The Peculiar Kenyan Photographer

My first experiences with cameras was... Special! So special.

I can still hear the bicycle bell ring from half a mile. Then the visual of Dominic on his pimped Black Mamba bike with his camera hanging around his neck. Dominic was probably the most powerful fella in my hood in the eighties. While our parents needed blackmail and spanking for us to sit down at the homework table, and the house help (auntie) cajoled and pleaded with us to ditch playing for lunch, Dominic would get it done in record time. It took 10 minutes to switch from dusty-football-playing brats to smiling well fed, showered and glossy from Vaseline petroleum jelly ready-for-the-shoot boys. No birthday or Christmas party was complete without Dominic. He was the only person who would make fighting brothers/friends embrace and smile as they posed for a photo. He was Superman!

That is how I grew up respecting the power of that black box with the name Yashica on it. Cameras were rare on my side of town and adolescence and peer pressure took my mind off photography till I met one Ashikoye Okoko in my professional life. This was before the digital photography era. The darkroom experience and the pretty young intern rekindled my interest in photography... long story!

Fast forward 15ish years later and digital photography has taken over. Everyone has a camera! The average urban Kenyan youth has three, maybe four cameras (or hand held devices with cameras). Add to this the fact that new technology has recently been embraced into the mainstream contemporary art practice and you get a whole movement of young gunz with titles like media/digital artist, photographer, blogger (a term I consider derogatory) etc. This is nice. Not good. Nice, because you have young idle Kenyans roving all over the place with high end Nikon & Canon DSLRs they know not how to use and when they do, is to take photos of disasters for social media... and recently getting naïve damsels to pose naked for all and sundry to access on similar platforms.

The problem is, my photographer's bar is pegged very high. Thanks to Dominic. And recently, interacting with young African photographers who are using photography to tell their stories and change/positively influence their societies. 

In Nigeria for instance, Depth of Field and Black Box collectives have churned out some of Africa's most prolific photographers. It's difficult to talk about Contemporary African photography without mentioning Emeka Okereke, Uche Okpa-Iroha, George Osodi, Uche James-Iroha & Andrew Esiebo. Others like Sabelo Mlangeni (South Africa) and  Baudouin Mouanda (Congo) are young artists who against the odds have taken photography to new levels with mundane stories. A handful of award winning African photographers have visited Nairobi through CCAEA's Amnesia Platform; Ananias Leki Dago, Aida Muluneh, Andrew Tshabangu and Billy Bidjocka went on to host very insightful conversations on their technical approach to photography with emphasis on their artist statements. This has been in the hope that the whole peer to peer sharing would benefit Kenyan photographers by exposing them to possibilities that exist for them as camera handlers while helping them develop their narrative.

Irony is, it's always the (same) small group of artists who make the audience. The new breed of Kenyan photographer seems content with attending social events where their discourse revolves around their toys - make, model, capabilities & cost. Not what they actually do with their gadgets!

I had given up all hope until a couple of weeks ago! James Mweu (aka Sir James) put up a photography exhibition at the One-Off Contemporary Art Gallery in Nairobi. It was a good show. It was simple. Not in technical ability or content, but subject. His artist statement resonated with the work and everyone who attended the show had that flashback moment and just smiled. Everyone had a favorite piece. Except me. The whole show was my favorite work. It reminded me of Dominic. Of how the living room would be laid out to look good in the photos. Of how it was a living room during the day, and a sleeping room at night. A genuine story. Unlike the peculiar Kenyan photographer, Sir James neither mentioned the make/model of his camera nor the editing suite he used. His photographs were genuine and had no absurd rhetoric to support them. They were photographs I can see again. And again.

When I got home and settled for the football match on TV, I remembered, Sir James was a contemporary dancer! How does a dancer (temporarily) trade the dance studio to create such a coherent body of work? Then I recalled. Interest. When Tshabangu, Ananias and any photographers with something to offer are in town, one of the permanent faces in the talks/presentations is Jamo. The informal whiskey sessions are also not complete without Jamo. It may just be the typical case of going to (an informal) school and putting to practice what you got from it. I hoped other photographers would go see his exhibition, and even tried to circulate the info to anyone I thought would have benefitted from seeing it. Or meeting him in the hope this would spur them to follow suit.

I know it's an individual choice on what pictures to take and what to do with them but some of the guys with cameras don't know where to start. Their reference may be wedding or celebrity photography. Blankets & Wine or the occasional sevens rugby. And the debauchery that accompanies these cool events.  If only they came to the table and shared, they'd be shocked by how easy it is! Photo blogs are okay but it's not the same as a well exhibited photo in a good space. Maybe it's time Kenyan photographers changed their narratives. Temporarily forget the digits embedded/embossed on your camera and just take photos. Some of the photographers I really admire; those whose photographs raise the hairs behind your neck - Rosangella Renno, Ananias, Akinbode Akinbiyi, Jide Adeniyi-Jones use cameras you'd consider are from the Flintstones' era.

My love for photographs continued long after my crush for the intern's faded and...

Every once in a while, I meet friends with cameras and talk photography. Go through the motions but deep down I wish their photos made sense (to me). That they'd accept adjectives other than amazing to describe their work. That they'd occasionally move their works from blogs to art spaces.

The last photo exhibition I mentioned was Kenya Burning (which ironically showed for 5 years) and am glad it's no longer burning and I hope it stays that way! What happened to simple stories about our spaces. Our culture. Our architecture. Our transport. Our food. Our lifestyles.

As I type away, a collective of (not so) young Kenyan photographers, One Touch, are on a road trip around Africa on a mission that has parallels to Invisible Borders. Through the internet, I may know what they are up to because I make it my business to. It’s a step in the right direction methinks. And I hope that upon their return, they shall offer us something to see. Enjoy. Consume. Talk about.

I also hope… (am not gonna use the word “hope” again) alongside them and folks like Joe Lukhovi, Sir James and a few young photographers (I think may be promising with some direction) we may be able to raise the profile of Kenyan photography from generic, cool & elite to serious, able to stand alongside serious contemporary African photography. Otherwise, our memories of influential Kenyan photographers will remain Dominic. And Karis.

South Africa has Gerard Sekoto, Zimbabwe has Thomas Mukarogbwa, Namibia has John Muafangejo… Kenya has Ancent Soi!

A man I consider quite wise once suggested that the key to one’s future was knowledge of their past. My interpretation of this was that history is very important. I guess that’s where my fascination with history started.

History and Kenyan art/artists are strange bed fellows!

Three Sundays ago, we had an exhibition opening at One-Off Gallery with Ehoodi Kichapi, Harrison Mburu and Michael Soi. On the same day, the elder Soi, Michael’s father - Ancent Soi was having an opening at the Nairobi Gallery in downtown Nairobi. That was a great coincidence. I have always tried to get the son show with the father in the same space alongside other father-son possibilities like John Kamicha-Zacharia Mbutha, Anthony/Jackson Wanjau-Samuel Wanjau, Lucas Sande-Jak Katarikawe… This would not only be sentimental but would also raise the magic question. When did this whole Kenyan Art thing start? Who were the pioneers? What did they do? How does this affect the present scenario?

While helping with a text that was to trace the origins of Contemporary Art in Kenya, I realized that lack of documentary evidence and the will to do a comprehensive research had led to serious distortions of what is supposed to be history of Kenyan art. Most Kenyan art connoisseurs have an art history knowledge that selectively goes up to the birth of Kuona Trust in 1995. Strangely, they were all involved in the conceptualization and set up then they let other people manage it! Some can vaguely reference the seventies when Gallery Watatu was started but can only recall the last ten years of its peak (1985-1996 under Ruth Schaffner).

The arts scene pre-Watatu is the vaguest! Most of what is loosely referred to as the ‘1^st Generation Kenyan Art’ actually attest to launching their careers at Watatu. So what was happening before Jony, David & Hart started it?

Quite a number of elderly creatives have stories about creating art pre-independence. It comes in different versions as it gets distorted every time it’s shared verbally. Some seem real. Some fictional. Evidence has been traced in some. While some have turned out to be myths - to make the story more juicy so as to satisfy the hunger created by demand of naïve African art in western museums.

However, a handful are quite coherent and have remained cast in stone for over fifty, maybe sixty years. The story of collagist Rosemary Karuga; born in Meru 1928 and graduated from Makerere (around) 1952 then went on to a long teaching career. Of Elimo & Philda Njau (of the Chemi Chemi Creative Arts & Paa Ya Paa in 1965 to date), Jak Katarikawe, Francis Nnagenda, Samuel Wanjau, Gregory Maloba (who started the Kenyatta University Art Department in 1965) and the extraordinary and ever consistent Ancent Soi – he of the Munich Olympics Poster of 1972.

Soi (the elder) is the typical self taught and resilient pre-independence artist who remained relevant post-independence and is still showing into the (not so) new millenium. Young lazy artists should learn from him!

Born in 1937, he started selling woodcarvings and paintings by mostly Tanzanian and Congolese artists for a politician friend in early sixties before venturing into art himself through tutelage of Congolese Banto, who he says was the best artist in Kenya then (sic).

Previous interviews suggest that the city market and the University of Nairobi were probably the only places practicing artists would show their work then. It was around this time that he entered a painting in the ESSO Calender completion judged by Joseph Murumbi and he won the first prize. His work was also included in the calendar. That is what marked the beginning of his long partnership with the African Heritage. (Source – African Heritage)

Soi’s career continued to flourish at the time when most African countries were getting independence and with the Munich Olympics (1972) approaching, Africans were allowed to participate in a competition to make the event’s poster. As fate would have it, Soi won the first prize (1971)! This got him worldwide acclaim as Kenya’s (and probably one of Africa’s) most talented artist.

Rumour has it that he was offered a lucrative residency in Munich in 1972 but cut it short to come back home for the birth of his first son towards the end of the year. That son is artist Michael Soi.

Through the seventies to the nineties, there was an influx of spaces showing and selling art – Paa Ya Paa, Gallery Watatu, African Heritage, French Cultural Centre, Goethe Intitute…

This came with a lot of global attention for art perceived as Kenyan and with it came a new generartion of post independent Kenyan artists. With the new demands, most old boys of Kenyan art slowed down with age. But not Ancent. 

While artists like Joel Oswaggo, Dianga, Samuel Wanjau, Francis Kahuri, Elimo Njau, Rosemary Karuga, Jak Katarikawe, Morris Foit (and some not mentioned) are vanguards, we must salute the Godfather of Kenyan Art. He was never a celebrity. He was never cool. But after all is said and done, he  was there when it all started and is still doing it – almost sixty years on!

His long career has made him probably Kenya’s most important artist. 

The show at the Nairobi Gallery is good but I wish (me and wishes!) we could honour Ancent Soi with a good well curated retrospective without all other artefacts. Just his work. His story. And the respect he deserves. So that we can all listen to hisStory. To help us know where we came from as that may give us a clue to where we’re going. While giving us a chance to write/edit our history.

In other places, they treasure their own. And they remind everyone that seems to forget how important they are. South Africa has Gerard Sekoto, Zimbabwe has Thomas Mukarogbwa, Spain has Valesquez/Picasso, Italy has Michelangelo, Namibia has John Muafangejo… Kenya has Ancent Soi!

Kenyans Own the Titles, Foreigners do the Work!

(This text is neither intended to be racist nor show prejudice to anyone in any way. it is the writer's observation of the sometimes painful happenings of the Nairobi contemporary scene)

It's difficult to tell how many artists live and work in Nairobi. Some will say five hundred. Others two, but my census (according to my phonebook) puts it somewhere below a hundred. It's a big...ish industry me thinks. Which calls for a good supporting cast. This support system is made up of those that take over outside the artist's studio - the dealers, critics, writers... In Kenya, anyone involved in any aspect of the arts that's not production is loosely referred to as a stakeholder (twisted to sound politically correct). These are those that head all ‘important' (government & not for profit) art institutions. Talk about government portfolios, art schools, spaces, cultural institutions and the top job comes with cliché titles like “the director,” “the founder,” “the curator”, "trustee", "patron"… A common thread among these stakeholders is that they are (mostly young) Kenyans. This should be a good thing. It is. No?

However, there has been an interesting trend over the last couple of calendars. There is a new breed of players (for lack of a better word). I like referring to them as the New Sheriffs in Town. Common thread - they are all foreigners. And mainly women (with the exception of three, maybe four). They may not have the government's ear but they make up for that by having artists' goodwill. A look at the last ten major...ish art events suggests majority were either organized or hosted by expats. Most do a commendable job and their interaction with artists ends with a firm happy handshake... long story for separate text... but one with a dodgy history in Kenya pulled a fast one far away in Italy while we all... including the stakeholders slept!

The recent going ons on the international art world has not only left kenyans wiping sludge off their faces but has also reminded us of the harsh reality that is the creative industry in Kenya. The whole debate of who owns the title versus who does the work once again rared its ugly head. For those uninformed, The Venice Biennale (Biennale di Venezia in Italian) is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years (in odd years) in Venice, Italy. It was founded in 1895 with the main goal of establishing a new market for contemporary art. For its history and grand scale, it is referred to as The Art Olympics.

This year’s edition (with artistic collaboration across borders and disciplines as a sub theme) was labeled as important for Africa. Angola won the Golden Lion Award for the best national participation. Nice.

For the first time, there is a 'Kenyan' Pavilion!

Sounds like good news, no? The Italian-curated show displays the works of eight Chinese artists. Yes, Chinese. One Italian, one Italo-Brazilian and only two Kenyans - Kivuthi Mbuno and Chrispus Wang'ombe Wachira.

This got African art practitioners (and non Africans genuinely interested in Art… whatever that means) in endless debates online about the authenticity of the Kenyan Pavilion. The irony of these debates is that we have cultural practitioners from across the globe giving their two cents contribution but I hear no Kenyans! Except practicing artists! I expected these Kenyans with authority to step up! I would have expected to hear the 'stakeholders' show concern! I am still expecting them. No. I am waiting for them to respond!

Rather than get angry and like every Kenyan, shout telling everyone else that the Kenyan pavillion was not Kenyan, I tried to keep calm and ask myself why someone would use our name and ‘his folks’ to gain entry into the art Olympics while flying the Kenyan flag. Did he know we'd not give a damn? Are we too busy to do it ourselves? Don't we have money to pay for a pavillion? Is it that we are just lazy? Maybe we lack information and the required skill! Or confidence? Are we just used to swimming in the baby pool? Or maybe we're okay with it?

Yes, it has happened. What are we going to do about it? Is anyone in authority going to confront Paolo Popini and Armando Tanzini? Are we going to get our 'genuine' pavillion in 2015? One with Soi, and Beatrice, and Kyalo, and Emily, and Kimathi, and Kamwathi, and Ogonga... Do we want answers to these questions? And can we handle the truth? It is easy to blame the Italians and accuse the Chinese. It's okay to drop words like neocolonialism & multiculturalism while ignoring the elephant in the room but... the main questions should be – Why/How did it happen during our watch? And, what are we gonna do about it?

      

Good news is that there is a scheduled forum to try interrogating this debacle. Irony is, it is not Kenyan led! It comes from the new sheriffs in town. They seem to comprehend what's at stake, more than the 'Kenyan' stakeholders. I really would like to go, listen, participate and give my two cents worth of opinion but it is a real shame that we're either not equipped intellectually or not confident enough to do it on our own. We are content with visiting Dak'Art, Venice, Frieze, and Jo’Burg Art Fair as tourists... but we're not confident enough to confront the logistics to ensure Kenya's participation there.

While we were busy doing... whatever, someone took our ‘name’ and 'identity' and ran away with it. How do we get it back? The sheriffs are trying to do it for us while we play 'wait & see'. I sincerely hope (even if a not-so-wise man said hope is for fools) that we can move from esoteric conversations & cultural sophistication on social media and use this as a wake up call to step up.

Yeah! 50 years of 'independence.' Walking with our heads held high because we have all the (cool) titles... but still foreigners do the work.

This Is An Exhibition Review

This is supposed to be an exhibition review, with a twist. I still hate exhibition reviews... I was once fired before getting the job because I playfully gave the prospective 'employer' a ten word review. "If you've not done so, go see this exhibition yourself." It was okay…ish as it was one of those where everything seemed wrong. From the work, to the space. And light. And arrangement. And cocktail! The writer who reviewed it summed it up as Amazing!

Two Fridays back, I attended a show that was a first in many aspects in Nairobi. Titled XTRACT.SUBTRACT.ABSTACT, it was conceptualized and curated by the new sheriff in town. Circle Art Agency, a collective of of Danda Jaroljmek, former director of Kuona Trust and coordinator of  the Triangle Network’s African partners; Fiona Fox, who worked as Head of Development for Exhibitions across Tate Britain and Tate Modern and Arvind Vohora, photographer & founding trustee of Kuona Trust who have teamed up to “give talented artists greater visibility and opportunities and allow more people – both local and international – to benefit from and enjoy the region’s lively and fast developing art scene.”

That’s a tough role to want to play given that in Nairobi, everyone gets into the art scene to promote, help, nurture, support, blah blah blah the artist. It probably only Carol's On Off Gallery and William Ndwiga's Little Art Gallery, that avoid these words and are just talking sales.  Which is good. It clearly defines relations and expectations.

Since its inception, Circle have done a handful of quiet gigs of presenting and marketing Kenyan contemporary culture to different audiences and that Friday had their most visible outing to date. They took over the PwC tower/Delta House ground floor right in the center of Westlands and transformed it into a contemporary art space. What in art lingo would be referred to as a Pop-up exhibition.

For the uninitiated a Pop-up space can loosely be described as a non-conventional exciting, unique exhibition site secured for temporary exhibitions. Most of -Pop-up exhibitions are set up in spaces that are not traditionally artsy and these sites may include vacant storefronts, abandoned buildings and public spaces. Defining features of pop-up galleries are that they come and go, and typically appear in places not usually associated with art exhibitions. They possess an element of surprise in which the audience kind of stumbles upon the art when and where they don’t expect it, thus altering the experience of seeing it. Pop-up exhibitions often expand the available space for artists to show their work, and give artists a kind of curatorial control that standard gallery shows would normally not allow. 

Locally, a handful of people have experimented with this concept that is widely common in the west but Circle executed it with panache! They looked for a grand stage.

As the title suggests, the exhibition featured abstract works by artists resident in Kenya. I'll intentionally skip the art part because Justus Kyalo, Sybilla Martin, Emily Odongo, Sidney Mang’ong’o, Xavier Verhoest, Jason Corder aka Farouk, Peter Walala and Michael Wafula all perfomed brilliantly. All did a good job. No, great job. I was taken aback by Wafula's new body of work but Kyalo, my favourite East African abstract painter stole it for me. I need to find a way of getting another 'Kyalo' into my modest collection.

Delta is one of the numerous skyscrapers taking over the Nairobi skyline. An architectural gem that will house multinationals and high flying corporations. It is still under construction but already ruling the Westlands airspace. The expansive ground floor has been reserved for a series of high end restaurants to feed the men/women yet to occupy the tower. Hmmm... a really well thought out plan! But before they settle in, Circle talked to someone and temporarily took over, brought in art and transformed the work-in-progress lobby into a Pop-up exhibition and.! No review can do the exhibition justice.

In my brief encounters of dealing with artworks and spaces (I intentionally avoid the use of the noun curator in any form), I must admit the exhibition was very well arranged. Considering it was a temporary-under-construction space, the set up was visually appealing. The selection of artists wouldn't have been better. I loved the quotes from mainly departed abstract masters but couldn't agree more with Miriam Syowia-Kyambi that it would have been really good to also have quotes from some of the participants. Maybe the ever quiet Sidney. The exhibition had a special preview for targeted immediate consumers and a following day opening. Which seems to have worked well for everyone.

Some may argue that "this is just another art exhibition." and they'd be very right. But I guess it's not about right/wrong here. It's important (for me, at least) to note that someone acknowledged the inadequacy (for lack of a better word) of existing art spaces and decided to find an alternative thereby putting into practice a word mostly understood only theoretically in Nairobi contemporary. It's easy to label any exhibition outside a conventional art space as a Pop-up exhibition. It's not up to me to define the parameters of what is and what is not Pop-up but this was a really good, and important (non hostile) takeover. Most artists agreed it was a good exhibition featuring a good mix of artists. They all would have loved to be part of such a cool art event. The exhibition set the standards bar quite high. Good for the scene and tough for Circle as we now have the Delta/PwC/ XTRACT.SUBTRACT.ABSTACT show as a reference point.

I went back on Tuesday. With daylight and not visually or judgmentally impaired by good wine, cheese, cold beer or mass euphoria, it even looked better. Was good to have the whole Circle posse to myself and even better to hear from them that they were happy with their effort and are looking up to the next challenge.

What this teaches us in our not-so-young art scene is that our problem is not physical infrastructure. We have alot of spaces (and people to man them) what may be lacking is the belief/confidence that we have a way around what is there. We just need to let donor funding/annual reports stop holding us hostage and do what we believe in. Make good art and do good shows. At the end of the day, that's what is important. It is what we recall.

XTRACT.SUBTRACT.ABSTACT was made in Kenya. And as the curtain came down, there is some sadness that Delta/PwC is not an artspace. And we have to live with the harsh reality that we may never see art there again (except the yet to be installed Eltayib Dewalbait and Dennis Muraguri’s commissions at the main entrance) instead, next time it'll be fancy kitchen equipment catering for a high end capitalism inspired food court. But, amid all these, we’ve found the tunnel me thinks. Whether there really is light at the end of it, or it’s just an oncoming train, is irrelevant and a story for another day. But everytime I see a new building coming up or an empty space, I secretly wish Circle Art Agency, or someone who learnt a thing or two from them, would take it over.

Congrats Circle Art Agency. What next? We're waiting to see what the new sheriff in town's got in store for us.

This Is Not an Exhibition Review!

Two weeks ago I attended the opening of Kenya’s only art competition, MANJANO. At the end of the night, with a couple of beers in me and still licking the grease from the chicken wings off my lower lip, I must admit I was really pleased and happy for local artists. But this is not an exhibition review.

I normally don't rely exhibition reviews, because I love seeing the exhibition itself. I have attended (or participated in) shows then gone on to read what art writers/reporters/reviewers go on to say about them and most of the time, it feels like I went to a totally different gig!

Conventional art reportage dictates that Manjano's review has to mention the Three Hundred Thousand Shillings (Ksh.300,000) first prize cash award and tag a name to it. This should be the same to the other prizes. That is quite okay. However, in our capitalist society, it's very easy to remember the money bit and who got what instead of why there was a gathering in the first place.

Manjano Exhibition & Competition.

Before my time, Kenyan artists looked to Manjano like platforms for genuine recognition of their talent. I can recall the big boys ahead of me nostalgically talk about "Kenya Art Panorama" organized by Alliance Francaise and The HFCK Exhibition & Competition of the early nineties. These were the launch pads for most art careers. 

Then in the mid nineties, for three years The East African Industries Exhibition (and competition) became (probably) "the most important" exhibition in the artistic calender. Artists Sebastian Kiarie, Patrick Kayako and Richard Kimathi careers skyrocketed as a result of the recognition that came with being the winners.

This was followed by a one off Franco-German collaboration in 2006 in the name of Elsyee Treaty Juried Exhibition & Competition where Bertiers, Sam Githui, Fred Abuga and Beatrice Wanjiku walked away with the top honours. They have all continued with fruitful practice. I intentionally avoid the word ‘successful’ as this is only used in exhibition reviews.

All these events have a common thread. They are platforms that recognize artistic talent. All artists are talented me thinks. And all deserve a prize. But some do more than others. That's why these exhibitions that double as competitions are all so vital.

For almost 10 years, there has been a very slow growth in the number or new artists able to survive/stay afloat in the contemporary art scene. The reasons may be varied and many but that's a story for another day. 

During our time (as the art babies) we were very slowly absorbed into the system. Painfully slowly but there was some sort of support system. We had free studios at the Nairobi Museum (with tea and bread for break) thanks to Kuona Trust and a back door access to the Museum gallery. Wendy Karmali would decide who was ready to show there so that was our launch pad. From the Museum it was easy...ish to get to Goethe Institut & Alliance Francaise. Then most of us were ready to fly. Whether we soared or crash-landed is indeed another story for another day.

However, those who came right after us weren't so lucky! Frstly, there were no free studios and no direct access to any gallery so you had several young artists with no experience and almost no confidence, expected to survive on their own. That is the picture I remember the first time I visited Mukabi's studio in 2008 just after kuona moved from the Godown. There was a handful of unkempt juveniles all over the place running up and down when not trying to copy his paintings.

Andrew Otieno's Installation at Manjano

Fast forward to last week, ‘the juveniles’ were all grown up and full of confidence. The reasons are many – resilience and self discipline come top of the list but the recognition they get from platforms like MANJANO goes a long way in building their confidence. Artists like Alex Mbevo and Andrew Otieno (previous winners) are classic examples of this. They have added value to Manjano; from obscure nondescript up and coming artists under Mukabi to fully fledged artists among the first to step into the godown every morning. They are the success stories of Manjano and have made their peers aspire to be like them. As early as November, the gang of about fifteen was prepping for this competition. They all wanted to win. They all wanted to be part of the Manjano History. Like most respected artistic awards/fellowships, the organizers should use Manjano's alumni (and success stories) to raise its profile.

To an outsider (whatever that means), it's all for the money but for a young (and relatively new) artist, the money is good but being propelled onto the pedestal, albeit temporarily translates to "the coming of age," and it's sweeter because they are recognized in front of their peers. And the players in the scene. It is probably the first time 'that curator/dealer' will look your way or the first time 'The East African' will feature you as an artist (No pun intended). iIn the military, that'd be a medal on the chest! 

    

Manjano is a really good platform. The only one we have. But it can be better. I wish previous winners would be more involved and that it can be staged at The Godown Art Centre. but that's just a wish. Also, I honestly hope it stays for long. Very long. And as I congratulate the winners and organizers, I just want you to remember that this is not an exhibition review. 

I loathe exhibition reviews. because most, if not all the time, they just tell you how amazing and beautiful the work is and parade photos of this year's winners (holding dummy cheques) without finding out the competition's impact on the practice of previous winners.

Lastly, personal congrats Wikileaks & Wa Kenchic... not sure if I congratulated you then as the Tusker was taking effect. Nakujia loan next week.