Mabula a man with an eye for art, worships the eye

MPHO TLALE
Staff Writer | Monday June 3, 2013 00:00

On reaching his place of residence in Gaborone's Phase II, Mabula emerged with half finished art pieces that he states are for an upcoming exhibition. He however, could not be drawn into discussing more saying all would be revealed with time. Among the works is an unfinished piece that has a little girl with an afro smiling and looking into the sky. Next to the smiling little girl is a laughing donkey drawn with pencil.

On talking to Arts & Culture and being asked why the use of a donkey, Mabula replied with a 'why not a donkey? '. He said that just like any other animals, donkeys deserve to be given some recognition. He said that it is high time people changed their perception about donkeys because they are equally good animals like the rest.Talking about his line of work, Mabula revealed that he worships the sense of sight because it has made him who and what he is as regards to his art. He said, 'You have to respect the eye. I am thankful for it because that's where all my strength comes from. Imagine if I were blind, but still had hands. I wouldn't be able to do what I can because of lack of visuals'.

Mabula, who has been an artist since his primary school days at Gaborone's Ben Thema, states that he has never looked back since then. He adds that he has also done a Graphic Design course at Limkokwing University because he did not want anything that strayed from art.Nicknamed 'Too Short ' because of his height, Mabula says that he does Fine Art through the use of pencils, colour pencils and oil pastels, which are known to the ordinary man as crayons. Despite his use of the different media, Mabula says that he enjoys working with the pencil. He says that this is fuelled by the fact that he loves to work on making black and white art pieces. He said that although colour brings out objects to life and gives them a realistic look, it doesn't have the charm that black and white have.

With what he calls realistic art, Mabula states that mostly he does portraits. He explains that this is because most people can relate to them. He further explains that, 'Realism art is simple and easy for people. As compared to abstract pieces where there are boxes and shapes and one has to think to find meaning, I like to keep it straight and forward to the point.'According to the young artist, his works are inspired by reggae music that he listens to.He is adamant that reggae artists through their lyrics have a way of giving him inspiration.Speaking with a serious face, Mabula relates that he hates exhibitions. With a sarcastic look, in relation to exhibitions, he says, ' I wonder who came up with such a setting.' 

With displeasure, Mabula continued to speak against exhibitions. He stated that people have perceptions about exhibitions, which in turn hinders them from going to appreciate art. In this regard, Mabula says that he has created an environment in which his clients come to him to see his work environment so that when they appreciate the final piece, they would know the type of environment it was conceived from. Mabula said that artists' works are mostly influenced by the type of environment where they work in.Mabula says that his art has given him a different perspective of life as he has grown confident and feels that he is worth something. He says he wouldn't classify himself as unemployed, but rather as not into formal employment. He says that his artwork is his livelihood as he relies on it to pay his bills. He however, says that sometimes he feels like he is an artist in a wrong country.  'Batswana have no sense of originality. Instead of nurturing their talent they would prefer something foreign to it, but things should be structured differently. When one has something in his or her territory they should keep it as a treasure.'He added that he has hope that things will change in future.On a positive note, he says that he has recently got first position at the presidential regional competitions in Francistown. 'All I am waiting for are the nationals and I hope I will walk away with that prize', concludes Mabula with a grin.