Thursday, July 26, 2012

THE HISTORY OF GRAFFITI ART IN TANZANIA

Graffiti is considered by many as the last hiphop element in Tanzania. However, graffiti has been around since the late 1970s during the time of Ujamaa (African Socialism) when most Tanzanians had no access to the Western Hemisphere nor Europe, the internet and the computer technology in general. The youth along the coastal towns of Dar es Salaam, Tanga, Mtwara and Zanzibar started to “storeaway” in ships that came in and left the country, and some, riskly made it to Europe and the West.

Through photographs and letters sent back home to relatives and friends who still held the dream of becoming seamen or just storing away for the sake of making it to Europe, escaping the hardships in the late 1970s to early 1980s when the Tanzanian economy was in bad shape right after the Tanzania-Uganda war that sent dictator Idi Amin Dada into exile, youth started tagging their real names and nicknames on city walls using charcoal which was available in any homestead and was easy to use in ‘leaving a mark’.

This new artform was given the name ‘chata’, meaning ‘a mark’, a Swahili slang term for graffiti. Spraycans were not available at that time. Though every nation has its own graffiti backgrounds, at this stage in Tanzania was similar to that of New York when TAKI 183 was recognized for tagging his name all around his city. The only difference is that here in Tanzania, no one paid attention to this new art trend, and so it passed unnoticed by art critics, the media and government in general.

Even as late as when spraycans started flowing into Tanzania, they were only used for spraying on cars or bikes just for the effort of replacing the old similar color. The charcoal tagging style remained dormant until early 2000s when a very first graffiti piece in Dar es Salaam was born in july 2003 by a South African graffiti artist known as Zaki who was an expatriate here in Tanzania. This historical piece stood along the Old Bagamoyo Road in Mikocheni area. It read “CURE” and was drawn on a fence made of iron sheets. Unfortunately, the iron sheets were then taken down and later taken up again but in an anti clockwise- upside down manner.

Then in 2004/2005 came Sela One (Sela-1), a graffiti artist from Germany. He did a lot of pieces in Dar es Salaam, Tanga and Arusha. By naming himself ‘Sela’, he was cherishing the name of the first Tanzanian messengers of graffiti. He was also honoring the past storeaways by taking a name “SELA”, (Sailor) a popular Swahili slang term which was given to any youth with the ambition to ‘storeaway’. To many, he opened eyes in seeing a real westernized graffiti piece.

The year 2007 came with its merry blessings as the ‘Words and Pictures’ (WaPi), a monthly open mic event that celebrated all elements of hiphop was launched in Dar es Salaam, held at and sponsored by the British Council around May/June of the year 2007 right after the World Social Forum in Nairobi, Kenya. WaPi built a platform for underground creativity through visual arts and speech. It also enhanced confidence and eager among the youth. In the history of graffiti/hiphop as late as that year 2007, WaPi was the one and only place that at the end of every month offered free material (spraycans, masks and markers) plus free white painted walls. Being an event of its kind not only in a writer’s perspective, but of a Tanzanian hiphop history in general, the famous WCT Crew, a crew engaged in graffiti and creative arts was formed on these same grounds and took lead in listing all upcoming graffiti artists, teaching and nourishing what was already there.

WCT stands for Wachata, a Swahili slang term for graffiti derived from the storeaways who pioneered the charcoal tagging style back then. Many Tanzanians also face the difficulty of pronouncing the word ‘graffiti’, many ending up saying grafit, graft, or even grafix. Having seen this problem, the crew decided to name itself Wachata which is easy to pronounce and has a more crystal clear meaning of a Graffiti writer.

As graffiti art being a new artform to many in Tanzania, it didn’t put bread on the table as many thought it would suddenly. The Wachata Crew movement slowly disintegrated as many of its members started moving out to look for greener pastures and some making it to other regions. So, out of 25 to 30 regular WaPi graffiti art participants, only 4 made it to form WCT Crew’s inner circle (core), all with different art backgrounds. WCT Crew is legally operating with members being Meddy Maubaka, Mejah, Kalasinga, and Localfanatics.

There is also another individual who also played an important role towards Wachata Crew. Kool Koor, a legendary graffiti artist from the Bronx/NYC during the 1970s and 1980s, who now resides in Brussels, Germany. He came as an artist invited by the East African Biennale, which is an art exhibition in East Africa, and luckily enough it happened during the same week of a WaPi event. He was being sponsored by Montana Cans from Germany, and so he decided to do a graffiti workshop and the WCT Crew happened to be there. He also introduced the crew to Montana Spraycans and shared with them different techniques and basics of graffiti art which many had no idea of.  WCT Crew is also part of Kool Koor’s worldwide graffiti movement known as “YES WE CAN”.

WCT Crew and the graffiti scene in general has been lucky due to not getting negative feedbacks towards this new artform. People don’t refer it to vandalism, or atleast it does not look like vandalism but rather a piece of art. This success has been achieved by the way WCT principles it work, obliged to conduct workshops and discipline at work. In this way, we have no trouble with the law and citizens. Even the government at the moment. Might be that we haven’t pressed the right button yet.

The use of vibrant colours is another thing which WCT Crew has been credited for, not because we’re the best than the rest, but because of improvisation and a creative way we are using a limited variety of the only available colors that are very bad in quality. Despite the challenges of not having many choices, WCT has still managed to use what it takes to produce good quality work. Apart from doing graffiti, the crew also design and print T-shirts to meet the huge market. The crew also holds graffiti classes and hosts its own Hiphop culture oriented events.

Moreover, people are tired of the same type of art when it comes to corporate advertising and advertising campaigns. This is because most of it is done using computers. So for those who want a unique artwork, they see graffiti as a source. Also since graffiti is seen as the latest artform, most advertisers see it as a way to attract the young audience. Though still struggling, graffiti has a bright future in Tanzania because artists can and are now getting paid for their creative work.

WCT Crew has also gained more attention in Tanzania because we get much of the media attention, but at the same time, this shouldn’t overshadow the fact that we’ve laid down a solid foundation from which we can carry something positive to the people, taking it beyond just tagging or bombing our names for the sake of attention and fame.

Apart from working around commissioned projects, the crew also runs and hosts its own youth oriented projects and is legally governmental registered under the Tanzanian Art Council, BASATA since 2011, which makes WACHATA CREW the first official Graffiti crew in Tanzania.

In wishing for a bigger and active Graffiti scene in Tanzania, the year 2017 came with the birth of other Graffiti crews such as the East Wallz Crew (members being Andrew Munua, Yasiin and Stanfox) and Frontliners (Edo Tibasima and Kimweri) with Andrew, Yasiin, Stanfox and Kimweri being products and attendees of WACHATA CREW Graffiti workshop programs. With few of their works done in Arusha and Dar es Salaam. Edo Tibasima is a WCT member who resides in Mwanza region and Kimweri being a Graff fanatic that lives in Dar es Salaam.

The year 2017 also came up with a Wachata Crew project known as WOMEN XPRESS, with the aim of motivating and inspiring young women into the Graffiti scene after seeing the scarcity of women in Art. The first Women Xpress project was launched in 2017 with its final public event held at the Morocco Bus Terminal. The second Women Xpress project chapter was held in 2020 in partnership with the High Commission of Canada, Dar es Salaam. The final event was held at the Gymkhana basketball grounds with the Canadian Ambassador, Mama Pamela O’Donell being the guest of honor. The event celebrated all elements of Hiphop. The project was also lucky enough to be allowed to paint the High Commission of Canada wall along the Mirambo street as WOMEN XPRESS platform to showcase their Graff ability in the celebration of the International Women’s Day 2021. The mural still stands high and bright, reading PAMEPAMBAZUKA.

The anticipation and thirst of other Graff crews formation is still at large

Saturday, June 9, 2012

BOOOM! WCT CREW GETS U SCHOOLED


Gettin' u schooled is wat we here for. WCT Crew is holding down Grafitti&Creative Art classes every Saturday, 10:30 to 11:30 AM and Mondays  as the above poster indicates. It 'ol happens @ MAKUTANO HOUSE, oysterbay, thats from the Chole Road junction going towards Coco Beach. All ages are welcome and u'll be scheduled according to that. Come and learn, come and be creative. Come all. Keep it Foward.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

WCT CREW BURNING ONCE AGAIN


Though we havent been consistent in updating our blog, that doesnt mean we're dead. On a typical cool day of 11th/5/2012, WCT went indoors @ the East Africa TV offices, the whole idea was to come up with a creative colourfull graffiti backdrop that's easyly readable for HOT MIX episodes broadcasted everyday from Monday-Friday, 5:00 to what, a five hours work with killing fumes. damn it!

 
 peace to all em fellaz that showed up, leaving their personal gigs for this indoor graffiti session.
   
more stuff comin.

Monday, April 16, 2012

SUCKER

To a passerby, a wall is just a wall. To grafitti writer, walls differ in a wide range...
WCT Crew met @ 4:30 pm near Sunrise Beach Resort for some practical work after a long long loonggg boring sunday...........









Nice day .........................

WCT TAKES IT OUT LAND


For the first time ever in TANZANIA, the famous WCT Crew laid its first mark on the salty waters of the Indian ocean. Call the project "the ocean boot" as the above picture 'the invader' indicating life & vegetation out there.......


For thoz used to working indoors (on land), putting a piece on waters has some crazy difficulties, one being dehydration. Putting that "off" mind tho', WCT Crew nailed it through out............



Meddy, Kalasinga, Mejah, Biggy and Localfanatics can out representin' on a fishermen's boat named FEISAL which makes its fishing routes from and between Dar es salaam - Zanzibar - Kilwa and Mafia Island.................




High tide and Low tide being another speedy challenge faced, the time between the two is only 2.5 hours at the Dar es Salaam dug-out habour. The whole project was interesting & fun. Check out FEISAL @ Kigamboni. For your eyez only. PEACE.