Damian
Boniface K. MSAGULA (1939 - 2005) [view
available works from this artist]
Born in the Ndanda village,
Masai District, of Yao tribe parents. Damian Msagula started
his Primary Education in Lindi.
His father had six children,
and one day, he told Msagula that it was so difficult
to provide for the large family, that he had to leave
and find his own way of living.
"He did not do this because he disliked
me. He did it because he thought of me as an obedient,
and disciplined child, and he thought these qualities
would stand me in good stead in the stormy world outside
my home. He was right.”
Damian Msagula
then spent some time as a musician, organising a succession
of bands, the Uhuru Jazz Band, The Black Hammer Boxing
Band, and the Skylarks. “
"I was given an award by the Bishop
, and our bands became quite famous in Mtwara, and Lindi.
I was then only fifteen years old."
Damian Msagula has led
a very varied life. Very few Tanzanians can claim to have
founded two villages like he did, one at Kwaa Msisi at
Korogwe in the mid sixties, and one Kwa Raza, near Mlandizi.
As has happened many times in his life, he got into arguments
with the local administration, and because he was averse
to conflict, he left. Both villages still exist today.
In
1972 Msagula was selling fruits and vegetables from the
Tanga region at Morogoro Stores and came in contact with
the Tingatinga artists. The next year, Damian Msagula
joined them and started painting. A couple of years later,
he left the group to work on his own. In 1974 he trained
PETER Martin whom he
had brought with him from Tanga. Peter will later move
to the Village Museum.
Msagula had no nuclear
family of his own, and had almost no contact with his
extended family. He never married and didn't have any
children.
Problems inside his own
family started even before independence. Damian had an
uncle who was a member of the colonial police force. When
TANU (political party pro-independence) was recruiting
and Msagula joined, his uncle never forgave him. “If
I’m seen together with you, I’ll probably lose
my job,” he said.
After independence, Msagula
was active in the "Ujamaa" policy of return
to the village, self-reliance and solidarity.
Damian Msagula was fortunate
enough to make long lasting friendships with several people
who are deeply involved in the art world of Dar es Salaam,
especially Rifaat Pateev, the Director of the Russian
Tanzanian Cultural Centre. Rifaat was first attracted
by the quality, and originality of Msagula’s art.
He had this to say:”Among all the Tanzanian artists
whose work I have seen, Damian stands out because of his
individuality." Rifaat has also single handedly borne
the burden of caring for Damian since his stroke in November
2003.
The colours in Damian
Msagula's paintings are always in perfect harmony. This
was so important for him that at one time, he even produced
his own colours from roots and plants.
From the very naive
renderings of the beggining, Msagula has developed a truly
unique style centered on the village as the root of african
culture and the respect of the ancestors and their spirits.
Today Damian Msagula is
a central figure in Tanzania's art scene.
source: "Tinga Tinga, the popular
paintings fom Tanzania", Y. Goscinny, "Art in
Tanzania 2000", Y. Goscinny and "Damian Struck
Down", Christopher Elkington in The Mirror
Selected
Exhibitions
Damian
Msagula GALLERY
