Crawford Mandumbwa
Crawford Mandumbwa | |
|---|---|
 Mandumbwa in 2014 | |
| Born | |
| Nationality | Zambian |
| Occupation | Fine artist, graphics designer, photographer, teacher |
| Website | cmandumbwa |
Crawford Mandumbwa (born 1969) is a Zambian multi-talented artist, narrator and social commentator based in Francistown, Botswana where he has taught and lived for most of his life. He dabs in fine arts, graphics, photography, multimedia and 3D modelling.[1]
Early life and education
Mandumbwa was born in 1969 in the North Western Province of Zambia in Chavuma, whose people are Luvale. He spent most of his childhood in Kitwe where he did his basic education. He first discovered his gift in Standard 4 when he came across an illustration of an old farm fence and it was etched in his memory. He later reproduced the image and it won him accolades among his peers – and that set the beginning of his journey into the world of creativity.
Mandumbwa was to formally encounter Art at junior secondary school where he developed his craft. When later his paper mache sculpture was spiteful trampled on by his jealous classmates, he realised the extent of his gift and never looked back. He later went to Petauke in Eastern Province for his high school, but the school had no Art classes. This led him to study Technical Drawing and briefly entertained thoughts of pursuing Architecture but resorted back to Art when an Art teacher was later deployed to the school.
Career and education
After high school in 1989, Mandumbwa went to Lusaka to take up a job as a Graphic Designer (though he was not formally trained). Later after a chance meeting with a chief designer of the Zambia Information Services (ZANIS) on a bus, he was offered a job in the department where he designed government information posters. He, however, did not stay long in the civil service. His desire to be involved with more challenging creative work saw him walk into an advertising agency (Fleet Foot Advertising Agency) who hired on the spot as a trainee graphic designer.
In 1991 he enrolled with Evelyn Hone College to train for a Diploma in Art Teaching. He initially wanted to major in sculpture but on account of a shortage of equipment at the college, he opted to study pictorial and figure studies. He concurrently pursed a Diploma in Graphic Design and completed his studies in 1994.
Before he could take up teaching, a newspaper (The Post), impressed by his portfolio, hired him to design print adverts and develop graphics for the paper.
In 1995 he attended a workshop in Johannesburg, South Africa where his remarkable works attracted the attention a delegate from The Voice Newspaper from Botswana who made him an offer which he took up in June of 1995. After a two-year working at the paper’s graphics and photography sections, he joined the Teaching Service Management (TSM) as an Art teacher. He served in the Botswana civil service for five years until 2002 when he went to John Mackenzie School (Francistown) as an Art teacher. Besides teaching, he has also been involved in community art projects in and around Francistown.
In 2006 he commenced a Bachelor of Arts program specialising in Visual Multi-Media with the University of South Africa (UNISA). He is still teaches at John Mackenzie School to date.
Works and exhibitions
Crawford Mandumbwa has widely traveled and participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions. His work has been collected in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, Europe and the United States and has been published in magazines and bilboards. In Botswana, he designed an official logo for the Supa Ngwao Museum’s Francistown Centenary Celebrations in 1998. He was also sponsored by the Women’ Institute to animate the wall spaces of the Paediatrics Wards at Nyangabwe Hospital in Francistown.
He is also the designer of the Voice newspaper’s current “Born in Ghetto” billboards in Francistown and Gaborone, Botswana.
Personal life
Mandumbwa is married with two daughters. His daughter Louise is also a visual artist and photographer.
External links
References
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- Art Embracing Life: Air Botswana in flight magazine feature by Berry Shaba, 7 July 2012
