One on its own
Sandy Grant | Wednesday October 25, 2017 14:13
Some years ago, we produced a book on this country’s decorated homes and even now, so many years later, it is easy to remember a few of those homes which, on first sight, instantly caught our attention.
The AP Church was one of them.
How could it have been otherwise? All too often, cement plastered walls are left unpainted, a pity as cement gray is particularly unappealing. In this instance, church leader Amos Galeragwe was able to find the cash needed to do the job.
And what a job he did! No halfway stops for him, no hesitation, no holding back.
He let go with absolute conviction announcing to the world in brilliant yellow that this was the AP Church, Letlhakane and that he was its leader but also, presumably, the person who did the painting. Stunning.
Remarkable. Generally, Batswana are great copiers but in this instance, it seems that Galeragwe’s work had little appeal and remained uncopied or even attempted. I wonder why? But look at that lettering. Somehow, he managed to fit it all in as best he could.
His work is remarkably similar to Alan Butler’s lettering in Trinity Church in Gaborone. Butler was a skilled hand letterer so I have always wondered if he had realised too late that he was unable to fit his material into the available space and had to make do as best he was able.
It has always seemed inconceivable to me that he could have made this elementary mistake. But if his lettering was deliberate, the same must true of Rre Galeragwe.
The similarities are so striking that we must conclude either that they knew what they were doing, or that they made a bit of a mess of things.
But think for a moment about that brilliant yellow.
It’s not a colour that you can see used on many buildings up and down the country.
Indeed, there are very few buildings that are painted in anything other than white or the lighter tone colours.
The obvious enjoyment of colour via available ochres seems not to have been passed on from the traditional artist with her lelapa to the modern artist who uses commercial materials to enliven his suburban home.
Both however, are bound to be ephemeral. The traditional artist was annually obliged to renew her decoration as a result of normal wear and tear whilst an artist such as Rre Galeragwe would inevitably find that his beautiful yellow had been rapidly faded by the unforgiving sun.
One of my favourite buildings? Certainly - but of a particular time and a particular place. Should it be a requirement of favourite buildings that they enjoy some degree of permanence?