This year we again mourn the loss of some defining artists of our industry in Tanzania. In life all artists work to be able to earn a living, but more often than not they do that without attracting attention. And even when the attention that is paid on the artists for a work well done might affect them adversely, one thing they are certain of is that they all found pleasure in the work.
The pleasure of work is what differentiates most labour from the production of art. There are no mysteries in defining art as work. It is pure joy to those who produce it and those who hungrily consume it. Artists, to quote an unknown philosopher, find joy in the happiness of others.
But then as mortal as any human being artists fall prey to the most natural calls of nature; and however far seeing they maybe in their artistic approaches when they leave us for the distant boundary “where no traveler returns” we know seeing far is one thing and going there is another. As the saying goes “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.”
These peoples’ lives have actually done things we always remember, and want not to forget, because they have disturbed our lives in some way. They disturb the harmony of our individual lives to harken the joy of a shared journey as living beings. We remember them as rare birds of fancy, inspirational figures who were obsessed with the belief that what they saw others do was not enough and they had to do better.
Death is a common destiny, as death, like destiny denotes inevitability as well as the power to predetermine events. What life then means is to be able to leave it knowing one has impacted positively on those they have shared it with. This is the legacy of our friends whose passing commemorate here. May their Souls Rest in Peace.