With Malawi joining the rest of the world in commemorating the International Albinism Awareness Day on Monday, visual artist Ellis Tayamika Singano exhibited a painting The Lost Heads during the official opening of the Jacaranda Cultural Centre and La Maison de la France in Blantyre.
Singano, who was recently in Germany where he attended exhibitions on the Malawi/ Germany Symposium project running under the them Myths of Malawi, said The Lost Heads is a painting which is against the killing of albinos.
Persons with albinism in the country are currently experiencing different atrocities such as abductions and killings due to people’s belief that their body parts have magical powers that bring good luck.
Association of Persons with Albinism in Malawi President Bonface Massah told BBC recently that they were living in fear and that they have had to adjust their movement because of abductions and killings.
Since November 2014, at least 18 people have been killed and at least five have been abducted and remain missing.
Several artists have come out to use their talents to voice out their concerns against albino killings with the latest coming from presidential mimickers.
“I just thought I should come up with this painting to add my voice on the albino killings. The Lost Heads is against the killing of the albinos,” said Singano.
He added:
“As you can see in this painting, yellow people represent the albinos and black background represents darkness while the other part you have heads on red background that represent blood.”
He said the painting was telling a story that that people with albinism were living in fear in their own land.
“So it is like these people are living in fear in their own land, each and every time they are like in darkness where they can see no hope, no future and they are like walking dead fearing their own friends, neighbours and brothers. We surely need to show love to them,” he said.
Singano said he was happy to exhibit the painting for the first time and that through it he wants to play a role in fighting the albino killings.
The 2016 International Albinism Awareness Day was commemorated under the theme Together we must stop violations against persons with albinism.
Apart from exhibiting The Lost Heads painting on Monday, Singano also displayed other pieces of his other artworks under the theme The Journey through the light.
He said that the opening of the Jacaranda Cultural Centre was good for artists as they would now have a place to exhibit their works but also network.
“I also feel honoured because I am the first visual artist to exhibit at this place,” he said.
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