tourist market and is basically Modigliani in style.
Mpingo bark is a light color under which is a small layer of white soft wood. The heart wood, however, is very hard and varies in color from a deep red to black depending on the soil type and age of the tree.
When finished, the carvings are polished and the wood quite literally shines. Again, due mainly to the tourist trade, the carvers also use other types of wood such as coconut and some have also learnt to carve in stone and coral.
Makonde sculpture, old and modern, represents an artistic tradition which evolved in response to the historical and economic forces affecting the Makonde people throughout the twentieth century, especially after the 1930s.
It is a story which unfolds in reverse chronology from the contemporary internationally known modern Makonde sculpture to its historical and cultural antecedents about which less has been written or is known.
Makonde sculpture dates back in the year 1930s when the first exhibition was held at Centro Cultural dos Novos in Mozambique. However, it was in Tanzania, where many Mozambique Makonde ethnic group had emigrated in search for work, that interest in their sculpture as a The Indian merchant Peera was instrumental in encouraging this development. Using the hard wood mpingo (Dalbergia Melanoxylon), Manguli Istiwawo, Pajume Allale, Roberto Jacobs, and others carved in what has become known as the “tree of life”.
Modern Makonde art derives from the Makonde people living on the plateau south of the Ruvuma river in Mozambique (rather than from the Tanzanian Makonde). They migrated north into Tanzania and entered into the curio trade that began to emerge in the 1950s and 1960s in Dar es Salaam and Mtwara respectively.
During this time many Makonde farmers in northern Mozambique took up woodcarving to sell and supplement their incomes, this was encouraged by the FRELIMO liberation movement, which organized cooperative marketing of these carvings in Tanzania.
Their new sculptural forms grew naturally out of older traditions of woodcarving, unlike the Tanzanian Makonde, who had no real carving tradition. Modern Makonde sculptures range from curios of the airport variety to truly fine sculptures of imagination and artistry, but the reality of their production for commercial purposes is one that cannot be ignored.
Coot discusses the materials, techniques, styles and genres. In addition to traditional carving (especially masks with typical Makonde scarification), there are three identifiable modern styles, these are referred to as ‘binadamu (a man/woman), ujamaa (solidarity life), and shetani (devil)’.
The three correspond perfectly with the characteristics sought by Western art consumers of “erotic” art a move to naturalism, gigantisms and grotesqueness. Shetani sculptures were once thought to be the invention of one man,
Of course, the modern Makonde woodcarving tradition goes back well before the war of liberation, but the war and its aftermath served as a genuine impetus. The style of the figures also changed, going from the earlier naturalistic rather benign figures to more distorted, satirical or somber depictions. The so-called ujamaa sculptures or in Portuguese “unidade de povo” date from the days of the liberation struggle. The “shetani” style originated with Samaki (fish), but was quickly imitated and soon became a popular and successful commodity in the markets of Dar es Salaam and Nairobi. Following independence in Mozambique in 1975, official recognition on the part of the government has further encouraged this modern tradition of sculpture.
The shetani sculptures from Mozambique differed from those in Tanzania, the latter were more sexually explicit and grotesque, being solely for the foreign tourist market. The FRELIMO philosophy also mitigated or “tamed” the influence of the male masquerade mapico (mapiko), which came to be seen as essentially oppressive to women. The mapico was “liberated” and became a cultural symbol for Mozambique; it is danced on national days and has even appeared on a postage stamp. The Makonde are, of course, famous for the wood carvings which bear their name. The tradition has existed among them for at least three centuries, when examples were brought back by Arab traders. It is likely that the tradition is much older than that.
Originally naturalistic and impregnated with meaning, the carvings are now generally more abstract, in keeping with the tastes of tourists and collectors. The one thing the carvings have in common is that they are invariably carved from a single piece of wood, no matter how intricate the design. The wood traditionally used comes from the African Blackwood tree (Dalbergia Melanoxylon), also known as “Mozambique Ebony”. It is extremely fine-grained and dark in colour, and so ideally-suited for carving.
The one thing the carvings have in common is that they are invariably carved from a single piece of wood, no matter how intricate the design. The wood traditionally used comes from the African Blackwood tree (Dalbergia Melanoxylon), also known as "Mozambique Ebony". It is extremely fine-grained and dark in colour, and so ideally-suited for carving.
The best-known works are the 'tree of life' carvings in the ujamaa style, being intricately carved conjunctions of interlocking human figures representing both unity and continuity. Less well-known are the ritual masks, which were (and still are, I believe) used by dancers who embody the forms of spirits and ancestors. Aside from masks (see the Masks page for these), there are four main styles of carving, which are characterised by subject matter. The oldest form is the female figure, and relate to the cult of womanhood, in keeping with the Makonde creation myth in which the male ancestor of the Makonde got lonely and created a carving of a woman, who came alive. She was not just the first woman, but the first human, because the male was only a 'creature' (some might say nothing much has changed!). These carvings were carried by men for protection when travelling.
These figures have latterly developed into the Ujamaa style. Other recent genres are Binadamu (daily life) and Shetani (spirits), which were apparently developed after the 1950s wave of migrations from Mozambique to Tanzania.
Apart from selling and exporting Makonde carvings and Tinga Tinga paintings we also sell and export different carvings and crafts from Bukoba and all over Tanzania, like baskets, Maasai wears, local jewelries etc etc.
Mpingo (Ebony) Wood Carvers in the Crafts Market in Dar Es Salaam located at ‘’Mwenge Makonde and other Carvings Center’’
Tinga Tinga paintings in the crafts market in Dar Es Salaam located along Haile Sellase Road near Oysterbay Hotel
Sales/export & Cultural Tourism Departments
BUKOBA BUKOBA and DAR ES SALAAM TANZANIA
http://kakolakiworld.blogspot.com Email: kamefo@live.com & kakolakij@hotmail.comMakonde carving is probably the best known art work produced in Tanzania. This art is produced by the Makonde people of southern Tanzania, and their material of choice is African blackwood, or mpingo. Their work is both traditional and contemporary, reflecting a tribal past as well as modern response to urban life. They utilize their tribal myths and stories as inspiration for the masterful work; one carver, for instance, specializes in ghost spirits and clouds. Animal statuettes and human and demon-faced ceremonial masks are common.
Mpingo (ebony black tree) allows them to achieve the incredible detail typical of their work. The image* at the left is called the "Tree of Life" which depicts the members of an extended family,
"Tree of Life" carvings can be as large as six feet tall, encompassing the work of one carver for at least nine months. They exhibit an intricacy of design and detail which would not be possible to achieve in a wood less dense and strong than mpingo. The most famous outlet for Makonde art is the Mwenge market in Dar-es-Salaam, where shop holders either buy a finished product, or buy semi-carved pieces or raw timber and pay carvers to work on-site. A large statue is often sold for an initial price in excess of $1000, but it can bring the purchaser three times that amount when resold in a more affluent country. The statues are found in art collections worldwide. Our company highlighted several pieces of work from the small one to large Makonde work.
Whatever the political restrictions seeking to regulate its trade, it is certain that those who wish to utilize this fine material will find a way to obtain what they need. This reality reinforces the need for programs such as the ABCP which seek to replenish this species and insure its future viability both as a carving resource and vital element in the ecology of the savannah habitats of East Africa. AMONG the major representatives of Tanzanian figurative art are the Makonde people, who are renowned throughout East Africa for their original and often highly fanciful carvings. Authentic Makonde carvings are made from ebony wood. The Makonde are one of the five major tribes in Tanzania who originally migrated north from Mozambique to the southern Tanzanian highlands. They are internationally famous for their intricate carvings, based on Life, Love, Good and Evil and which form their beliefs about the origins of man. The Makonde people had a traditional tale that “In the beginning, there was a man, who lived alone in a wild place and was lonely. One day he took a piece of wood and shaped it with a tool into a figure. He placed the figure in the sun by his dwelling. Night fell and when the sun rose again the figure was a woman and she became his wife. They conceived and a child was born, but after three days it died. ‘Let us move from the river to a higher place where the reed beds grow.’ Said the wife. And this they did. Again she conceived and a child was born, but after three days it, too, died. Again the woman said ‘Let us move to yet higher ground where the thick bush grows.’ Once more they moved. A third time they conceived and a child was born. The child lived, and he was the first Makonde.”
The carvings are possibly the greatest art forms which originate from Tanzania and are considered the most positive and uninhibited of all East African art. For centuries their figures carved from Mpingo or Ebony have played a central role in their ceremonies.
Today the carvings still maintain the traditional elements of the human story in a tribal setting although many of the carvers have inevitably been influenced by the Western demand for their products. It is easy to find what is classed as “Modern Makonde” which is aimed purely at the tourist market and is basically Modigliani in style.
Mpingo bark is a light color under which is a small layer of white soft wood. The heart wood, however, is very hard and varies in color from a deep red to black depending on the soil type and age of the tree.
When finished, the carvings are polished and the wood quite literally shines. Again, due mainly to the tourist trade, the carvers also use other types of wood such as coconut and some have also learnt to carve in stone and coral.
Makonde sculpture, old and modern, represents an artistic tradition which evolved in response to the historical and economic forces affecting the Makonde people throughout the twentieth century, especially after the 1930s.
It is a story which unfolds in reverse chronology from the contemporary internationally known modern Makonde sculpture to its historical and cultural antecedents about which less has been written or is known.
Makonde sculpture dates back in the year 1930s when the first exhibition was held at Centro Cultural dos Novos in Mozambique. However, it was in Tanzania, where many Mozambique Makonde ethnic group had emigrated in search for work, that interest in their sculpture as a The Indian merchant Peera was instrumental in encouraging this development. Using the hard wood mpingo (Dalbergia Melanoxylon), Manguli Istiwawo, Pajume Allale, Roberto Jacobs, and others carved in what has become known as the “tree of life”.
Modern Makonde art derives from the Makonde people living on the plateau south of the Ruvuma river in Mozambique (rather than from the Tanzanian Makonde). They migrated north into Tanzania and entered into the curio trade that began to emerge in the 1950s and 1960s in Dar es Salaam and Mtwara respectively.
During this time many Makonde farmers in northern Mozambique took up woodcarving to sell and supplement their incomes, this was encouraged by the FRELIMO liberation movement, which organized cooperative marketing of these carvings in Tanzania.
Their new sculptural forms grew naturally out of older traditions of woodcarving, unlike the Tanzanian Makonde, who had no real carving tradition. Modern Makonde sculptures range from curios of the airport variety to truly fine sculptures of imagination and artistry, but the reality of their production for commercial purposes is one that cannot be ignored.
Coot discusses the materials, techniques, styles and genres. In addition to traditional carving (especially masks with typical Makonde scarification), there are three identifiable modern styles, these are referred to as ‘binadamu (a man/woman), ujamaa (solidarity life), and shetani (devil)’.
The three correspond perfectly with the characteristics sought by Western art consumers of “erotic” art a move to naturalism, gigantisms and grotesqueness. Shetani sculptures were once thought to be the invention of one man,
Of course, the modern Makonde woodcarving tradition goes back well before the war of liberation, but the war and its aftermath served as a genuine impetus. The style of the figures also changed, going from the earlier naturalistic rather benign figures to more distorted, satirical or somber depictions. The so-called ujamaa sculptures or in Portuguese “unidade de povo” date from the days of the liberation struggle. The “shetani” style originated with Samaki (fish), but was quickly imitated and soon became a popular and successful commodity in the markets of Dar es Salaam and Nairobi. Following independence in Mozambique in 1975, official recognition on the part of the government has further encouraged this modern tradition of sculpture.
The shetani sculptures from Mozambique differed from those in Tanzania, the latter were more sexually explicit and grotesque, being solely for the foreign tourist market. The FRELIMO philosophy also mitigated or “tamed” the influence of the male masquerade mapico (mapiko), which came to be seen as essentially oppressive to women. The mapico was “liberated” and became a cultural symbol for Mozambique; it is danced on national days and has even appeared on a postage stamp. The Makonde are, of course, famous for the wood carvings which bear their name. The tradition has existed among them for at least three centuries, when examples were brought back by Arab traders. It is likely that the tradition is much older than that.
Originally naturalistic and impregnated with meaning, the carvings are now generally more abstract, in keeping with the tastes of tourists and collectors. The one thing the carvings have in common is that they are invariably carved from a single piece of wood, no matter how intricate the design. The wood traditionally used comes from the African Blackwood tree (Dalbergia Melanoxylon), also known as “Mozambique Ebony”. It is extremely fine-grained and dark in colour, and so ideally-suited for carving.
The best-known works are the ‘tree of life’ carvings in the ujamaa style, being intricately carved conjunctions of interlocking human figures representing both unity and continuity. Less well-known are the ritual masks, which were used by dancers who embody the forms of spirits and ancestors. Earlier Makonde carvings generally depicted more traditional themes, often relating to various deities or rituals. Even today, the Makonde produce carvings of ordinary household objects such as bowls and walking sticks, although these are seldom seen for sale. While it can be argued that the extensive commercialization of Makonde carvings has had a negative impact on artistic and imaginative quality, it has not totally destroyed originality. On the positive side, it has had the effect of securing many carvers a livelihood which they would not have been able to achieve otherwise. The major centers of Makonde carving in Tanzania are in the south-east on the Makonde plateau, and in Dar es Salaam which became a haven for Makonde carvers during the large-scale migrations from Mozambique in the 1950s and 1960s. Many Makonde migrants made their way from Mozambique into southern Tanzania, and from there to the capital, attracted by better employment opportunities and by favorable marketing prospects for their carving.
The Makonde are, of course, famous for the wood carvings which bear their name. The tradition has existed among them for at least three centuries, when examples were brought back by Arab traders. It is likely that the tradition is much, much older than that. Originally naturalistic and impregnated with meaning, the carvings are now generally more abstract, in keeping with the tastes of tourists and collectors.The one thing the carvings have in common is that they are invariably carved from a single piece of wood, no matter how intricate the design. The wood traditionally used comes from the African Blackwood tree (Dalbergia Melanoxylon), also known as "Mozambique Ebony". It is extremely fine-grained and dark in colour, and so ideally-suited for carving.
The best-known works are the 'tree of life' carvings in the ujamaa style, being intricately carved conjunctions of interlocking human figures representing both unity and continuity. Less well-known are the ritual masks, which were (and still are, I believe) used by dancers who embody the forms of spirits and ancestors. Aside from masks (see the Masks page for these), there are four main styles of carving, which are characterised by subject matter. The oldest form is the female figure, and relate to the cult of womanhood, in keeping with the Makonde creation myth in which the male ancestor of the Makonde got lonely and created a carving of a woman, who came alive. She was not just the first woman, but the first human, because the male was only a 'creature' (some might say nothing much has changed!). These carvings were carried by men for protection when travelling.
These figures have latterly developed into the Ujamaa style. Other recent genres are Binadamu (daily life) and Shetani (spirits), which were apparently developed after the 1950s wave of migrations from Mozambique to Tanzania.
(daily life)
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The binadamu carving style is used to represent Makonde men and women pursuing traditional roles: old men smoking pipes, women with calabashes fetching water, and so on. The style is naturalistic.
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Ujamaa (unity)
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Also known as "trees of life" or "people poles", the intricate ujamaa carvings depict a column of naturalistically-carved intertwined human figures. Often appearing as though locked in dance, these are the works which brought Makonde their fame - lively and exciting, full of movement, rhythm and balance.
The word ujamaa has many meanings - brotherhood, cooperation, family, togetherness - and was also a by-word for post-independence Tanzanian politics: after freedom (uhuru) came ujamaa - unity, which was used to describe the government's collective social policy. The meaning in the context of the carvings is clear: from one block of wood comes the unity of the family, society and ancestors. The older generation is depicted on the bottom, supporting (literally and symbolically) later generations. The central figure is usually a mother surrounded by many clinging children. This theme has its roots in the creation myth of the Makonde, in which a woman was the first human ancestor. | |
Shetani (spirits)
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The latest style to develop is more abstract. Its models are the spirits of Makonde folklore presented in distorted, often grotesque form. The word shetani means "spirit", both good and bad, although westerners usually misunderstand the concept and translate it as something "evil" or "mischievous" (the word comes from the Arabic, which itself gave European languages the word Satan).
For the carvers, the world of shetani is a particularly rich source of imagery to draw on for their art. MUSHONCE HOUSE is a Hayan tribe house from Bukoba which a King (a ruler by that time) was used to live. Is a historical house for the tribe and when you visit the houde you will find how rich a Haya tribe has to live. VERY INTERESTING, DON'T MISS TO VISIT. | |
Tinga Tinga- paintings
This selection of Tingatinga-paintings shows the early beginnings and the modern offsprings of the famous genuine Tanzanian art of paintings, by E.S. Tingatinga himself, as well as 60 of his first students, e.g. Ajaba, Linda, Mpata, and Tedo. The format of the pieces is usually square-shaped, and they are created using bright colors on masonite. Although the basic use of these materials is still the same today, the range of styles and intentions of the paintings has widened considerably from the mere admiration of nature and the description of every-day Makonde life to themes of modern social concerns, e.g. AIDS and poverty
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Mpingo (Ebony) Wood Carvers in the Crafts Market in Dar Es Salaam located at ‘’Mwenge Makonde and other Carvings Center’’
Tinga Tinga paintings in the crafts market in Dar Es Salaam located along Haile Sellase Road near Oysterbay Hotel
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