Phindile Mamba
Phindile Mamba is a self-taught artist from Mbabane, who has been painting full time since 2104 after participating in the Livi laBomake - Women's Voices project run by Yebo ArtReach. Her work is in private art collections around the world. She exhibited at Art Joburg in 2019. Her work is also in the US Embassy in Eswatini, featured in a book ; On Balance- A woman from each African country and she was recently selected by The World Bank Art program to feature in an online exhibition, We are Afrika: the Power of Women and Youth.
“Most of my paintings are about women, I see them struggling and living a very painful life. Women are abused because they don’t have the power to fight and this touches me deeply and shows in many of my paintings. I also explore happier topics as some women do live a happy life with their families. I also explore the ideas that women can do everything a man does and have the power. People in Eswatini must start trusting women and giving them respect and power. But women must also make themselves powerful!”
Despite tackling difficult subjects relating to women’s oppression, Phindile uses charming and colourful images to illustrate her strong point of view. Animals feature often; good people are symbolised as cats, doves or sheep and dangerous ones as hyenas or snakes. Flowers, butterflies, and nature bring Phindile much joy in her life and are in most paintings. The husband in the one painting is featured as a leopard, but not a threatening one, now docile and content being carried around by a strong wife. Even in The Leader, the woman has her fist raised demanding power, but the cute sheep soften the message. Phindile is softly spoken and humble but one should not underestimate her power and strength as like many women in a patriarchal culture like Eswatini, she holds the society together and speaks out through her art and community work.
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