Painting a Controversial Issue in Contemporary East African Art. A Focus on Peter Ngugi and a Comparison with Arim Andrew and Michael Soi between Nairobi and Kampala
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Copyright (c) 2025 Giuseppe Capriotti
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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.13138/2039-2362/4082Abstract
This article analyses how Kenyan painter Peter Ngugi, a leading figure in contemporary East African art, integrates elements of Swahili tangible and intangible cultural heritage to address a sensitive issue: the freedom to love and, more broadly, the rights of gender and sexual minorities. A comparative analysis is also conducted with works by Arim Andrew (Uganda) and Michael Soi (Kenya), who engage with similar themes through different visual strategies. While Arim Andrew employs cryptic symbolism to hint at unspeakable desires in Uganda, Michael Soi is overt, portraying homosexual characters to critique Kenyan societal hypocrisy. Positioned between these extremes, Peter Ngugi adopts a poetic approach, using the kanga (fluttering freely in outstretched arms) as a metaphor for a nation that honours its traditions but is also ready to embrace a more inclusive future.
Questo articolo analizza come il pittore keniota Peter Ngugi, figura di spicco dell’arte contemporanea dell’Africa orientale, integri elementi del patrimonio culturale tangibile e intangibile Swahili per affrontare una questione delicata: la libertà di amare e, più in generale, i diritti delle minoranze di genere e sessuali. Viene inoltre condotta un’analisi comparativa con opere di Arim Andrew (Uganda) e Michael Soi (Kenya), che affrontano temi simili attraverso differenti strategie visive. Se Arim Andrew ricorre a un linguaggio simbolico e criptico per alludere a desideri indicibili in Uganda, Michael Soi è esplicito, rappresentando personaggi omosessuali al fine di denunciare l’ipocrisia della società kenyota. Collocandosi tra questi due estremi, Peter Ngugi adotta un approccio poetico, utilizzando il kanga (che sventola libero tra braccia protese al cielo) come metafora di una nazione che onora le proprie tradizioni, ma che sarebbe anche pronto ad aprirsi a un futuro più inclusivo.
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