Sebula tests waters in lodging street art
FRANCISTOWN: Twenty-year-old artist Desmond Sebula has now ventured into mural advertising, the most popular means of promoting the hotel and accommodation industry in the country. Over the course of time it was reported that, western countries have used murals to cover the interiors and exteriors of many public buildings, such as palaces, temples, tombs, museums, libraries, churches and the houses of rich art patrons. According to Sebula, street art advertising, though it was most commonly done in the past by different companies due to lack of advertising medium, it has gradually become undeniably common in the lodging industry in the country recently.
Though some of the companies tend to be hesitant about mural advertising due to the high cost associated with it, the visual artist said the artistry remains unique, hand-painted art-centric brand advertising.
Speaking about his latest mural painting, Sebula said he created a mural for a local guest house adding that his client ordered that the mural should portray a message on cultural preservation with a distinctive heritage artifact. “In one of the mural pictures, I painted a woman playing a traditional single stringed violin (segaba) and women dancing symbolising Dikgafela,” added the 25-year-old fine artist.
Dikgafela is a symbolic festival meant to appease the heavens to release the rains. Elderly women would sing rain songs as they carried pots of bojalwa jwa Setswana (traditional beer) on their heads.
Regarding the murals, Sebula said the street paintings add colour to building walls and streets that would go unnoticed, which is a treat is for the locals and tourists who enjoy such scenaries. He further shared that murals also attract new local business therefore bringing customers to pre-existing locations. Sebula explained that murals, which are also used to tell a story, are tricky and immensely difficult to paint. He said the same type of art is time consuming.