Art

Artists of Platfontein: Joao Wenne Dikuanga 

2010-02-01 14:44:00

Artists of Platfontein: Joao Wenne Dikuanga

Continuing our series on the artists of  the !Xun and Khwe Art Project in Northern Cape (near Kimberley) South Africa. From Marlene Winburg’s book: My Eland’s Heart.

Joao Wenne Dikuanga was born during the late 1920’s in Cuito, Angola. He experienced his traditional education with his family, who made a living from hunting and gathering. In the late 1950’s, Dikuanga worked in Johannesburg in a gold mine for a few years before returning home. When his parents were killed in the Angolan war in the late 1970’s, he fled to Omega in Namibia, where he was employed as tracker and kitchen worker by the South African Defence Force.

“I think of the old stories when I paint. Then I have the bush and the eland in my heart.”

“This is an old story…The hunter needs to make a new bow and arrow. He must hunt a good eland. He walks into the bush to find a good tree. He finds one and cuts its branches off. Yes, just like that. He chops the branches off with his axe.”

“Suddenly, the tree’s heart starts to bleed. The tree is bleeding from its branches.”

“The tree grows feet and hands. The feet and hands start to bleed.”

“Then the hunter’s fingers grow. It becomes branches. He grows another arm and another. It looks like branches!”

“The hunter is fading now. His soul leaves him. His spirit flies up into the air. His spirit goes up to the sky village.”

“Then this spirit becomes a new hunter. It appears instead of the old hunter.”

“The new hunter becomes a good hunter now. He is the best hunter.”

“He can tell which eland has a good heart and which eland has a bad heart. Now he knows that he can only hunt an eland with a good heart.”

Extracts from:
My Eland’s Heart, a collection of stories and art, from !Xun and Khwe San Art and Culture Project by Marlene Sullivan Winberg was published by David Philip Publishers in Cape Town in 2001.

Anyone who is interested in buying the work of these, and other, artists should contact Marlene on: marlene.winberg@absamail.co.za

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