Domestic mishap ignites Ngulubes artistic talent

CHIPPA LEGODIMO
Staff Writer | Friday February 24, 2012 00:00

Today the young Zambian currently residing in Gabane shows signs of a great artist in the making. His paintings are inspiring while his tattoos can be quite intriguing.

Ironically, Ngulube does not even know the name of the man who led him to his “destiny” referring to him only as “Ask your Daughter”.

Some years ago when the 19-year-old Ngulube was still at primary school, a man engaged by the family to fix a defective light in the house accidentally poured paraffin of his sister’s face.

“The electrician was using a paraffin lamp to get light as it was dark at the time.  Somehow, the lamp slipped and paraffin doused my sister’s face.  She cried from the itching eyes.  The guy was scared and when my mum asked him what had happened he only said, ‘Ask your daughter’ and we started calling him by that sobriquet,” Ngulube told Arts and Culture.

The incident seemed to draw the then Standard Two pupil and the electrician closer together and soon their “friendship bloomed” – and that is when an artist was born.

In fact, this “Ask your daughter” fellow was an artist himself, because one day he just drew a portrait on a plain sheet of paper and gave it to Ngulube to practise. After trying a few times the young Ngulube was able to get it right and that is when he realised he had the flair. From then on his love and passion for drawing – and later on for painting – grew and by the time he did Standard Five he had already won two competitions hosted for Gaborone primary schools.

At 19, having only completed his secondary education at St Joseph’s College in Kgale just two years back and with art competitions certificates stuck all over the walls of his bedroom, the young man has much to show for his artistic talent.

Apart from the certificates on the walls, there is an observation picture of his two schoolmates.  Just on the other side of the room are two abstract paintings, both depicting relationships.

One is a tree with a human face, a man picking up his head, a sign that he is under pressure to live up to everyone’s expectations.

The other is a red heart (of Love) with a relaxed woman’s face on the left and a man’s depressed counternance on the right. Perhaps with a little bit of bias, Ngulube believes men are centres of relationships.  To him, it is natural that a man has to fend for the family or even the girlfriend.

“We grew up with my father as the bread-winner and that has been the case with many households even now.  An artist’s work is normally inspired by his surroundings and the events taking place and though this is not necessarily about my personal life, I have to admit I drew some inspiration from here at home,” Ngulube told Arts and Culture.

An innovative fellow and a person who takes keen interest even in the little things in life, the attraction of body tattooing soon caught up with him.

“I was fascinated by the fact that people could use skin to create some beautiful artworks and I was like, ‘if I could do that’,” he said.

This Hip-hop follower has a star crafted on his left hand with an angel on the other which, according to him, symbolises his desire to reach for the stars as well as his belief that God would send an angel to help him reach those dizzy heights.

Although he is confident of producing quality pictures and paintings, which could compete with the best, Ngulube is modest about his tattooing skills.  Because he is still learning the ropes the young man prefers to do his friends, charging them a nominal fee for the services. For him improvement in every sphere comes with good research and a host of tattoo magazines fill his room for constant reference.

Although he conceded that part of the reason he was into the tattoo business was to make money and reduce his dependence of his parents, Ngulube insisted there were certain jobs he would not do.

“I have values and the decision to do a tattoo on one’s body, especially women, would depend on the part of the body he wants to decorate.  Tattoos are part of some culture out there and we as Africans have a different one,” he said.

Ngulube has high ambitions and already he is talking of linking up with other artists in the region as he attempts to broaden his knowledge of art.