Young artist Wilson Ngoni has come a long way

MPHO TLALE
Correspondent | Tuesday June 30, 2009 00:00

 

On meeting him for the first time early this week, he is totally different from the picture I had painted in my head. He is a tall young man with a warm and welcoming smile that puts you at ease when talking to him. Upon visiting him at Kopong village in Kweneng District where he resides, we found him busy working on different paintings but his concentration was on a certain portrait that he had to finish and deliver in Gaborone before Fathers Day (June 21). He says that he cannot go for more than three days without painting.

Born  in a family of seven kids, comprising six girls and him, Wilson is the second born. His mother died in 1999 after she fell ill and being the second born and the only brother, he has the responsibility to take care of his siblings. Ngoni's love for art goes as far back as 1994 when he tried different artistic experiences ranging from sculpting to drawing, though his mother  and brothers felt that art was consuming much of his precious time.

Not only was his family concerned about his art but his teachers too were worried., for they felt it was taking most of his time, which made him neglect other subjects.

However, his love for and dedication to art has paid off  because he is now a big force to be reckoned with in the art industry. 

Mankind, a name he adopted during his school days at Moeding where he completed Form Five in 2001, was given to him by his peers because he loved watching female teachers and  the way they dressed gracefully and changed clothes everyday but as for their male counterparts (man kind), they could finish a whole term wearing the same shoes or pants - and they would not care less. He tells me that he himself adopted traits of the man kind and would complete the entire term wearing the same shirt, hence the nickname Mankind.

Although he grew up in Gabane village, on the Gaborone-Kanye road, Ngoni originally hails from Masunga in the North East District. He was born on August 14, 1978. Apart from art, his also enjoys poetry and music. He is currently working on an album, which he hopes to record in Zimbabwe.  He points out that he is going beyond the borders of Botswana because in Zimbabwe they are quite familiar with the kind of music he is pursuing, reggae. I also got a chance to listen his brilliant beats. During the interview, I discovered just that like his art, he himself is also a piece of artwork.  This was when we were talking about his art and the fact that it is a means of earning a living. He mentioned that people like former president Sir Ketumile Masire and tourists collect his work yet none of them has ever wanted to  know where he trained. Ngoni was, however, quick to defend that statement by saying that he has nothing against education  because at some point in time, he will have children and will want them to get the best possible education ever.

Ngoni, who makes an average of P5, 000 per month all from his paintings,  says that his favourite colour is chocolate brown because over the years he has reached a higher level of understanding of this particular colour through his art work. However,  he prefers blue on clothes. Ngoni enjoys a wide  range of foods but is a faithful bread consumer and also has a soft spot for meat and bananas.

Ngoni's work can be seen at Thapong Visual Arts, the museum in both the Main Mall and Octagon galleries,the Frame Gallery and Botswana Craft among others. He was also the brain behind the recent Meleko Exhibition.

The exhibition was named Meleko because Ngoni says that usually when people see his work they remark that 'O a bo a dira meleko Wilson'.

He noted that and used it. Ngoni is also working on a book, which he says should be out soon. Reflecting on his opinions about art, the  artist says prospects are enormous in Botswana because there is  a lot of creativity. He says given the global economic recession, artists must take pride in their work and put in an extra effort in order to survive. The young artist, who says art reflects his feelings, hopes to showcase  his works at the  Presidential Exhibition , which is expected to be held next month.