Art expo preserves Tanzania's indigenous legends
The contemporary art expo has brought the legends and beliefs of the indigenous people of the Southern Highlands to life in order to preserve this rich, but slowly fading heritage.
Ancient folktales on canvas
The Fahari Yetu Project — funded by the German Gerda Henkel Foundation — launches an exhibition of African history and culture featuring ancient stories found in the Iringa region. It is called Endangered Stories of Enchanted Places. The launch of the exhibition is a continuation of the preservation of the endangered African memories for future generations.
The Big Snake
This piece addresses folktales of mythical, multi-headed snake creatures inhabiting water bodies. Depending on the size of the water body, the snakes can have up to 12 heads. They protect water resources in the environment from depletion through human utilization. Some folktales say that there is an underworld underneath the water surface in which so-called half-humans live.
Life after Death
Before the arrival of non-African foreigners, the dead were not buried but placed at designated sites (sacred caves, trees, forests). Chiefs would often sit on three-legged stools together with sacrifices such as elephant tusks and clay pots. Sacred trees, forests and caves are believed to be inhabited by ancestral spirits and people come to these places to communicate with their ancestors.
The Dark House
The Nyumba Nitu sacred forest and caves in Njombe is one of the most famous traditional worship sites in the region. While the forest serves the Bena people who wish to worship their ancestors and preserve their cultural heritage, the name nyumba nitu comes from the nearby caves into which they retreated in times of war against neighboring groups, such as the Hehe and the Sangu people.
The Hunter
During the 19th century the economy of the Southern Highlands was dominated by ivory. This painting shows the story of Chota Marula, a highly decorated hunter on his quest to hunt down elephants and provide ivory tusks to the regional chiefs, Arab-Swahili traders, and colonial commanders. The story bears relevance in the context of illegal elephant poaching and wildlife conservation.
Governance and Conflict
This painting gives impressions of indigenous rule and governance in the chiefdoms of the Southern Highlands, and how this traditional architecture of power transformed in the course of European colonization. It also depicts the people's efforts to spiritually overcome the violence and brutality of the colonial conquest.
Place of stories
Boma Iringa, the regional museum cultural centre, is a place of stories. About the Iringa in the past and the present. And about customs, traditions and ways of life. Iringa Town was established as a military base in 1896 by German colonizers. The first residents were African Askari troops, who fought on behalf of German East Africa and their families.
Ways of life
Most of the objects displayed in the cultural centre have been donated by people living in the Iringa Region. They originated from different villages, ethnic groups and communities. Visitors can find out more about traditional ways harvesting, storing, preparing and eating food in Iringa. The objects tell also stories about music, dance and ritual and trade.
From Past to Present
The exhibition enables visitors to trace the growth of Iringa Town from its colonial past to its struggle for independence to today's global influences. The contempory art exhibit about endangered stories and enchanted places brings into focus the traditional beliefs and myths of the region's people and their adaptation to social change.