

THE GOLDEN BOWL
by Liberatha AlibalioThe call, the naming, the name
My spirit still wonders
The call, the name, the naming
I tap into technology to know them all but keeps me more shallow than I came
Seven gathers at the mountain top to drink from a bowl of gold down-town
I gather on behalf, to call upon their names
My spirit reflects
My ancestors respond
I bring them into the conversation, to find them denied
I drum with the fabric to call upon the dance of themselves
To come and teach the self, the technology of learning thyself
The spirit of the fabric remembers, it's origin hue before the new was put
The form, before the old one was manipulated
The threads before it was woven
To rest before it was hung
The tension before stitching attention
Often stating to connect with nature
Which nature outside self?
To live as designed
Outside, inside, which self is myself?
To connect with nature will it differ from connecting with oneself?
The nature we choose to save, the illusion outside thyself
Maybe outside the gates of modernity
If they come asking
Have we forgotten or rather forsaken?
ABOUT
The Nafasi Academy, founded in 2020, is a long-form artistic programme designed to train artists and curators in key aspects of artistic practice from concept development, technique, professionalization, and history With the support of mentors locally and abroad, the goal of the Academy is to strengthen the technical and theoretical potential of culture workers in Tanzania
The Academy operates as a collaborative, co-creative site of inquiry and consists of a curriculum designed around questions that aim to instigate critical reflection around arts practices that are relevant to the contemporary context and which take an encompassing view of art and society – past, present and future
The New Shapes 2021 thematic programme is a shorter, more practical version of the Academy designed around specific themes It aims to bring together graduates from the academy and other cultural practitioners interested in learning how to refine their work through creative practices
The name New Shapes comes from a quote by Khalil Gibran, who wrote that “Art arises when the secret vision of the artist and the manifestation of nature agree to find new shapes” For the programme, “New Shapes” means taking a journey towards new understandings, histories, visions and imaginings of how we live with the world and nature – which can then be communicated fully and completely through any medium of art
The artists in the New Shapes programme have undertaken three weeks of research around the theme with the support of mentors various artists and curators locally and abroad including artist Asteria Malinzi (TZ), Francisco Guevara (MEX), Kim Gurney (SA), and Anawana Haloba (ZAM). There was also an exchange with the artist group participating in the Tuning In: Mini-lab residency programme in Zambia and the Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology who invited the artists to discuss and compare commonalities between artistic practice and design thinking
Following this period was an 8day residency in Morogoro – a town that is the agricultural centre for central and western Tanzania Part of the residency involved a 4-day stay with communities in the Uluguru mountains, the catchment area for the Ruvu river which supplies both Morogoro and Dar es Salaam with water
In the final two weeks of the programme, the artists entered the production phase of the project that required each artist to synthesize the knowledge and experiences of the residency into original works of art. These were exhibited at Nafasi Art Space's permanent gallery from 11 December 2021 - 10 January 2022

THE PROGRAMME
1. PERSONAL RESEARCH
Over the course of the first week of the program the participants were challenged to look inward and to reflect on the theme through the stories, experiences, memories and histories of those closest to them.
As with each of the subsequent weeks the research exercises operated as both a means of collecting information for and as a method of exploring new understandings about the nature of knowledge, truth and insight.
Along with these sessions the participants also took part in a remote exchange each Wednesday with curator/artist Francisco Guevara, the director of Arquetopia, a self-sustaining residency space with sites in Oaxaca and Puebla, Mexico, Peru and Italy
2. COMMUNAL RESEARCH
During the second week participants undertook research win their community Specifically, they were challenged to seek and articulate the stories and history of green spaces within their neighborhoods
The exercise emphasized moving past evaluations regarding the purpose and function of green spaces in urban areas that are rooted in developmental discourse by focusing on the day to relationship communities in the city had with their environment
3. ACADEMIC & TRANSDISCIPLINAARY RESEARCH
During the third week, the participants were given specific, hands on methods on academic and transdisciplinary research methods They were aided in this by curator and researcher Kim Gurney, who shared the benefit of her experience through various case studies of her own work during a remote session
4. METHODS FOR IMAGINING
The fourth week consisted of further explorations of the ways in which information and insight can be charted and valued -- and the conditions under which insights are fostered The programme for the week consisted of session on building "New Awarenesses' hosted in conjunction with the Livingston Office for Contemporary Art in Zambia and a 'Design Thinking' workshop hosted by Dar-es-salaam Institute of Technology.
FINDING NEW SHAPES
BY REBECCA MZENGI COREYts es es ng rb
In the conceptualisation and design of the programme, we intentionally moved away from looking at climate change as an isolated issue, instead seeking to understand current states of ecological disconnection, trauma, and threatened livelihoods through the lens of disrupted natural relationships
We were particularly interested in labour and work perspectives, traditional cultural practices, historical memory, and indigenous spirituality.
The Lebanese poet Kahlil Gibran wrote: “Art arises when the secret vision of the artist and the manifestation of nature agree to find new shapes”
What fascinates me about Gibran's quote is his suggestion that art is a collaboration between humanity and nature - that they agree to find - which implies a meeting, an exchange of two parties, both with consciousness and choice, searching together How different an understanding this is to the one we often
Gibran chooses – arises. Here, a word that usually describes something like a sunrise, a mist lifting, or a thought, now conveys art emerging naturally out of this essential conversation with the environment
To be able to participate in such a process, a sense of meditation, calm and observation would be helpful if not required, but the space and stillness needed for this atmosphere are rare in busy urban centres like Dar es Salaam.

DIRECTOR'S NOTE (CONT'D)
So we attempted to create a residency and lab with deep focus and awareness of nature at its centre, inspired by Gibran's words. One that might bring artists and curators into proximity with a critical yet open-hearted artistic practice, aware that the intention of creative expression and the unfolding of ecological processes could be brought closer together
The programme has involved lectures and seminars with wonderful international artists and curators like Francisco
Guevara (Mexico), Anawana
Haloba (Zambia), and Kim Gurney (South Africa), and mentorship sessions with Asteria Malinzi and Jesse Gerard Mpango in Dar es
Salaam After two months of focused inquiry that explored personal, communal, and intellectual research methodologies, we then sought to introduce transdisciplinary, contextual research practice with a weeklong trip to Morogoro and Choma Village in the Uluguru Mountains
There, we lived with families who are primarily farmers and agriculturalists, growing food crops like bananas, strawberries, carrots, beets, and taro, as well as herbs such as cinnamon, rosemary, vanilla and mint We met with waLuguru elders, who shared their culinary practices, memories, and insight into the cosmology of the community
In the span of just a few days, we were able to experience a shift - perhaps only temporary, but significant - in our own personal orientations toward the natural environment around us. None of the artists created artwork. The goal was simply to spend time observing and absorbing a new context to see how we might begin a conversation with nature to create something together We cooked, hiked, ate, harvested, and listened to stories We watched the sunlight fade from the sky and the tiny, faroff lights of the city blanket the land below
On the third day in the mountains we went for a walk, nearby to our host, Mzee Saidi's house Just around the bend and about thirty meters ahead, several large boulders were settled against the side of the mountain, creating a small cave at their base. Inside the small, dark space, a stream of water was falling between shelves of rock. As the water descended down the rockface, it spread into a thin sheet, wide as a pillowcase It was difficult to fill our water bottles with the liquid falling this way, but we collected a bit and were refreshed
A day later we went back, looking to fill out bottles again But instead of the sheet of water, we found it falling in a strong stream Someone had created a natural spout and tap using a rolled banana leaf, a piece of banana bark, and a
long stick propped carefully at the source, creating a simple pipe where the water could pass, making collecting it easier and faster. In the process, something elegant and beautiful in both form and purpose had been created.
This simple intervention seemed to fit Gibran's description of an artistic collaboration It was a nearly perfect example of what I had hoped to find - a way humans could turn away from the desire to dominate and control an inert and unconscious landscape, and instead see ourselves as part of a living ecosystem, with agency and awareness shared between human and non-human life
Back in Dar es Salaam, the artists went to their studios at Nafasi Art Space and began to create. During ongoing curatorial sessions, we discussed how we might create artwork for an exhibition that did not only recall our experiences in the mountains, but open up portals to the experience of communion with the earth and its elemental forces that we glimpsed at Choma Village
As the artists channeled their observations into artwork, their own identities, relationships, and histories emerged, intertwining with the research and knowledge gained Have new shapes arisen? Perhaps we are still looking for a lasting agreement with the land we live on, but we have certainly learned to listen
C U R A T O R I A L F E E D B A C K S E S S I O N S






I

N N O V A T I O N L A B V I S I T


R E S E A R C H R E S I D E N C Y









CURATO NOTE
BY JESSE GERARD MPANGO
Throughout the process of making this exhibition we shared many conversations about raising new awarnesses and un-learning – two things that in some ways run counter to the way conversations around the environment tend to be held. I borrow the term new awarenesses from a facilitator of one of our sessions, Anawana Haloba (an artist and curator from Zambia), and it differs from the standard term “raising awareness” by not assuming absence The fact that the word awareness is pluralized gives us a sense of how much knowledge already resides, so raising becomes recalling, remembering, and reworking connections, methods, and skills that already exist
The process of un-learning meanwhile, is merely the defiance of conditional knowledge or ways of knowing that are defined by limitation rather than possibility.
The New Shapes project began on the premise of defining relationships critical to our understanding of the environment through discussion and research The participating artists sought to align and articulate the presence and role of the environment in our occupations, lifestyles, learning and history This was deepened by an 8-day residency in the Uluguru mountains in Morogoro
The result is a variety that succeeds in moving us beyond gestures of repair and into acts of solidarity We see in much of this work the intricacy of defining aspects of the natural world – flowers, skies, forests, shells. We see in the reworking of natural materials by human hands not domination but a degree of communion in the shared veneration of detail, in the layering of histories, and in collective assertions of memory and love




THE GOLDEN BOWL LIBERATHA ALIBALIO
My work explores the knowledge of the self and the ways of learning from the nature spirits
Through questioning the idea of "connection with nature" and how we came about to what we call nature and what is not How we learn, and how we evaluate the means of learning The possibility of unlearning some and learning the forgotten.
With influence from my love for fabrics and learning about my true spirituality, new patterns are formed to reflect on my intuition learning from the spirit.
HAND DYED AND HAND STITCHED COTTON, NON WOVEN FIBRE
135 X 95 CM

MAISHA KABLA YA MAISHA
(LIFE BEFORE LIFE)
TEMELA HASSAN
Piece yangu inaongea kuhusu historia na maisha
Yaani kulikuwa na maisha kabla ya sisi na pia sisi
tukipita kuna maisha ambayo yataendelea
kuwepo Ni fursa ya kutafakari sehemu yetu kati
maisha na historia pia
My piece talks about history and life That is, there was life before us and also as we pass by there is life that will continue to exist It is an opportunity to reflect on our place between life and history as well.
ACRYLIC, FELT, SHELLS ON BOARD
85 X 85 CM

DISCONNECTION / CO-EXISTENCE
BARAKA LEO
These pieces are a representation of how we influence time and space in the different environments we experience

FAHARI YA ASILI (PRIDE
OF NATURE)
JENNIFER MSEKWA
Project yangu inahusu uhusiano wa namna
mazingira yanaweza kuhusiana na historia
Mazingira yanavyoweza kusaidia kuboresha uhai
kupitia afya za watu endapo yatatunzwa na
kutumiwa vizuri na kuonyesha namna ambayo
kuna hatari ya vitu hivyo kupotea au kuharibika
endapo tahadhari haitachukuliwa,
My project deals with the relationship of how the environment can relate to history An environment that can help improve lives through human health if they are properly cared for and used and shows how there is a risk of these items being lost or damaged if care is not taken,

NEST (KIOTA)


REBECCA MZENGI COREY
For Leilani
The summer she was leaving, I watched a weaver bird (Mnara) build its nest At home, we packed her things I started to notice them everywhere, raffia palm fronds (ukindu) woven into strips and shaped into baskets They reminded me of the bird and its nest, the delicate art of weaving, our desire to contain what we love But only with her gone did I start to pay attention to the empty spaces between those intricate, repeating rhythms of design
Perhaps this art has been a balm, or just a way to occupy time, fill my hands with a task - follow a pattern, live another day without her.
NIMESOMA, LAKINI MIMI SIO MSOMI (I WENT TO SCHOOL BUT I’M NOT A SCHOLAR)
JAMES CHOGA
Technological advancement is very crucial in the development of any community We as African youth have to question ourselves is this adaption of new technology conducive in our environment? Is our education system teaches us the best ways of combining this new adopted technology with our knowledge history to go well with our environment and our day to day life This piece explores the misplacement of attention and care when using technology and how systems and education contributes to this situation.
CHARCOAL, GRAPHITE PENCIL, ACRYLIC, PAPER COLLAGE, TRANSPARENT PAPER, KITENGE FABRIC 100CM X 140CM

KUKOMA MVULA WALT MZENGI COREY
This piece is inspired by recent conversations with my mother about her memories growing up in Dodoma, and the traditions of the waGogo people, the tribe she comes from In a voice note, she sang to me kukoma mvula (kiGogo: to call the rain), a song that thanks the gods for rain
What started out as research - trying to find out information about spirituality, rituals and history related to nature and farming - became a way of connecting and sharing with my mother
On a seven-day trip to the Uluguru Mountains near Morogoro, I felt a sense of peace and stillness that relates to the emotions I feel when I hear my mother sing Her song and the images from the mountains are brought together to create a meditation on time, vulnerability, and exchange with nature.

IBRAHIM MKUDE
As we move into the future we have better techniques to record incidents and stories of any individual, but in the past, it was as difficult as you can imagine Moments used to be mentioned on walls explaining incidents and happenings which till date don’t have any proof but are still existing in people's thoughts. This installation is a model of that community heritage.

MY HAND, MY DESTRUCTION
GWALUGANO MWAKATOBE (GANO)
While participating in New Shapes Artists in Residency, I had an opportunity to pay a visit to Morogoro region with my fellow artisans The experience gained during this visit has given me the idea of producing the series of art forms to commemorate the lives of people we met in Morogoro While there, my instincts connected to history, beliefs, environment and many more as the experience grew These emotional moments have to be aired and documented through art so as to preserve and amplify the untapped stories of the past.
My Hand; My Destruction - This painting reflects the hidden fact that most destructive devices and situations to our climate are the works of our hands. If the human being will stop putting our globe in danger, we can reverse it by our hands to do the right things

A prayer - This artwork reflects how our forefathers and foremothers overcame the situation of draught, pandemics and social challenges by prayers to the mountain gods
Evidently the prayers answered
A PRAYER
ACRYLIC ON CANVAS
109 X 65 CM (ABOVE)
36 X 50 CM (BELOW)

MWANA HITI

HAIKAELI GILLIARD & NICHOLAS CALVIN
Mwanahiti is a fertility doll, used by the Zaramo, Zigua, Doe, Kwere and other matrilineal ethnic groups in Tanzania. Nya nhiti or Mwana- nyakiti are among other variants of the word Mwanahiti which translates to ‘a child made of wood’. The doll, together with traditional practices such as ngoma (dance), rituals and symbolic objects has been used to initiate young girls into womanhood; grandmothers or aunties famously known as Kungwi or Somo being the key players in keeping this tradition However, this traditional knowledge is remaining with the older generation, with less and less of it reaching young people This documentary is a short reflection around Mwana hiti practices; its coexistence and possible interconnection with modern ways used in passing reproductive health education to young girls
Link: https://youtube/pTnklzJLpvY

TULIRITHISHWA, TURITHISHWE
(WE WERE INHERITED, LET US INHERIT)

Mababu zetu kwa sababu waliamini mazingira yakitunzwa Shughuli 200 malimbali katika jamii zisingeweza kuathiriwa Kwa Sababu wazee wetu walikua wakitumia misitu kufanya Ibada zao mbalimbali za matambiko na sherehe zao za kitamaduni Nowadays, watu wanaharibu zaidi mazingira kuliko kutunza hii ni kutokana na kubadilika mfumo wa maisha hivyyo imepelekea baadhi mila na desturi pia historia kwa jumla kupotea
Our ancestors because they believed the environment was taken care of 200 different activities in the community would not be affected Because our ancestors they grew up using the forests to perform their various cultural practices and rituals Nowadays, people are destroying the environment more than taking care of it This is due to changing lifestyles - it has led to some traditions and customs - history in general - being lost.
GUEST EXHIBITION REVIEW
LOOKING BEHIND TO LOOK AHEAD
When art meets nature, something powerful happens. New artistic perspectives can illuminate, in a way that recalls the act of creation, and that’s what people need to face the darkness we are walking through in our contemporary age It’s clear that people are disoriented, in search of a meaning, in search of something that can cure their souls Coming back to nature means rediscovering beauty and harmony, and the New Shapes project provides an occasion to look around and inside oneself, in order to find a new orientation – where the ‘new’ may perhaps turn out to be ancient
Africa was the first cradle of mankind, and it’s right that the impulse for this new (or old) humanity comes from here, from this dynamic and engaged contemporary art scene, where artists feel part of a community and have a strong idea of respect; it’s something between people, yes, but it can also exist between humans and nature. This deep engagement is demonstrated by the way the young artists approached Waluguru people in Uluguru mountain region, how they listened to them, how they watched and felt with them and their traditions, in particular the way Waluguru are deeply linked to nature
This culture and these feelings have been “translated” into images, in order to illustrate the many things contemporary society can learn from the past Solidarity is the main concept that emerges from this research, and Temela Hassan’s Maisha Kabla Ya Maisha (Life before Life), reminds us of the original purity of creation The hand in the artwork – that can be seen as God’s Hand – is also the one people can use on Earth to build something good, to help other people, to prevent violence and suffering, and to protect nature This hand is made of white shells, which links it to some of the smallest and most fragile living beings. At first glance, it reminds us of the topic of environmental protection, but is also a way to remind us how fragile mankind is without nature.
Nature can also signify peace, tolerance, harmony, and relationships with people, in opposition to war and conflict. In his painting My Hand, My Destruction (perhaps inspired by Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, in particular The Creation of Adam), Gano digs deep into consciousness and shows how life and death can be on the same side of the mirror, but just one seed of culture can be enough to stop violence The hand on the left side dialogues with the one in Hassan’s piece, and with many others that appear in the show Solidarity and cooperation are two emergent themes of the project, and in Gano’s work, we see the tools to develop them
The aesthetic languages in the exhibition remind me of ancient roots, ancient materials and spiritual practices, and each of these works is something like a secular prayer, a way to pay homage to a landscape, to a tradition, to the ancestors, in an effort to protect this heritage and to use it for building a better world.
Ultimately this show is a great romance, of hard working but also deep passion, love for mankind and the will to preserve nature and culture Engagement is the key word, and the works in the show embrace the idea of a network between people, which exists in order to maintain identity and community When art is the result of the combination of thoughts and instincts, it acquires a particular strength New Shapes is a project and exhibition that has people in its centre, even before the art itself A discourse of awareness and empathy, it asserts that this is the moment to change our mentality
- NICCOLO LUCARELLIARTIST BIOGRAPHIES
Liberatha Alibalio Jennifer Msekwa Baraka Leo
Liberatha Alibalio was born and raised in Kagera, Tanzania. Liberatha is a contemporary textile and multimedia artist based in Dar es Salaam After graduating from the University of Dar es Salaam with a BSc in Textile Design and Technology (2018), she began working as a visual artist in the medium of textiles She is inspired by selfknowledge, history, childhood memories, experiences of early life and how these inform her current consciousness Her work focuses on storytelling and articulating interior narratives
Walt Mzengi Corey
Walt Mzengi is a Black filmmaker that believes in the responsibility and power of visual media to uplift and generate avenues where Black artists can strive and find expression He became a member of Nafasi Art Space in 2021, and has since established the Nafasi Film Club, where he mentors aspiring filmmakers and helps produce experimental short narratives. He has written and directed several short films such as Timela, Gulf, and Ndio Ukubwa, which have been selected for festivals such as Black Star Film Festival, and Monmouth Film Festival
Jennifer Msekwa was born and raised in Tanzania. She is a contemporary visual artist and environmental activist. Her practice is primarily based in Arusha, Tanzania and her conceptual and technical approach is greatly influenced by indigenous knowledge around ecosystems and her work often incorporates natural materials
Baraka Leo Chale is a multicreative artist and curator born in Tanzania. His practice operates across disciplines including visual arts, music, design and film production He draws influences from life experiences, nature and people
James Choga Gano Artist
James Choga was born in Iringa, Tanzania In 2017, he received his Bachelor Degree in Land Management and Valuation (BSc LMV) at Ardhi University His visual art practice centers on questions of identity and self image among contemporary youth. James has already been included in various important exhibitions including HAKUNA KULALA and SAA ZA KAZI both at Nafasi Art Space. His work has also been showcased in German in the project titled ASANTE SANAA
Lembulisi Gwalugano Ayubu (Gano Artist) is a self-taught artist He participated in various art courses, workshops and residences within and outside Tanzania His latest art event is WASEMAJE Art Exhibition organized jointly by The Embassies of Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland on 17th October 2020. He works in various media, as well as teaches art to children and young people. Gano Artist is always seeking new horizons in engaging his art skills for sharing and showcasing
Mohammedmzee Mwinyijuma
Temela Hassan Safina Kimbokota
Mohammedmzee Mwinyijuma is a young artist based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania whose work centers around the role African history can play in informing new relationships between people and their environment
Temela Hassan is a multidisciplinary artist, musician and dancer whose practice encompasses singing, composition, carpentry, metalwork and installation He is interested in the preservation and reinterpretation of tradition within culture.
Safina Kimbokota is a permanent artist in residence at the Department of Creative Arts at the University of Dar es Salaam She is a contemporary sculptress, focusing on metal sculptures that combine fabric and painting elements Her figurines highlight social pressure facing young women in Africa.
Ibrahim Mkude Haikaeli Gilliard Nicholas Calvin
Ibrahim Mkude is a Tanzanian arts practitioner based in Dar es Salaam whose creative work includes curation, marketing,, film production, graffiti, and installation art Since 2019, Ibrahim has been a part of the Nafasi team, as head of Digital Marketing and Communications
Haikaeli Gilliard is a pharmacist and curator or you can address her as a Creative Health practitioner She is also the founder of Balcony Series, a platform dedicated to creating edutainment contents and events for the community paying homage to the culture of learning and togetherness upheld at vibarazas /verandas among other physical spaces that serve the same function
Nicholas Calvin Mwakatobe is a Tanzanian artist and filmmaker In 2018, he founded PichaTime, a platform with an aim of engaging the public in critical reflection on the power of stories and histories in shaping who we are as a people and how relate to each other and the world
CURATOR & TEAM BIOGRAPHIES
Rebecca
Mzengi
Corey
Rebecca Mzengi Corey is a Korean-American arts practitioner based in Tanzania whose creative work includes curation, arts management, filmmaking, photography, and installation art, not necessarily in that order. Since 2016, Rebecca has been the Director of Nafasi Art Space, where she has led the launch of the Nafasi Academy, the Feel Free grant programme, and a number of creative residency, exhibition, and performance programmes aimed at uplifting and enriching human potential through the arts
Rhoda Kambenga
Rhoda is an art manager and curator who works at Nafasi Art Space Growing up in a diverse neighborhood, she was always interested in learning about different local cultures. In 2021 she graduated from the Nafasi Academy for Art Management and Curatorial Practice. Her interest is in curating Tanzanian culinary practices and telling stories about food She was part of Uani Curatorial Residency with Soma Book Café where she curated a segment called Ladha za Uani (The taste from the backyard )
Asteria Malinzi Pius Matunge
Born (1991) in Tanzania, Asteria Malinzi is a fine art photographer She completed her BA (Hons) in Business Management and Marketing at the University of Derby, United Kingdom in 2012 She then went on to pursuing photography and relocated to Cape Town, South Africa where in 2015 she graduated from Cape Town School of Photography. Since graduating, she has participated in several group exhibitions in South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya and Egypt. She currently works as a gallery manager at Rangi Gallery and has started an artist residency called Artists Residency of Kigamboni (ARK) She is currently based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Davie & Maya Kitururu
Davie and Maya Kitururu are performing artists and youth educators Together, they run Ngoma Afrika, an arts organisation based in Morogoro, Tanzania, which organises regular cultural shows and events for locals and visitors alike. Davie and Maya organize an annual children’s art festival called Paukwa Children’s Art Festival, which has taken place since 2010 and reached thousands of young Tanzanians with the power of art as a tool for learning and self-expression
Jesse Gerard
Pius Matunge is a curator and art manager at Yajue Mazingira (Mazi) an Eco tourism initiative and Executive Director of Tengeneza Generation (TEG) with 6 years of experience in the eco-business and sustainable development sector
He has overseen the design and implementation of Mazi by collaborating with artists, especially nature photographers, Tanzania Forest Services Agency (TFS), Mkingu ,Uluguru nature and forest reserves, and Nafasi Art Space Pius is currently overseeing the establishment of a hub for artists that aims to foster connection between art and nature in the Morogoro region
Jesse Gerard Mpango is a writer, curator and educator based in Dar-es-salaam Tanzania He is currently the Visual Arts Co-Manager of Nafasi Art Space, a multidisciplinary art center, where he oversees the Nafasi Academy programme He is also the co-founder of Ajabu Ajabu audio visual house, a screening and studio space His writing has been featured in contemporary arts journals such as Art Monthly and Nairobi Contemporary and he is a contributor to the online art magazine The People Stories
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS & CREDITS
STUDIO MENTORSHIP
Asteria Malinzi
Jesse Gerard
GUEST SPEAKERS
Kim Gurney, Africa Center for Cities (Cape Town, South Africa)
Francisco Guevara, Arquetopia (Mexico & Peru)
Anawana Haloba, Livingston Office for Contemporary Art (Zambia)
Julia Jenjezwa, Design Lab @ Dar Institute for Technology (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania)
RESEARCH RESIDENCY
Davie and Maya Kitururu, Ngoma Afrika (Morogoro Town)
Pius Matunge, Tengeneza Generation (Uluguru Mountains)
Dismas (Chairman, Choma Village)
Mzee Saidi (Elder, Choma Village)
Residents of Choma Village
PROGRAMME CONCEPTUALIZATION & MANAGEMENT
Rebecca Mzengi Corey
Jesse Gerard
PROGRAMME ASSISTANT

Rhoda Kambenga
NAFASI TEAM
Peter Sheka, Maria Kessi, Fifi Mbogho, Rajab Lawaliya Habibu, Ibrahim Mkude, Sandra Caesar
BOOKLET LAYOUT AND DESIGN
Rebecca Mzengi Corey
PROGRAMME FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Pro Helvetia Johannesburg

NAFASI CORE SUPPORT
Royal Norwegian Embassy, Embassy of Switzerland In Tanzania

NEW SHAPES
"ART ARISES WHEN THE SECRET VISION OF THE ARTIST AND THE MANIFESTATION OF NATURE AGREE TO FIND NEW SHAPES ”
