‘Art Makes Me Feel Whole’

Born in the province of Katanga in Lubumbashi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and resident in Namibia for the past 18 years, 42-year-old Tity Tshilumba Kalala’s love for visual art was born at a tender age, inspired by his elder brother’s love and passion for drawing.

It was the instability in his country that forced Kalala from his homeland when he fled to Namibia as a refugee.

“Insecurity shook my country in 1998 and young people were forced to join the army. That was definitely not my dream and I refused to do something my heart was not in,” he said.

“In order to save myself, I had to leave. It wasn’t easy to say goodbye to family and friends, but I just had to.”

Today, Kalala has two children from a marriage of nine years, to the love of his life whom he met in Namibia.

Even more exciting is the fact that his portraits and paintings are featured in some government offices across the country – works of art created, funnily enough, in his kitchen.

“Following in my brother’s footsteps back then, I started drawing at the age of 10, but was passionately drawn to painting which is what I started focusing on more. And even though I am not yet in a financial position to have my own studio, I am so proud to say that my work hangs in some local government offices.”

Mining Company B2Gold also bought some of Kalala’s work recently.

“It is a tremendous honour. It all started at a group exhibition called ‘Land Matters in Art’ where my first piece was bought by the Ministry of Land. At another exhibition in 2013, my best friend Kaleb Haipinge and I were invited to showcase at ‘Part of our Society’. At that exhibition, the Ministry of Justice bought a piece of my work. Then came the exhibition ‘Art Inside’ where two of my artworks were sold again – one by the Office of the Auditor-General, and one by another ministry. The Ministry of Poverty Eradication also bought some of my work.”

Kalala continues to dream of going beyond his present reality, not only for his personal growth and success but to inspire other young, hopeful artists to follow their heart’s desire and never give up on their dreams.

He believes art could do with more appreciation and support in Namibia. “Not only visual arts but pursuits like music and drama need to be taken to the public to educate them,” he said.

“Some people are born artists and are driven by that passion to make a career of it. But with no support, they are forced to make a u-turn and choose something else to make a living from. That is a sad reality, because art has so much more to offer this world than meets the eye.”

Kalala believes art is a type of mirror to any society. Through it, people can learn more of the culture and the way of living of a people.

“Art has the potential to show Namibia to the world. I would like to appreciate the effort by government to uplift art, together with the National Art Gallery of Namibia and to remind my follows artists to work hard to a standard that will take Namibian art to the world,” he said.

Kalala also hopes to one day exhibit his work across the African continent and around the world at big shows and exhibitions, and have his art featured at museums globally.

“Sitting down with a brush, paper, or paints is an indescribable feeling only passionate artists can understand. It is a mixture of emotions on the journey of crafting a piece and the further you progress, the greater the excitement to see the final piece.”

Most of Kalala’s work includes paintings representative of culture, landscapes and the rich wildlife of Namibia. Many are realistic, depicting the daily life of people and animals in nature.

“Painting takes me into my own world – a world of peace and utter happiness. Nothing brings me more joy than sitting with paint and a brush and doing what I do best.”