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| Title: | Meaning-making in visual culture: the case of integrating Ganda idigenous knowledge with contemporary art practice in Uganda |
| Authors: | Kabito, Richard |
| Keywords: | Visual culture
Ganda
Indigenous Knowledge
Contemporary art
Art
Uganda |
| Issue Date: | 2010 |
| Abstract: | ABSTRACT
It is apparent that in Buganda, art produced in the studio is detached from its
community. This realization undermines the basic tenets of the indigenous systems
of knowledge generation, acquisition, and practical usability, which enabled Ganda
society to enjoy the benefits accrued from its cultural constellations. Any culture
comprises unique and specific sets of beliefs, values, and norms that distinguish it
from other cultures, and within these a priori institutions, individuals and groups
adroitly realize their own physiological, psychological, and social needs. One of the
requirements that humans rely on to cater for their needs, is art, which is fundamental
at all levels of human development. Roger Fry, (cited in, Howells, 2003) notes that
people have two kinds of life: “the actual and the imaginative, and the work of art was
‘intimately connected’ with the second” (p. 35). The Baganda in order to satisfy this
set of human requirements developed an art form, which was mainly instrumental
in satisfying functional needs as well as spiritual concerns. The Baganda, out of dire
need to fit into the social and psychological worlds, established strategic systems
of bodily practice and oral culture that they used for pedagogy, communication and
propagation of knowledge structures across generations. Having survived since
the 14th century when Kato Kintu reportedly first came to Buganda, these strategies
could not last long especially when the Ganda people adapted to new ideologies that
missionaries, Arab and Indian traders, and explorers brought to Buganda.1 Roscoe
(1921) writes: “…the beautiful bark-cloth dress of the women has also given place
to tawdry blouses and skirts introduced by Indian traders.…” (pp. 100-101). Further,
“Arab traders taught the locals to read Swahili in Arabic characters; “Before this,
no Muganda knew any system of transmitting his thoughts to writing or of making
any permanent records…” (Roscoe, pp. 100-101). Father Lourdel through Mackay
persuaded the king to sanction the worship of pictures: “Hence arose the enthusiasm
of the Baganda for medals, scapulars, and other images distributed by missionaries”
(Lugira, 1970, p. 155-157).2 This enthusiasm arose as a result of the king’s as “master
and center of everything in Buganda” was in favor of the pictures. By so doing, many of
the local systems of perpetuating life within communities gradually slid into oblivion,
giving way to alien tenets that accelerated local histories.3 Communities became
increasingly detached from their indigenous ways of life and among those values
that suffered the alien invasion was art. This study therefore, attempts to rediscover
some of the effective tools that the Baganda used to maintain all faculties of their
society functionally together. This study proposes Oral Culture as a tool necessary
to redefine the links between art and its community. It further proposes Remix as a
means of reemphasizing the oral. The overall purpose in this study is to describe the
ways in which narrative and remix aesthetics could aid in the constitution of meaning
in plastic arts, which would in turn continue indigenous knowledge. I will argue that
since narrative is an effective communicative tool, then it would be vital in forging a
relevant and understandable visual culture to its community. In support, I will also
argue that since Ganda material culture is familiar and locally accessible, then it will
be influential in constituting visualization of narrative representations specific and
thus adapted to their own locales.
Although I do not level any claim against significantly changing something, in
my study, people’s perceptions find renewed hope: the frames that once made gates
turned out fully pledged and autonomous artworks; the doors mutated into narratives;
and cloth became drapery–no longer off cuts. Tradition is dismantled and
waist beads worn as necklaces. Questions flare. Ganda artifact is used in new situations
but still in its old casing: this attracts attention of the passersby, while stories
mutate into tangible ‘things’–for those who never had a chance of ‘seeing’ them. Reflection
becomes part of process: Kato Kintu reflects history while Kintu maintains
legend; Kaleeba emphasizes tradition while Matyansi Butyampa and Sewandeku focus
on reality. Many reflections from various viewpoints that I cannot conclusively
recount in this short text, form part of the transformation experienced in artistic research
most of the time missed by ‘scientific’ methods. In general, the artistic project
breaks with tradition and plies its own route. I received comments of uniqueness
and novelty as a result.4
4 |
| Description: | Dr. Kabito hold a Doctoral degree at
the University of Art and Design Helsinki (TaiK) |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/1019 |
| Appears in Collections: | Theses & Dissertations (SIFA)
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| kabiito-richard-sifa-phd.pdf | | 4621Kb | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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