NAKAPANYA - THE TINGATINGA CAPITAL

Mindu is one of "Tingatinga villages" in south Tanzania which lives in harmony with nature. Here Daniel Augusta on the Tingatinga motorcycle in Mindu village

 

Who are Tingatinga painters? The word Tingatinga is used to describe the art style originating in Tanzania and according to this definition all painters applying this style are Tingatinga painters. But Tingatinga is also the name of the person who started this style. And we may say also that Tingatinga is name of the family still living in Tanzania. According this definition the Tingatinga painters are those painters who belongs to the original Tingatinga family. Simply those painters who have roots in the villages of Nakapanya, Mindu, Mtonya and Ngapa.

 

Tingatinga painters are of Makua tribe from south Tanzania, Tunduru district. The Makua people are known as good singers and dancers. Now Makua tribe got succesful in paintings on the international stage as their neighbours Makonde got famous in sculptoring.

 


I estimate that 90% (according to the first definition of Tingatinga as an art style) of painters from the Tingatinga Arts Cooperative Society were born or has families in the south Tanzania. Edward Saidi Tingatinga himself was born in Nakapanya. While he was living he was reluctant to teach this style many people. He showed only to a few family members. But when he was shot by a traffic police in Dar es Salaam in 1972 the style became open to all. Those few family members who knew to paint taught other family members and friends – most of them from their own villages. That is why so many of today´s painters have their roots in south Tanzania – namely in the above named villages.

 

The biggest of the four "Tingatinga villages" is called Nakapanya. Here on the photo the commerce centre of Nakapanya. The houses are painter red and yellow - colors of the mobile phone company Celltel. (It is possible to phone and access Interent there)

 

The biggest of the four villages where the tingatinga painters come from is named Nakapanya. It is situated in southern Tanzania near Mozambican border in the district of Tunduru. The distance from Dar es Salaam is ca 700 km. The first half of the road is cutting coastal region of Tanzania up to old Swahili town Lindi. There you turn west and continue up to Masasi on the asphalt road. The last 120 km from Masasi up to Nakapanya is a rough road. Though a few years ago mainly inaccessible by road because of no infrastructure today you can easily catch up a bus directly from Dar es Salaam. (To Tunduru) The trip takes half a day in a horrible speed.

 

Houses in Nakapanya are the traditional african huts. In front you can see a toilet. The two trees are pawpaw trees .

 

The landscape around Nakapanya is flat, both a wood and farm land. The most usual agriculture product is cashew nut. But there is vast area of wilderness which stretches to the famous Selous Game Park. While in Nakapanya it is unusual to spot wild animal like elephant or Giraffe it is not uncommon view in Ngapa village.

 


The area is populated by the tribe of Makua (Wamakua in Kiswahili) so most of the Tingatinga painters are Makua.  Makua is a neighbour to Makonde people, both physically and culturally. For simplicity it is possible to say that Makonde are good in sculpturing and Makua in painting. Off course it is not really true but we are used to regard Makonde people as good carvers so why not to regard Makonde people for their painting skills? The Makua people came from Mozambique a few centuries ago same as Makonde, Mwera and Yao tribes. They escaped rule of Portuguese who governed Mozambique since 15th century.  They found piece and fertile soil in Tanzania so they stayed here.

 

There are few buses and cars a day which pass Nakapanaya on the way to Tunduru.


The exact place of birth and house of Edward Saidi Tingatinga remains to be found. There are few close members of his family in Nakapanya who still may remember. Most people in Nakapanya are off course not painters but farmers and they have little interest in Tingatinga paintings. Most of them have never seen any painting but they know that many villagers do paint in Dar es Salaam.  Most of the painters belong to one extended family which means that they are somehow interrelated. It means also that there is a division between this family and rest of the village population in Nakapanya and other Villages.

 

The most common vehicle in Nakapanya are legs and then bicycles.


Nakapanya could be regarded as “a capital of Tingatinga” not only because Edward Saidi Tingatinga was born there but also because most of the painters comes from this village. It is not strange due to the fact that Nakapanya is biggest out of the four villages. The other nearest village to Nakapanya is called Mtonya. It is on the main road Masasi Tunduru, 10 km west from Nakapanya. In comparison to Nakapanaya it is more settlement than a village. It has for instance no visible commerce centre as Nakapanya.  Mindu village lies 13 km north of Nakapanya. On the same road ca 20 km lays the village of Ngapa.

 

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I have visited the villages Nakapanya, Mtonya and Mindu between 29th December 2008 and 1st January 2009. I celebrated the New Year there.


Author: Daniel Augusta
Date: 04.01.2009