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The Inner Child Exhibition
Taurai Maduna, Kubatana.net
April 26, 2004

All photographs by Taurai Maduna.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

The Inner Child, an exhibition of paintings and graphics by Bekezela Mlilo, is no ordinary exhibition. It is the story of Bekezela's struggles in life, his sad and happy moments. But above all, it is a reflection of the problems that society faces.

"Waiting for the good or bad" is a painting that is full of emotion. It is about Bekezela's sad moments when his late father was very sick in hospital. The painting is about the time when he would sit with his mother and wait for the news from the hospital about his father's health. "We would look at the person from hospital and expect to hear the good or the bad - whether he was still alive or dead" said Bekezela who expresses the way he feels through his painting.

"Happiness is coming" was painted when Bekezela was feeling low. He says he was very lonely at that moment and needed someone to talk to but there was no one. "I knew that some day life would be okay and I would be happy at some point in time" said Bekezela as we moved around the exhibition.

"Abused" is a painting of Bekezela's three sisters who where abused by a relative who was taking care of them. Bekezela adds that he has managed to come to terms with the abuse through this painting. Bekezela is happy to say that he is now taking care of his sisters with the money he gets from selling his work.

Bekezela reiterated as an artist he will reflect what is going on with his life and that of the people around him. The harsh economic conditions have led Bekezela to paint "Desperate". "Desperate" is a painting reflecting a young naked girl who has resorted to prostitution as a means of survival. Bekezela said people should not view his painting as degrading to women but as a sign of reality.

Addelis Sibutha, regional director of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo described Bekezela's work as "a celebration of one's ability to express themselves".

Bekezela began painting at an early age and is very grateful to Northlea High School in Bulawayo which recognised his love for art and was quick to make efforts so that he pursued his talent. His love for art earned him a scholarship to study art at the BAT school of arts in Harare.

When not painting Bekezela spends most of his time listening to jazz.

Bekezela Mlilo is currently working from Studio 9 at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.

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