Peace of the Senses

Tendai Mwanaka

Description

Peace of the Senses: How to Fight the FAGS is a collection of interlinked photographs that deals with the human story in several existential perspectives, especially how we find joy and happiness in difficult circumstances in life. Thus the images in this book celebrate human life, makes funny of difficult situations we go through. There is an element of the comedian in the photos, and it sometimes would create huge howls of laughter, sometimes chuckles and smiles. We go with the adage laughter is the best medicine in this work, and I believe this creates the peace of the senses, as the title presupposes. A set of common themes and philosophical questions permeates the book, bringing the narrative together as an author’s self-interrogation through invented others. Detecting the thematic threads whilst paying attention to the differences requires one to experience the book both horizontally and vertically, following a narrative that seems as much widening as deepening.

Sujets

• Photography

Informations

• Publié par: Mwanaka Media and Publishing Pvt Ltd
• Date de parution: 23 janvier 2024
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781779331625
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 15 Mo

Extrait

GSer- eral y and happiness in ate ough. times and ’ in this f the senses, as the title al questions ther as an author’s thematic es one to wing a e that seems as much widening as deepening.

anaka

a Media and Publishing Pvt Ltd Chitungwiza Zimbabwe

er S, e. He has 3 music albums playing in at alia and ed, er 35 es.

Peace of the Senses How to Fight the FAGS

A photographic novel

Tendai Rinos Mwanaka

Peace of the Senses: How to Fight the FAGS

A photographic novel

Tendai Rinos Mwanaka

Mwanaka Media and Publishing Pvt Ltd, Chitungwiza Zimbabwe * Creativity,WisdomandBeauty

1

Publisher: Mmap Mwanaka Media and Publishing Pvt Ltd 24 Svosve Road, Zengeza 1 Chitungwiza Zimbabwe [e-mail] [e-mail] www.africanbookscollective.com/publishers/mwanaka-media-and-publishing https://facebook.com/MwanakaMediaAndPublishing/ Distributed in and outside N. America by African Books Collective [e-mail] www.africanbookscollective.com ISBN: 978-1-77933-165-6 EAN: 9781779331656 © Tendai Rinos Mwanaka 2023 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical or electronic, including photocopying and recording, or be stored in any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher DISCLAIMER All views expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Mmap .

2

Table of Contents Introduction Part 1: The Bearer Nation A Stack of Firewood Holding the Bearer Nation Cooking with the Bearers Part 2: Food And Feedings Matohwe Uncorked Nyembwe Cooked Nyembwe Cooked Sweet Potatoes Preparing Covo Vegitables for relish I would rather choose food Wedding Takeaways Biscuits, Popcorn, and Snacks Mixture Munch Time Freezits drink What happened to all that food, I am still hungry Part 3: Let’s Dance Trombone Small Shaker Medium Shaker Bigger shaker Nyunganyunga Mbira Small Marimba Large Marimba Ngoma Museve dance Dad is at work Part 4: Let the T-shirt Speak What’s your excuse Kiss me This is what perfect looks like

3

Meet your two new friends I am trying to keep up! Part 5: The Story Tellers: Nothing to tell, we are showing it! Click On Game Daylight Spectre I can cycle backwards Art The Gravel Maker Hop in Father and Son Part 6: Cute Little Things I can smile for the camera What’s your trick Mr Cameraman Father and Daughter From the Gutters of Chitown I am watching you Young Love I Have No One Hahaha Ngoko…. Part 7: Groups and Places Home Seeking God Deep Dusk The Setting Sun and the Rolling World Welcome to Harare InnerRoots of the Trees’ Mind These Clothes are so Dirty, Babe The Sun’s Rays on the Street Sweeper Let’s Compete Part 8 Twos Give me some love Growing Old With You Wait Mr Cameraman

4

Twins WecanListentoMusicTelepathically WeFitTogether AfterPalmSundayWalk WearenotTwins Friends Webelong Wehaven’tjustmet I like her you Part 9: Threes DoubleWhammy WifeandhertwoHusbands Me and my Mothers Bonga Clan Me and My Parents Part 10: I Can Pose For A Camera Sleep Standing I can pose for a camera One eyed god Sleeping Beauty Shut up Tendai Hip Hop Chick The Laughing Hand The Frowning Hand Like we don’t care I am Ugly Part 11: Signs of When Water Comes Facing the Kopje Area Facing the Flyover WhenWaterComes Whenitrains In her kitchen Laundry day Part 12: Organized Light

5

Exorcising the Ghosts Let the Fire Burn Embers Lighting the Passover Fire Slivers of Light Light and Rain Candle Mass at St Agnes Zengeza Mmap Multi-disciplinary Series

6

Introduction Peace of the Senses: How to Fight the FAGS is a collection of interlinked photographs that deals with the human story in several existential perspectives, especially how we find joy and happiness in difficult circumstances in life. Thus the images in this book celebrate human life, makes funny of difficult situations we go through. There is an element of the comedian in the photos, and it sometimes would create huge howls of laughter, sometimes chuckles and smiles. We go with the adage laughter is the best medicine in this work, and I believe this creates the peace of the senses , as the title presupposes. As always in account of anything, much is left out in order to make what is retained more capable of being focused. The photographer here always believe that in art, there is much to be gained through the expanded dialogue he shoots into picture, and that there are so many more people to engage, as stories and images of his works disperses outward in all directions—an art for everyone. There is a freedom in these artworks. A set of common themes and philosophical questions permeates the book, bringing the narrative together as an author’s self-interrogation through invented others. Detecting the thematic threads whilst paying attention to the differences requires one to experience the book both horizontally and vertically, following a narrative that seems as much widening as deepening. Photography is a deceptively difficult medium to master—good technique is nothing without empathy. Thus the photographer is not only committed to getting the shot—always stunning and sublime, always in colours, always with a story—but also to immersing himself in anotherperson’s world. The photographs are luminous in their composition, brimming with raw emotion, and even though they capture just a sliver of a second—from the first part where the photographer creates the artwork through collage and installation and then photographing the bearer cheques on one Spring September in 2013, to the sweetsmile on a child’s face on oneMarch Autumn day in 2017—there is always a commanding sense of depth to his eye. They are pics of events, situations, places—things to publicize, write about, and to talk about with friends, relatives, colleagues, over a drink, a kiss, a hug, a take away, a career, Braai, a traditional dish. There are enough clues: my documentary-like photographs and props that, like traces of evidence, asks viewers to solve the mystery or imagine the circumstances of their making. Since the home is the heart of any struggle, I decided to shoot the picsinto people’s homes.Here home in its broader sense as a place they are rooted, not just buildings. A lot of conversations in these

7

pics, though, take place in the houses, but I also see an echo between the craft of photographing and the making of home, a kind of corporeal memory. But the book as I have already noted has a healing therapeutic quality in that it bends towards the comical situations that helps you get through the day facing, Frustrations, Anger, Ghosts and Scandals— FAGS; Or Fear, Animosity, Garbage and Shame; Or Fire, Apprehension, Guilt andSatan …., for it is FAGS, FAGS, and FAGS everywhere these days. You can make a lot of good jokes that way, like: “Beware of FAGS that pop out from every person” and “FAGS will be with you wherever you go.” And then your day is filled up with notes like‘oh, what a big laugh I have had,’ ‘I threw up my hands dramatically,’or“it’sa rueful smile”, ora ‘mischievous whisper.’ Andso, here comes the first FAGS! ****** Part 1: The Bearer Nation I started being interested in the Zimbabwean bearer cheques, as possible artifacts, in March 2013, as they had been suggested as the cover of my book of essays entitled, Zimbabwe: The Blame Game, Langaa RPCIG, Cameroon, 2013. I was drawn into revisiting this difficult point in our history when we dealt with a spiraling hyperinflation rate (2003-2009). In order to deal with this phenomena, the Reserve Bank Governor, Gideon Gono, resorted to cutting the Zeroes from our currency, and just a couple of months after doing away with, at one time 12 Zeroes, the Zeroes found their way back on the currency. It is a satirical play at this game that the reserve bank governor seemed to be playing with the Zeroes on the currency. As you can see on the photos, it is always trillions and trillions of dollars, and even all the economies in this world could be bought with the money displayed, leaving a lot of change, but back then, you wouldn’t buy a plastic bag’s worth of grocery. I had been thinking, writing (stories, essays and poems), obsessively about these bearer cheques for years. I have been obsessing about them again now, and especially as the talk, in the streets, offices, rural communities, and homes of Zimbabwe, was about those monster ghosts. People were afraid that the bearers, with the political dispensation obtaining now in Zimbabwe, might find their way back into our lives, again (I wrote this introduction a long while ago, and I can confirm we are back to these bearers (new name is Bonds) and hyperflation is the order of the day). This has made me to think, I want to admit, obsessively about them. In the images in this portfolio,

8

I tried to explore ways of dealing with this ghost. The first one was to create artwork out of them. Friends I have sent these images to, think that theyare beautiful. It’s a bit fun,finding such beautiful use of them, but dealing with them, back then, wasn’t beautiful. Maybe I have moved too far away from that time to find such aesthetic use of them by creating that pic of Zimbabwe with bearers plastered all over it. This acts as a symbol of the nation. These daysI’m listening and looking to the deeper meanings behind symbols. Does that mean Zimbabwe will forever be a currency less country? Maybe, especially with the Bonds that have been introduced lately taking over the symbol of the bearers, which is that of a country without a currency? The other way was to use them as alternative sources of energy. You can see, in the images, these bearers replacing firewood, and electricity for cooking. I think we need to be willing to be impolite and embrace difficulty when we are talking about traumatic subjects like this one that many of us would rather forget. Burning a country’s currency is impolite and can land you in hot soup but I was willing to take the difficulty of this task. We are dealing with power-shading, and when electricity is out, we can find the bearers useful, too, as a source of electricity. Maybe it is protest against the possibilities of this ghost returning back to haunt me again. One of the most effective ways to deal with a Demon, Devil or Satanic things, or a ghost is to burn it in a fire, or just creating a fire. Growing up, we used to be told if you light a cigarette or fire at night, theghosts wouldn’t haunt you. Maybe, that’s what I am trying to do.

9