Kampala artists fail to get paid for their sold works

At a party in Kampala, Mr A, an up and coming local artist, was approached by a young woman who greeted him enthusiastically before going on to praise his work.

“I love your painting!” she said. “It’s hanging on my bedroom wall.”

Mr A was puzzled. What painting was this woman referring to? He inquired where she had bought this painting–that had been signed under his name– and from whom.

“I saw it on display at Entebbe airport and fell in love with it,” she replied.

Mr A, whose paintings sell for prices ranging from Shs500,000 to Shs1.5 million, depends on these sales for his livelihood. He never received any money from this particular sale and he knew exactly why.

Before CHOGM 2007, many local young artists were commissioned by the government, through the Ugandan Artists Association (UAA) to produce work – paintings, sculptures and sketches – to display at the various hotels and venues to beautify the city in the lead up to the meeting. To create a good first impression many works were also displayed at Entebbe airport. Understandably, the artists were enthused about getting such a good opportunity and began   frequenting the Nommo Gallery (the National Gallery, a few hundred yards from State House) where their work was produced and commissioned. After months of effort the artists each produced 3 or 4 large paintings, which were taken all over the city. They were told that they would be paid for their work and benefit from any future sale, but as the parade of African leaders began to pour into Kampala, the artists claim that they received nothing.

The project was headed by Gen. Elly Tumwine, himself a prominent artist, and the de facto owner of Nommo Gallery. Many of the artists involved accuse him of taking their works, selling them to visiting buyers and pocketing the profit. Gen. Tumwine denied the accusations saying that they are born out of the jealousy and that the missing money was the problem of the Foreign Ministry, not him. The artists say that the problem isn’t jealousy; it is part of an endemic problem in the Ugandan art world and has been going on for years.

As young artists seeking remuneration for their work, the main line of defence available to them is the Uganda Arts Association (UAA), it is also the first port of call to gain experience as well as connections to buyers, collectors and gallery owners in the country. It is supposed to be the body that nurtures and protects Ugandan artistic talent. But problems of infighting and selfishness have caused many to become disillusioned with it, not least because Gen. Tumwine is the major patron and a very powerful figure at the top of the organisation.

“What we need is real honesty. If that was there it [theft] wouldn’t happen. But the people at the top have selfish motives,” says Mr B, another young artist. “They don’t want to promote us because they don’t want more competition.”

He tells me that he gets invited to UAA meetings but never bothers to go because there’s no point. It’s just a platform, he says, for a clique of already prominent artists to take the best jobs for themselves to further expand their influence.

At Afriart Gallery in Kamwokya I talked about these problems with a group of prominent artists, including Daudi Karungi and Ronex. Over and over the word ‘individualism’ came up. The real issue, they said, is that not enough effort has been made over the last two decades of stability to carve a place for art and culture in Ugandan life. Around the Afriart exhibition they point out that the only people present are foreigners or artists. 

Change has to affect the masses, they say, otherwise there is no change at all. There needs to be unity, they argue, because there is no one who can really help. Gen. Tumwine, the UAA and the government all do not seem to be interested. Artists have to be out for themselves to get anywhere.

Despite the challenges they face, the artists I meet at @rtpunch Gallery, a studio and gallery for several young artists that is nestled on a hill in Kansanga, refuse to give up. Art, they say, is all about being able to express yourself with freedom. It’s not about the money.

 “Every day, every time I paint, I want to be learning, pushing myself. I can’t stand still.” One of the artists tells me.

Their work is ambitious and highly personal expressions of the world around them; inspired by their upbringings, their surroundings, their lives in Uganda. Familiar sights like wildlife or female figures carrying baskets can be seen in any print or painting at any market in Uganda – things designed to attract tourist money to remind them of their ‘African experience’ – except here they are surrounded by explosions of abstract colour and vibrant compositions. This work represents a new wave of Ugandan art and it deserves to be seen on its own merits, not through the patronage and egos of those who have come before.

Note: Mr A asked not to be named in this piece for fear of negative repercussions. I have also masked some of the other artists names for similar reasons.

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