Page 69 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 4
P. 69
ART PERSONALITY ART PERSONALITY
Rachel used to pray a lot, I them up close. I had an accident fellow brothers and sisters
never used to. I had started and was on crutches for a while across Africa to get them
staying with my uncle and I and because of that I perfected to do something about the
wanted to become a Muslim and indoor photography. So that’s my situations around them?
do my activism in the mosque. focus. I do photo manipulation
What I like to tell artists is that
I got depressed while trying to where I take photos and then
they have a role to play. I believe
figure out solutions to build and add backgrounds from other
angels are artists, because even
protect this place, I was really locations to tell a different the way they sing, there's that
low. Rachel would say, “let’s story. I used to have other
inspiration.
pray” and even if I didn't want to, photographers take photos for
I want to tell everyone to go
she would hold my hands and I me of locations I couldn’t go
back to their roots and history.
realized that every time she was to while on crutches or I would
The African heritage. We
praying I was at peace, but I search for them online. Africans we used to do things
never wanted to show it. I started doing video because
as a society, we used to help
The company started to get small I felt like most people were
each other. Community is what
amounts of money, because paying lots of money for videos
defines us as Africans, the
everyone I had worked with in for advertisements, but they
little that we had, we shared.
the past would recommend me wouldn’t get the quality that they Until the moment we were
for a job, whether I could do it wanted. So I started doing videos
colonized and were introduced
or not. When I got jobs, I would to show that I can do more with
to education, religion and the
say it's not Imor doing the job, the little that I have. I recently got
element of privacy: fencing your
it's Artiv. And when we got paid, involved in filmmaking. Now film
farm, keeping secrets from your
we would share everything. We is my passion, I love storytelling neighbors, everyone working
refused to register as an NGO or and cinematography.
hard for their own. Africa to me
CBO to avoid waiting for people
is like a banana republic. We
to give us money. I believe that’s You seem to be drawn have rich people that if they
laziness. We registered as a
more to people who are combined have a massive
company so that we would have have had to struggle amount of wealth that is even
the drive to push for what we more than we use to run the
earn. to get somewhere or country. It doesn't make sense
are struggling to get
to me to have a big house, 8
What inspires somewhere. Is that bedrooms, it's just a husband,
p h o to g rap h y because of your own wife, two children and just next to
,videography and experience? you there's this person that has
painting for you? I would say it's because of my no food. I'm not saying everyone
In doing visual arts, everything parents and my friends. My should help, but if you know
that I create is inspired by what I parents have gone through a your heritage as an African, the
see around me, the life of other lot to keep us alive and make African pride is helping out.
people, their achievements, us happy, but then they get
anything that makes me happy, little help and effort. No one
sad or angry. I never want to be understands your words until
like any other artist and copy they see a picture of your story
their style so I just do what I or footage of a mother alone in
want. her room crying because her kid
We managed to buy a camera needs to eat. I just want to share
after two years and I took their stories.
one month to learn how to do
photography and videography. Yours is also a story of
I usually do portraits because not just sitting there when
through someone's face you one sees something that
can see a lot of stuff, you can needs to be addressed.
see the emotions. I like to show What can you say to your
68 | heal . restore . rebirth . Afrika www.msingiafrikamagazine.com heal . restore . rebirth . Afrika | 69
