Omusimanekwa John

The National Art Gallery of Namibia (NAGN) is a site of celebration as the institution marks the occasion of John Ndevasia
Muafangejo’s 80th birthday with a retrospective and tribute exhibition titled ‘Omusimanekwa John’.

The legendary Namibian artist, who made an international name for himself as a master printmaker, would have turned 80 on 5 October. Muafangejo died suddenly on 27 November 1987, at the untimely age of 44.

In his lifetime, Muafangejo’s narrative black and white linocuts depicting biblical images referencing his Christian faith, traditional Namibian life and culture, the artist’s personal experiences, his travels and his astute observations of society, were showcased in art capitals such as New York and London, as well as in São Paulo, Helsinki, Durban and Bonn.

Creating during the apartheid era, Muafangejo stands tall as a black Namibian artist producing groundbreaking and masterful work despite the restrictive conditions of the time.

Today, Muafangejo remains an inspiration to Namibian artists and ‘Omusimanekwa John’, which refers to his honourable, esteemed or respected nature in Oshiwambo, makes his enduring legacy manifest through a curation of three sections.

In the NAGN foyer, a solo tribute by veteran artist Ndasuunje ‘Papa’ Shikongeni is a colourful, self-reflective and empowering cardboard print homage to the legendary artist after Shikongeni’s eight-year visual arts hiatus.

Pashuka, the mezzanine artist’s corner, as well as the lower gallery, feature the work of various local artists and John Muafangejo Art Centre alumni responding to a call by the NAGN.

Muafangejo’s influence on artists such as Peter Mwahalukange, David Amukoto, Kaleb Haipinge, Erik Schnack, Naudano Hamunyela and Reinhold Inane is evident in their featured works’ linocut medium, black and white palette or traditional, religious, mythological or societal themes.

A postage stamp tribute by Koos van Ellinckhuizen, as well as cardboard and linocut print likenesses by Andrew van Wyk and Lukas Amakali, bring Muafangejo’s iconic visage to life in an exhibition featuring artworks by Muafangejo himself, dating back to the 1970s.

Considering what he would say to Muafangejo were he alive, Shikongeni extends deepest thanks.

“If I could communicate with him really, even though we are communicating spiritually, I would extend big gratitude for how he paved the way for visual arts in Namibia during the time of the colonial regime,” says Shikongeni.

“Him being a child from the village and becoming an international artist, I would tell him what he has done for us as Namibians. I’m very happy that he mostly touched on spirituality, culture and political contexts in his artworks and also gave us awareness of who we are and who we were,” Shikongeni says.

“Muafangejo inspired me to draw from my culture. I would tell him that he is the legend and the guru and the owner of the Namibian printmaking technique and brought Namibia into the space of the international world.”

‘Omusimanekwa John’ will be on display at the National Art Gallery of Namibia until 11 November.

– martha@namibian.com.na; MarthaMukaiwa on Twitter and Instagram; marthamukaiwa.com

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