Entreprenuership through art

By Elias Mhegera
INSPIRED by drawings that he used to see in his childhood, Masoud Kibwana never thought that he could partake art as a future career.

It was during his introduction by Mrs Anne Clarke wife of the head of the European Union delegation at the Kilimanjaro Kempinski showcase that many attendants were eager to know exactly why Kibwana has a unique talent.

During an exclusive interview with The Express, he admitted that he studies the market demands first before he design his own drawings.

“For me art is no longer a hobby, it is my major source of income, it is an entrepreneurship, so I have to take it seriously” he comments.

He says after his primary education in Mtwara he did not have a clear picture of what he will do next. Drawing therefore was just an activity in order to avoid boredom, but not for income purposes.

However it was just by coincidence that he eventually managed to attend a three years course in drawing in a vocational institute known as the centre for African Development through Economics & the Arts (ADEA) in Mtwara, where he was trained by one Max Kanunidi.

It was after the completion of his course that he realized that art could be more than a hobby, but a full time career. This is after he saw many people coming from as far as Dar es Salaam just to buy artifacts in Mtwara.

This then made him to come to Dar es Salaam in 2007, in anticipation to get a big market for his goods just to find that it was not that easy.

Kibwana admits that in Dar es Salaam he found that there were many well established artists who had already established special clientele with many art lovers.

He then discovered that he had to target a special segment of art lovers by discovering what really inspired them to buy. Since then he has been drawing according to what his clients proposes.

Since then art is not only a hobby but an entrepreneurship where he a guarantee of earning not less than Tsh 500, 000/= per month. Of course he supplements his income with other sources.

He thanks the Kempinski Hotel and the Chinese Embassy for having facilitated the showcase last Friday which exposed him to diplomats, business executives and fellow artists.

The event was used to show case of other two artists Diana Magesa and Caroline Uliwa. Moreover the event was used to introduce the Chinese New Year, this being the year of rabbit.

The guest of honour in the occasion was Ezekiel Mayige the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism. The Chinese ambassador to Tanzania Liu Xinsheng reiterated the historical good reations of the two sister countries.

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