On Friday the 18th of January, Yebo! Art Gallery participated in a special event to remember the US civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Junior. There were 6 Yebo artists participating, each creating a new piece of work specificially for this event: Vumelani Sibeko, Mbongeni Fakudze, Aleta Armstrong, Celimpilo Dlamini, Khulekani Msweli & Fela Dlamini. Please see pictures of each of the original artworks below.
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You can read an online article on the event from the Times of Swaziland. The following excerpt on the event is from the US Embassy:
To celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Embassy Mbabane joined with some of Swaziland’s most talented musicians, artists and poets for a very special event at the residence of Ambassador Makila James. The Embassy invited the artists to take inspiration from Dr. King’s words on freedom, justice, courage and persistence and to create original works reflecting Dr. King’s values and the current situation in Swaziland and the world today. The result was an amazing afternoon of music, poetry and art that brought together a combination of government officials, opposition members, artists, youth leaders, business people, and a wide variety of others to commemorate Dr. King’s legacy through Swazi eyes.
At the event, Ambassador Makila James explained, “We have chosen to celebrate today through music and the arts. It is not just because we enjoy a good song or poem, but rather because we believe that the arts are a powerful tool to create positive change in any society. During Dr. King’s time, music sustained the civil rights activists. Across America during his time, people sang as they marched for equality. They used hymns to uplift their spirits and created folk songs that told the story of the movement. Artists were integral to the movement for justice and equality in the United States.
Today, we have invited the Swazi artists to sing songs, recite poems and create artwork around the principles that inspired Dr. King’s work- freedom, equality, persistence, justice and courage. These are universal principles that underlie human rights and justice and we are certain that these principles will come alive in a profound way through the creativity of Swaziland’s artists. We hope it will provoke thought and discussion not only among all of you, but in your families, workplaces and communities.”