SERPENT OF EDEN
Serpent of Eden. Oil on Canvas.
82.2cm x 124.2cm 2012 [Acquired]
In
the extract below from the holy Bible, the stage for the scenario of the
origins of sin and death was set. The participants of the performances involved
were ready to play their parts and subsequently predetermine the destiny of
their descendants, and nature their own doom!
Genesis 2:8-9
8And
the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man
whom he formed. 9Out of the ground the LORD God made to grow every
tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in
the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 15The
LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.
16And the LORD God commanded the man, “you may freely eat of every
tree of the garden; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you
shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die”. 18 Then the LORD
God said, “it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a
helper as his partner” 21 So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the
man and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with
flesh. 22And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a
woman and brought her to the man. 23Then the man said, ‘This at last is the
bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called woman, for out
of man this one was taken’. 24 Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother
and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh. 25And the man and his wife
were both naked, and were not ashamed.
In
the scenario of the temptations of Eden, four pillars or participants clearly
stand out.
a) The word;
16 And the LORD god commended the man, “you may freely eat of every tree of the
garden; but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in
the day that you eat of it you shall die”.
b) The tree of the knowledge of good
and evil
c) The snake
d) Eve; the partner to Adam
To
many, the temptations of Eden mainly rotate around the tree of knowledge the
good and evil, Eve, Adam; and the snake.
I
would like to point out that ‘The word’
in pillar (a) above is not normally given much attention and yet it was the
gateway to the subsequent temptations which followed there after. By the LORD
God commanding in genesis 16: “you may freely eat of every tree of the garden:
17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in
the day that you eat of it you shall die”, was in itself very tempting and can
be equated to a parent with a box hidden in a special room of those making his
house; and who commanded his children never to open that room or the box found
in it; because by so doing they would get to know as much as their father did
about the good and evil deeds of the clans past or future existence.
The
forbidden acquisition of such abundant and valuable secret knowledge would be
so tempting to get; that the children would at any one time be tempted not only
to open the special room, but would subsequently do anything to at least have a
glimpse into the forbidden box of knowledge about the clan.
The
second temptation pillar was the ‘tree
of knowledge of good and evil’.
When
fruits are ripe, succulent and seductively coloured, they are in most cases
very luring to human beings, birds and animals for consumption; the anticipated
flavour, aroma and sweetness of the juice in them not withstanding. Being such
a special tree in the garden, I reckon it should have concomitantly had very
luring and appetizing fruits.
If
my speculations are true, any human being with an inquisitive appetite could
have been vulnerable to the nutritious visual seduction and presumed sweetness
of the fruits on this forbidden tree of knowledge of the good and evil.
The third temptation pillar was ‘the snake’. In genesis 3: It is said
thus of it: “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that
the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, ‘did God say’ “you shall not eat
from any tree in the garden”? 2: The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of
the fruit of the trees in the garden; 3: but God said, “You shall not eat of
the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch
it, or you shall die”. 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die;
5for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will
be like God, knowing good and evil”. 6: So
when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight
to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of
its fruits and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her,
and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened and they knew that they were
naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
In
the dialogue above, the snake is referred to in three identity categories: it
is a serpent, a wild animal and also
insinuated as being a Man when it is
referred to as a ‘He’. See genesis 3: verse 1, line one and two.
He
said to the woman, “did God say.......”.
The
three descriptive categories to the snake above render its true iconic identity
very hazy and difficult to focus. Standing
in the middle of the Eden of our limited imaginative minds, we visualize of it in
a misty whirl wind of shifting images of an unidentifiable man, an
indescribable wild animal or a partly subhuman snake with human intelligence
talking in a language that Eve could clearly understand. Various artists have
thus ended up interpreting the serpent of Eden differently.
The
forth temptation pillar was formed by ‘Eve
herself’. She was presumably possibly very beautiful and emotionally
seductive to Adam. That is why it is clarified in genesis 2:24; “Therefore a
man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become
one flesh. 25And the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed.”
Connotations
of attraction, intimacy; see “clings to his wife”, and sexuality silently smoulder
in the quotation above. Her possibly physical and tempting attractiveness not
withstanding; Eve stands as a major pillar of temptation when she wittingly
accepted to pick a fruit from the forbidden tree and ate it. See genesis 3:6
“so when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a
delight to the eyes and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she
took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with
her, and ate.”
If
Adam was with Eve throughout the time when the snake kept tempting her, as
indicated in the quotation above, it is puzzling why he simply kept mum and did
not intervene or remind Eve of God’s commandment up to when Eve raised her
hand, plucked the forbidden fruit, ate first; and without hesitation Adam
simply accepted Eve’s offer of the fruit when she gave it to him! Adam’s first
voice is only heard later in the evening breeze of the garden of Eden when the LORD
God called to the man, and said to him, “where are you?” Adam said, “I heard
the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I
hid myself.”
Maybe
Adams unquestioning submissiveness in this case; even when he was fully aware
of God’s commandment not to ever touch or eat a fruit from the forbidden tree;
explains mans vulnerability and mental weakness when exposed to the presence of
a woman for whom he has or shares intimate feelings. The same is true for man
to always knowingly break the law of the land when he is fully aware of the
often bitter consequences!
Eve
is on the other hand portrayed as the trouble causer, a soft target for
temptation by the serpent, a symbol of unquestionable power over man and a
conduit of sin.
About the Painting
As
a painting, Serpent of Eden was inspired by the events enshrined in the temptation
scenario in the Garden of Eden. Personally, my attempt to depict the artistic identity
of the serpent in question was guided by the four major pillars mentioned above
in this essay. These were; the word, the tree, the snake and Eve who formed the
major fabric of the conveyer belt of the temptation scenario in the garden.
The
pillars of temptation were utilized to form a hybrid image to encapsulate the
whole temptation scenario. Of the four pillars, only three can talk and dialogue
with a human being. It is only the tree which kept silent in the Eden scenario;
but the word of God, the snake and Eve all talked in a language understandable by
human beings. Again of the four pillars of temptation, only three can be
visualized as incarnates of physical images of a tree, a snake and a woman. The
word of God mainly stands out as a commanding sound and law in the garden; and
can hardly be separated from the tree of knowledge and death; and the forbidden
fruit.
For
that matter, it was hence three of the four pillars which could clearly be visualized into physical shapes that were used to build the composition of the
serpent of Eden. These were the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil together
with its presumed fruits, the woman Eve and the Serpent.
The
three were merged together to form a single pillar of Tempting trinity; since
none of the people I asked of the true identity of all the pillars mentioned,
could exactly describe to me the true iconic structure of the serpent of Eden;
neither could any one give me a photographic description of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil. As for Eve, no body could describe her beyond the
definition of ‘Woman’. To some, the tree of knowledge or forbidden fruit was
sex. To others, in was an apple or yellow bananas! Mixed up thus with varying definitions of the
forbidden fruit, it was imperative for me to endow the tree of knowledge with
all possible fruits to express mans endless dilemma, metaphysical confusion and quest for
truth.
The
serpent of Eden as a painting was therefore constructed on the following
criteria and presumptions: That the description of the woman Eve is very clear.
She was a human being and female like all other women we see on planet earth;
and could for that matter afford to stand in and be used as a major signifier
upon which the tree of knowledge and the snake could be attached to form a
single homogenous hybrid content system.
Though
hybridized in a trinity of the serpent of Eden, the image of the woman still
dominates the signification process within the ocular circuit of the viewer.
Her true nature and iconic genre as we naturally know women were inevitably
modified to fit into the visual recipe of the tree the snake and the woman
combined.
She
therefore visually partly becomes a woman, a tree and a snake. The painting is
neither depicting a woman, nor a tree or a snake or types of fruits, but an
‘idea’ of the scenario involving the major participants in the metaphysical and
philosophical questions surrounding the temptation process in the Garden of
Eden.
It
should be recalled that Adam was simply mum throughout the whole process of
temptation. He is portrayed as an unquestioning recipient of the forbidden
fruit. There was therefore no reason to include him as a male component
contributing to the formation of the visual recipe forming the serpent of Eden.
After all, he appears very late in the evening breeze of Eden when the LORD God
calls out his name. Adam is almost relegated from the whole sinning process.
The
female or ‘Eve’ component of the hybrid image holds a hooked rose flower and
not a fruit as most people would have expected. The fact is that no fruit will
ever ‘be’ without initially beginning as a flower. So are most men hooked by
temptation, flowery situations and irresistible female attraction. Seldom are
people who are attracted by flowers in general or roses in particular, mindful
of their poisonous or thorny properties. Flowers look beautiful, they decorate
events; and can enhance the beauty of our environments. They can express
feelings and symbolize love. They are delicate, seductive and exciting, but their
petals can disintegrate; and their thorns can prick or pierce, if not picked
and handled with care.
Women
have often been referred to as the flowers or roses of Kampala and other cities
of the world in general. But if not carefully selected or related to
cautiously, can eventually turn out to be the genesis of man’s downfall. They
are however ferocious moral fighters and social builders of men with weaker
souls. Sometimes they prove to be the cornerstone of man’s success. Hence the
saying that; “behind every raising and successful man is a woman” but the more
gender sensitive modified the saying to: “behind every raising and successful
woman is a man”. Inversely too, “behind every falling woman is a man”, and “behind
every falling man is a woman”.
In
Eden, the situation was slightly different. Adam did not go through the hustle
of wooing, paying bride price or negotiating with uncompromising in laws in
order to acquire Eve. She was simply constructed for him from him. We can
assume that he fell in love with her first sight. All Adam needed was an
inbuilt biological love ‘DNA’ chip of an integrated circuit compatible with Eve;
and accept her like the choice he had been looking for after quite a long
search; or before he was woken up from a deep slumber after God had created her
for him. This could be true because when God had finally created Eve and
brought her to Adam, he said in Genesis 2:23: “This at last is the bone of my
bones and flesh of my flesh; this on shall be called woman”.
The
quotation above has overtones of Adam having fallen in love at first sight. It
is also possible that he was just lucky that Eve turned out to be very
beautiful and presentable; for God possibly wished him ultimate happiness in the
spiritual and physical satisfaction.
The
two must have therefore been living happily in paradise before the emergence of
the serpent. Adam was partly responsible for his downfall in Eden. He simply
looked on and did not intervene as the serpent tempted eve when he clearly knew
the law of God never to touch the forbidden tree or eat its fruits. Perhaps if
Adam had intervened, the world and life on this planet would be different
today.
I
am fully aware that this painting may be able to say much more than what I have
written about it. Beyond what it is able to say to you in silence and in my
absence, allow me to conclude by at least leaving you with the following
questions which may generate the unmade painting with the same title in you and
me.
What,
which, or where is the Eden of today? Who are the Eves and Adams in it? Which
are the forbidden Trees and their fruits in this new garden? Who are the
serpents or snakes of today?
If
on this planet are men and women to whom God gave and sill gives silent and loud
commandments to guide their behaviour; but are still prone to temptation in
different ways; and by different things like various species of trees; that bear
fruits that can be eaten by animals, birds, all creatures of the wilderness, and human
beings; what difference is there between the Eden that was watered by the river
of the four branches of Pishon; that
flows around the whole land of Havilah, of Gihon; that flows around the whole
land of Cush, of the Tigris; which flows east of Assyria; and of the Euphrates;
and that of the planet upon which we live? Is it all Eden or simply Earth? Are
you Adam or you are called Eve? Is rebelliousness, sin, guilt suffering, punishment,
birth and death all ingredients of creation and life? Is the world incomplete with or
without an Eden of some type? The answer could be in the eternal silence of time between you and me.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Beauty and the Beast. Oil on Canvas.
97cm x 126cm. 2014
“How many frogs have you kissed in your life, in a
hope that they would turn into a handsome Prince? .... Kiss no frog” Lucky Dube
sang in one of his songs.
In a quest for a perfect and mutual marital partnership, many
ladies get involved with several men in order to be blessed with Mr. ‘Right’.
The same is true for men as they also shuttle between one relationship and
another for Miss. ‘Perfect’.
While Lucky Dube asked girls as to how many frogs
they have kissed in their life in a hope that they would turn into a handsome Prince, it would have balanced the cross examination if men had also been asked
how many witches they have kissed in a hope that they would turn into beautiful
angels!
Men and women are constantly looking for a magical
transformation of their chosen partners to the woman or man of their dreams.
Sadly, it is only a lucky few who may kiss only one Frog or witch at a time in
order to get the right handsome Prince or beautiful Angel.
This is because human nature is dichotomous and
often multifaceted. It also shifts and changes when affected by internal or
external influences. This keeps humankind in a constant relational
metamorphosis; shifting feelings from one choice to another; and confirming the
fact that it is hard for an individual to get the right reading of a person’s
true character and nature within a short and first time.
It is therefore imperative that every mature
individual with clear consciousness of preferred choice; makes a proper and non
hasty selection for a permanent spouse and life long companion without
influence from external forces in the images of cherished cultures, beliefs in
religion, peer pressure, or parental patroness.
On the contrary however, long ago parents would choose
spouses for their daughters and to some extent their sons. Families which
shared common cultural interests or friendship would normally do this to keep
their ties intact.
A union of strangers would hence take place between
two individuals; with whom no period of courtship has been given chance to
flourish and for them to learn and get used to each other. The two would
begrudgingly go with partners chosen for them by their parents or relatives.
The couple would instead have no alternative but to satisfy other people’s
interests and not their own happiness or egos. A union of the outer and not the
inner self; was then forcefully put in place by the self conceited; in the name
of culture, taboos and friendship.
In most cases, the negative attitude with which an
individual is forced to exist together with a strange partner renders the
negated partner or spouse as the “beast”. The definition of the beast in this
respect cuts across the two unwilling partners for as long as their union has
been forced between them. The willing or consenting side in this situation can
be categorized as the “beauty”. It can in this respect represent the Man or the Woman who is willing and not negated.
In such a situation, only time may prove to be the
silent arbitrator of the unwilling side of the couple; who often judge beauty by
looking at the external presentation of an Individual.
The inner self and spiritual beauty of a person may
only manifest after some time; when partners have stayed together long enough
and are ready to sacrifice and drop their ego boundaries and self
conceitedness.
The visible external ugliness, beauty or
handsomeness of a person may not be able to give us the inner or spiritual
definition of a person. Its interpretation may prove to be a multitude of
perplexing images. A handsome man may turn out to be spiritually satanic; just
like a beautiful lady may turn out to be wicked.
Even when veiled in a mist of ugliness, the inner
beauty of a person may manifest through a leakage of kindness, remorse-fulness,
sincerely, trust, dedication and true love. The reverse is equally true. Even
when obscured by the polished and reflective mirror of astounding beauty, the
ugliness of the inner self or soul will always manifest through a leakage of
treachery, hypocrisy, callousness, lack of kindness, ruthlessness or being murderous.
It therefore follows that when the good qualities of
an individual are observed, studied and acknowledged by the previously negative
partner, the former “beast” is accepted as “beauty” in spite of the negative
physical appearance. In this case, gossipers may be overheard whispering in the
corridors; “what did that beautiful woman admire of that ugly man!” or “what
did that handsome man look for in that ugly woman!”
At this point in time, the famous cliché begins to
operate; ‘Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder’.
Paradoxically however, in spite of the presence of eminent
physical beauty, a negative attitude may accrue from a previously positive
attitude towards a person; if there is a revelation of the existence of a
‘beast’ inside the ‘beautiful’. Physical beauty is in this case devalued by the
inner beast enshrined in it. Concomitantly, physical ugliness can be beautified
by the beauty of the soul; which lives for a life time and to some extent for an eternity
of an individual man or woman.
THE TRAP
Oil on Canvas.63.7cm x 97.5cm. 2014
A musician by the names of Sophie Nantongo composed
a song titled “Akamasu” [the rat trap].
In this song, Nantongo advices fellow women to always
be cunning enough and lay traps for their men at different times of the day.
“Bwebuziba tega akamasu” (when night falls, lay a trap) “Togayaala, tega
akamasu; akamasu okuli akanyeebwa” ["Never relax, always relentlessly lay a trap
with a groundnut bait”].
Nantongo goes ahead to advise fellow women that they
should not mistreat their husbands relying on hearsay and rumours. That if they
do so, ill fate awaits them in future. She proceeds to advise that men do not
want to be tortured. The worst a woman can do is to simply get annoyed with a
man. That it is only the tricks of a woman that can make a man stable in a
home. Being quarrelsome can simply chase a man from home. “Mukazi munnange
nkubbirako, omukwano kamasu” [“fellow woman let me tell you a secret; love is nothing but simply a
type of trap"], or [being in love is all about laying traps].
The song paints husbands in a home as slippery
individuals if they are not carefully handled. Being quarrelsome, dirty, nagging,
always blaming, rumour mongering, torturous, boring and not being sexually
seductive on the side of women, may make a man slithery in a relationship. So
according to Nantongo, men need traps which are skilfully laid to stabilize
them. Sophie argues that unless such traps are laid, other women can easily snatch
away husbands. She however does not go deep in supplying to the listeners and
those being advised on the various types of traps that can be laid for men.
However, a few of those traps that I know range
from, being clean, innovative, enterprising, welcoming to visitors and
relatives, being economical, loving; knowing what to do in bed and constantly
being sexually seductive to ones spouse. Though not boldly spelt out, Sophie’s
metaphor of ‘Akamasu okuli akanyeebwa’ [a trap with a groundnut bait]; spells
and connotes eroticism and sexual seduction.
In her opinion, a woman should be sexually seductive
in the evening, in the morning and all the time if a man is to be kept stable
at home.
In the ‘akamasu’ [trap] song; are overtones of a woman’s
sexual tricks or traps that can be used if other women are not to snatch the
man away. So, every time a trap of some type should be laid for the presumably
slippery man.
Let me point out that men are always surrounded by erotic
traps; and not only those found in their homes specifically laid by their
women. These traps are every where a man can go. On the streets, schools,
markets, hotels, funeral rites, parties, dance halls, churches and any other
place a man can find a woman with a trap of some type.
The dangerousness of Sophie’s ‘trap’ the ‘kamasu’,
is that it is an invisible sexual trap; which in the lyrics of the song, she tactfully
and skilfully camouflages with other baits like; not being quarrelsome to men;
or being caring to them; when they come back home with food for the family.
The word ‘Akamasu’ [the trap] in Sophie’s song;
actually also connotes a trap for household rats. If got properly, no rat has
ever made a miracle of rescuing itself from a mouse trap of this type. Rats are
normally found strangled to death with their eyes bulging or popping out with blood
oozing out of their mouth and nose! It is so rare for any man captured by this
seductive erotic trap laid by women, to ever find his senses back to the corner
of reason and clear conscience!
It is fine and in order at home, if a woman sexually dresses to trap
her man using that genre of ‘kanyeebwa’ [ground nut bait]. But if that type of
trap is made to traverse the streets of the city, then it culturally raises
moral questions.
Heaving and loaded on their chests like weapons of mass
seduction, many young women often lay traps of their boobs which they squeeze
with tight bras, to make them bulge out from their bosoms. Others have been
seen wearing jeans being rode on ‘Boda-bodas’ [passenger motorcycles], with
their back sides peeping out and without knickers. Others wear transparent
fabrics which don’t need keen observers to be able to trace out the contours of
their body and being reminded of nakedness. Some wear very short dresses
which may give any casual observer no struggle to have a glimpse of their knickers if they
bother to wear them anyway!
The videos shot for the music of Uganda today, are
all built on the notion of traps and sexuality. The participants in these videos
are mainly women who appear pornographically dressed. In this case, homes and
families have been captured on these visual traps called television sets.
If parents carefully watch out from the corners of
their eyes, they will often get surprised to find their children of below ten
years with eyes almost bulging or popping out, as they watch music videos with pornographic
images of badly dressed women on television. It is only the courageous ones who
may reach out for the remote control set and change the channel.
We are moving and all the time surrounded by global
and local traps of every type. Adverts on television, City billboards on the
walls of attractive hotels, buildings, restaurants, shops, supermarkets, the
internet and applications on smart phones, on cars; are just but to mention a
few.
But
as for Sophie Nantongo, it is all but keeping a man at home, laying him erotic traps; and keeping him
sexually satisfied.
About the painting
“The
trap” as a picture addresses the seductive trap of erotically dressed women; especially
when they have nice curves or contours of their body against space.
The
face and head are abstracted to address the unanswered and often puzzling
questions of morality. For example, a man may doubt the working mechanism of the
brain of his wife if she climbs into the bed wearing overalls or a pair of
jeans on Valentines Day! Like wise, it will raise moral questions if a young
woman sits in church and at the front row, with boobs popping out of her bra,
or wearing a mini skirt allowing the priest to see her knickers.
It is all
about the right costume, the right action; to achieve and lay the best trap; at
the right place, for the right person and opportune moment in time.
Oil on Canvas. 96.6cm x 126.5cm 2014
Oil on Canvas. 63cm x 97cm. 2014
About the Painting
DILEMMA OF CHOICE
Oil on Canvas. 96.6cm x 126.5cm 2014
I
have not yet reached any conclusion to the effect that God must have had any
special intention in creating different species of flowers as part of nature; neither
can I force people to believe that flowers are most outstanding of all plants
that God created.
However,
one aspect is clear to me. Human beings have attached special beliefs and
qualities to various species of flowers in order to serve their intended
context and purpose.
For
that matter, lovers do exchange flowers on Valentines Day of February 14th.
Flowers have been used to decorate and celebrate weddings; just as much as they
are used as wreaths at funerals. They can be used to relay the message of love;
when given as a special banquet by the person who can’t boldly mention the phrase; “I
love you”. Flowers are used to decorate sitting rooms and compounds; and their
images are imbedded in our textiles, just to mention but a few of the purposes
they serve for humanity.
About the Painting
As
a painting, ‘Dilemma of choice’ aims
to address the contextual paradox; and to attempt answering the question as to
whether women are like a garden flowers, from which men have the liberty to
pick the desired choice or specie.
“Women
are flowers”; some people have been overheard saying so. It is unclear to me
whether when women are contextualized in the metaphor flowers, the issue of
type or species is taken into account. My suspicion is that because flowers as
a genre are generally beautiful, their images are not only reflected; but are
also used as a general underpinning for the so many aesthetic facets of
descriptions men attach to Women.
While
some flowers are thorny, others are not. They differ in colour, size and shape.
Some are terrestrial others are aquatic. Some are seasonal, others are perennial.
Some grow on trees, others grow on shrubs. Some are visited by bees for nectar,
others are not. While some are scented, others are simply flat with out any
odour and so on. It could be possible that some women may share some of the metaphoric
descriptions and qualities mentioned above.
When
placed in the paradoxical garden of choice to select the most appropriate ‘flower’
or spouse for a life time, there is no better moment for man to prove his vulnerability
to dilemma and risks mixed with confusion. The situation can even be worse if
the person choosing a new spouse has a backdrop of a painful history of a previous
wrong choice at the back of his mind.
At
this moment, it is only those men with the ability to discern the types of flowers they mistakenly picked in history; and the problems
they encountered with those choices; who may be in position to pick a better ‘flower’
this time around.
It
is important for a man to recall the type and properties of his former ‘flower’
or spouse in history. Was the flower thorny? Was it scented or just flat? Was
it a hibiscus mistakenly chosen as a rose? Or it was a water Lillie turned into
a sunflower with time?
Because
men don’t; or rarely keep psychological copies of their former wrong choices and
experiences with spouses, they often pick related incarnates to their previous
mistakes; when presented with another chance to make a new and better choice.
On
the other hand, some women first do present as good and right choices. But
later, they go through a metamorphosis and transformations of images the man never
intended to choose.
These
behavioural changes may be attributed to interferences from society; or the negative
psychic of the individual. Issues related to riches, poverty, politics, tribal
differences, religion, cultural status quo, educational level, promiscuity, malice,
rumour mongering, impotence and sexual incompetence; to mention but a few, can
cause a behavioural change in a formerly presumed perfect choice.
In
his song titled ‘It is not easy’, Lucky Dube the late, addresses the same
paradox of choice. In the ensuing dialogue with his mother over the phone when
he called her to inform her he was getting married, Lucky Dube is asked whether he thought he had made the right choice. “Son did you take time
to know her?” Dube's mother asked. “Mother, she is the best” he replied.
But as the lyrics continue in the song,
Lucky Dube realizes that his right choice had changed to a wrong one; as he
later laments: “But today, it hurts so...to go back to Mama and say: Mama, I am
getting divorced...Oh! I am getting divorced!... This choice I made dint work
out the way I thought it would... This choice I made!...It hurts me so Mama!.
Such
is the paradox and dilemma of choice, in this world full of ‘flowers’; or women
to choose from, for a life long companion; who may bring to the chooser either
happiness or sadness.
These
days, it is advisable to be gender sensitive when addressing issues related to
discrepancies between men and women; and spouses in general. I am yet to learn of
a particular plant which has been metaphorically used to represent the character, ugliness
or handsomeness of men. Flowers may definitely not be suitable metaphors for men; due to their famine overtones. If men are not ‘flowers’, then they must be some
type of animal; a ‘Bull’ for example.
The
reverse could also be true for women as they choose their ‘Bulls’ or men. Could
it be true that ‘beauty’ [the beautiful but unwilling Woman], can by mistake or luck choose ‘beast’
[the good and willing but ugly or unwanted Man]; for a permanent companion? Or by some
luck the ‘Bull’ [Man] can choose the right ‘flower’ [Woman]; first time? With these questions in mind, choice may prove
to be paradoxical in a world full of constant production, reproduction and
renewal of endless choices of ever blossoming flowers!
The Parrot
Oil on Canvas. 63cm x 97cm. 2014
Sound is a result of the impact that happens between
two objects or situations which may be visible or invisible; or electric in
nature.
The nature of the resulting sound may depend on the
size, material, strength, speed or the environment surrounding the two
impacting physical or non physical objects. The resulting sound may hence occur
as a bang, an explosion, a screech, a whistle, a hiss, a click, a tick a hum, a
sneeze, a churn a crackle, or an echo.
For the sounds generated electrically, the range may vary from sparks to thunderous
explosions.
About the Painting
A parrot is known for its ability to mimic human
sound. In this behaviour, it echoes or resonates back what it hears. It should
be remembered that the sound that a parrot echoes; or resonates back; travels
through space. As it does so, it impacts and interacts with the environment
through which it travels. It is this invisible impact and interaction with the
environment of space and air; that the visible colour in this picture tries to
depict; as possible patterns and designs caused by the sound sent or echoed back
by the parrot.
In this scenario, the object emitting the sound and
the environment surrounding it; become one entity of a homogenous design
resulting in an artwork.
REJUVENATION
Oil on Canvas.108.3cm x 108.3cm. 2014
[Acquired]
In
Buganda, stories related to trees which rise up after they have for long fallen
are common. It is also not easy to come across one such tree and scenario.
So
far in my life, I have only managed to see two of them. The first one was in
1975; along the fence of the king’s palace at Kasubi; directly facing the road which
goes down into Kiwuunya zone. The
second one was at Bulenga; zone (A), Kikaaya Wakiso District. This one happened
around the year 2000.
What
is interesting of the two cases; is that the trees involved in the two scenarios
belonged to the botanical classification known as ‘ficus natalensis’‘Omutuba’
[Luganda]. In both cases, the trees had fallen and spent time on the ground for more than one
year. In the two scenarios, the parts which rose at least achieved an inclination angle of 45
degrees; and people had started chopping firewood from them.
In
the case of the Bulenga tree, I remember very well that this tree fell under a
heavy down pour during the night. Its branches even broke the three phase
electric cables passing overhead. These were later reinstalled. The road was
impassable until the branches lying across the road had been cut off. Later,
people started chopping firewood from the part that remained of the stem.
One morning as I walked to catch a taxi for
work, I was surprised to find a collection of villagers all moving towards the
spot where the Mutuba tree had fallen almost two years ago! They wanted to witness
the now raised stump of half chopped stem, standing at an angle of 45 degrees.
The
stump stood thus for about two days, as rounds of curious spectators kept
coming to witness the spiritual wonder. It was not until the ‘Balokole’; [members
of the salvation church, ‘the saved ones’]; came, prayed and set fire to it; that people stopped streaming to the spot. The stump kept burning for at least one week.
Rumours
went around that long ago, a particular clan used to perform traditional rights
around this tree; and that occult powers could have been invested in it by that
clan. Others said that it could have possibly been an abode for some wondering
spirits.
Today,
the office of the current Local Council One, of Kikaaya Zone ‘A’, and some
shops are on the commercial building occupying the very spot where this tree
once stood.
