Last time I take you to an elegant bar in Beijing to enjoy pieces of rugged artworks, especially various jewelry from Africa. We also met the maker of them Goldie Ahadu from Finland who has an Ethiopian husband.
While we were talking about the African handicrafts, Goldie received her first buyer. Out of strong taste for African culture, she bought a small piece.
"My first sale... I'll give it a nice wrap..."
"It is really a lovely necklace. What is it made of ?"
"The beads are from Africa."
"The colour matches harmoniously."
"Thank you!"
"How long does it take for you to finish it?"
"Not long for this piece. Two days."
"Oh! Wonderful! You know the beads are so small..."
"I'll give it a nice wrap..."
"I talked to the buyer later on."
Hi! Why did you buy the African artwork?
A: My husband is from Africa, too, just like Goldie's. He is from Congo. I like African things because I think they are really natural, beautiful.
Do you think it is expensive?
A: It is a bit but not too bad. I don't mind the price since I like. After all it is less expensive than that in Thailand or Indonesia.
Eh, have a good day!
A: You too. Thank you so much!
In addition to the jewelry, I noticed some bright-coloured paintings hung on a wall. It is a Tinga-Tinga painting, a modern art form of Tanzania. I came across the painter.
"My name is Abudallah. I am from Tanzania. I used to work in a company but doing Tingatinga is my hobby. I used to be a freelance painter. If somebody wanted me, I went and after that I was back for work..."
Abudallah says a man called Eduardo Tingatinga established the style in the 1960s. The paintings are covered with decorative vines and patterns from Swahili culture, with no space allowed to remain empty. Tinga-tinga use paint as a medium to comment on a variety of themes, from African animals to daily life in Tanzania.
Abudallah began to do Tinga-tinga painting when he was 15, an apprentice to a professional painter in Tanzania. He came to China in the hope of introducing the art to more Chinese because it reflects the spirit of Tanzanians. Now he is working for Pilipili bar, the only African restaurant here in the capital, Beijing.
There are also several oil paintings on the walls of the bar. Some are abstract and others realistic. They are about portraits, animals or natural beauty. All of them were painted by an Eritrean girl, Martha Woldu who is studying oil painting at a top-class art academy here in Beijing. Next time, we'll appreciate her paintings and get to know how she has pursued her studies in China.
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