Papaye n° 3
Portrait
: Lamine Barro : painter,
sculptor, ceramist and teacher
Stuck
on reality.
by
BABACAR DIOP
When
he laughs, his little eyes vanish in face, the man , forty-three years old, is a
teacher and as well a painter, sculptor and ceramist. It’s a passion story
between him and the blue colour. Passionate defender of artistic authenticity
and African arts, he is against the selling
at low
prices of works that certain artists used to do.
Waiting
for the great Diaspora Festival : Goree the return, scheduled on October the 26,
27, 28, 29, 2000 in which he is going to participate as a guest star, Lamine has
set up an exhibition in the Museum of Soweto Place.
Soweto
Place 5.45 p.m., the doors of IFAN museum hold the inscriptions “Goree, on the
road of slavery”. The instigator of the event is sitting on a chair in front
of the public exhibition room, he is wearing black trousers and a yellow shirt,
a simple dressing completed by sandals. Going upstairs, on the first floor we
enter in the private exhibition room. Lamine Barro is awakening bad memories in
this exhibition. Memories of what Joseph Ndiaye , the talented curator of the
House of Slaves, considers as the first genocide of humanity : the slave trade
is an atrocity, a human distress that nobody would ever be able to evaluate in
its full scale. Mr Barro whose artistic activity is unknown by some of his
students, is starting an exhibition on the triangular trade
and it will be presented to Senegalese, to African, to the people of the
Diaspora who will take part in the International festival “Goree The Return”
which is going to be held in Goree Island. From this first act, Lamine retains
“ a very important issue for the Diaspora. An issue which will enable us to go
back to our ancestors’ history”. The artists identifies this move to a right
to know what happened. For him “ as long as our children don’t know the
history slavery, it will not be easy for them to forgive or demand reparation
for the prejudice”. To prove you he is telling the truth, this teacher of type
writing and communication treatment( with an option for computer science and
mechanic engine) takes the example of the two world wars ; even if you bear in
mind that comparison has nothing to
do with reason. “If people don’t understand what happened
in 1939-45 and in 1914-18, they won’t be able to forgive the Germans”.
To enable this to happen, with the help of meaningful, palpable paintings easy
to be understood by children who often don’t have access to expensive books
and movies, the artist has the task to rescue the historian. However, Mr Barro
is aware of what he is deploring at the same time. There isn’t a crod of
Senegalese visitors to this exhibition which costs him at least four years of
documentation, conception, realisation and many millions. The accomplishment of
this work is visible under the form of 1250 items describing capture, corporal
injuries, violence, revolt, slave traders’ conclave, enforced stay in Goree
Island and the routing through the one-way-door. This issue about which the
artist claims his commitment and his deep concern with reality, is not unique.
In 1983 and 1984 through the opportunity given by the celebration of the Black
People’s Day organised by PANA( Pan-African Agency) in the same time at the
Chamber of Commerce, at Meridien President Hotel, and in the Law Faculty of
Dakar University, Lamine addressed issues
such as Apartheid, the Liberation of Namibia and South Africa. “Artists
should be able to face and express reality. It’s hard, but it’s a necessity.
Abstract talking is smart, but only smart, and it’s not enough. Artist has his
part of responsibility and has to has the right to check what is going on in the
world.” He said.
Concerning
the news, he thinks that Cote d’Ivoire today should be a preoccupation for the
whole sub-region : politicians, artists and all components of our societies. “And
when this powder keg erupts, the Ivorian people won’t be the only ones to
suffer from it .” the self-learned artist prophesied. However the
artist’s commitment can be confronted to a negative effect. Generally the
canvas are not easily sold. In his own case, he is not complaining about it. And
he goes on giving his point of view of Senegalese arts and artists. “ truly
speaking, artists worked hard in Senegal. Any honest observer should accept it.
And tourists are not coming to visit buildings, they are rather attracted by
artistic creation. Therefore, Senegalese artists should think of it carefully
before selling their works at cheap prices. The crisis is acute, the artist
should make himself respected by avoiding to depreciate his artistic value, even
if hunger can’t go along with talent”. Lamine Barro’s worries are
based on what happened to countries like Nigeria which is trying in vain to get
their works back. He carries on, a regulation of Senegalese Art Market and
government support are required. The government should, as it is done with
sportsmen, encourage artists. At the very most, a solution should be found for
the problem of artistic management. The artist alone is not able to arrange
everything.every one should have his share of the burden. However in Senegal
those who pretend to be managers are in fact not qualified for that job. As a
result, artist’s creation is neither well presented, nor well promoted. “That’s
the reason why, in our country the job earns with difficulty a man his bread. In
a certain way retirement is synonymous with death..” Lamine Barro, this
protector of African Arts analysed. Satisfied by the grouping of artists in the
Arts village, he is making an appeal for watchfulness, because closeness can
lead to imitation. “when El Hadj Sy came to the Arts Village, some artists
started to paint like him, this attitude is not an
enriching factor of our Arts”, he noticed. He is then in favour of
authenticity. As well, that person who was
introduced to art in1972 and who “ sold thousands of paintings in Senegal
and abroad” , is calling for the protection of African Arts. “We have
the task of imposing a Senegalese or African label at any price”.
According to him, the conciliation of profitability, aesthetics and authenticity
goes through a pictorial rhythm and an African artistic guiding line.
With
twenty-eight years of experience, an average of two exhibitions every year (in
Senegal and abroad) , a number of paintings he estimates to thousands, the man
is in between two theories :
Predestination and Determination.
Turned
today into a great artist, Lamine didn’t attend any Art school. This
self-taught was dreaming of being an engineer. In his childhood, his games were
to construct planes, engines, rockets. “I had dug all around my room and
had turned it into a lab. But one day, an engineer called Doudou
Djigo told me that I wouldn’t get to anything with this passion in
Senegal.” Said this father of two daughters. Then , the man born in
Ziguinchor in 1957 spent his time visiting exhibitions. And he became an artist.
He organised his first exhibition with thirty- two paintings in1975 at Teranga
Hotel and the amount of 15 000 f CFA per day and bythe end of the exhibition all
the paintings were sold out.
This Senegalese citizen, spent his childhood in Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea and Liberia following his father who worked as company manager for Batignol (a road company). He was studying up to secondary level in these countries. He continued his studies in Senegal and graduated as a food manager, in commerce, accounting, and typewriting. He worked as a accountant at PNUD and at the Embassy of Argentina as a cultural advisor. Now, Mr Barro is a teacher in a private institution which incited to resign from his former job place. Member of the National Association of Painters of Senegal (ANAPS) among other structures, Lamine has never taken part to a biennal or to a big Art competition. Why ? Nobody knows.