Saving Tanzania's Cultural Heritage, One Slab at a Time
"This is an important initiative and we are proud to play a role in preserving such a major piece of Tanzania's artistic heritage for future generations" said Raju Sheth, President of the Rotary Club of Dar es Salaam Oyster Bay.
An important piece of Tanzania's heritage is being saved: a stucco portico created by the famous artist George Lilanga. This is also to preserve the heritage of Nyumba Ya Sanaa (The house of art) for the people of Tanzania.
For many years Nyumba Ya Sanaa was the leading center of arts in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. At the dawn of independence of Tanzania, President Nyerere, a great supporter of Nyumba ya Sanaa, was a frequent visitor and hosted a number of important meetings there.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyumba_ya_Sanaa <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyumba_ya_Sanaa>
Importantly, it is the place where the world famous artist George Lilanga started his artistic career and where he worked for many years.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Lilanga <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Lilanga>
In Nuymba Ya Sanaa, George Lilanga created a stucco portico that has been documented in many artistic references as one of the emblematic symbols of Dar es Salaam and the only venture of the artist into monumental mural art. Now that Nyumba Ya Sanaa has moved and largely suspended its role as a cultural center, the calls to preserve the center's role and heritage have been mounting.
With the move to a new location, the portico created by Lilanga had been dismantled and was in danger of being destroyed. It has been recently discovered in a state of disrepair, broken into many individual slabs.
When Philippe and Maria Amelina brought this matter to our attention on September 25th, it took no time at all to recognize the significance of this project to the history and culture of Tanzania. Before the end of the week, efforts were put into motion to move every piece of the portico to the National Museum and the House of Culture, under the aegis of UNESCO.
On Friday, September 29th 2012, the National Museum and the House of Culture procured and transported the slabs of the portico from current owners to the Museum for preservation, cataloguing, and further display. Trucks and equipment to transport the slabs have been kindly donated by the Twiga Cement Factory. The group of donors and the National Museum Staff met at the main gates of the National Museum to procure the portico and bring it to the National Museum.
"This is an important initiative and we are proud to play a role in preserving such a major piece of Tanzania's artistic heritage for future generations" said Raju Sheth, President of the Rotary Club of Dar es Salaam Oyster Bay. Advisor support is provided by World Bank cultural heritage specialists and Swedish experts. The Museum plans to allocate 2 walls of the museum for the display and the exhibition associated with the portico, transforming the inner courtyard of the museum into a creative space for art education and creative exchanges.
