Using art to build a nation
Oct 23, 2002
Justin Igala is an artist. His art is not the kind you buy to add to your collection or use to decorate your living room
By Edris Kisambira
Justin Igala is an artist. His art is not the kind you buy to add to your collection or use to decorate your living room. His is art is used to benefit the poor, develop their communities and improve their way of life.
He calls it development communication. It involves designing of posters, calendars, brochures and other communication materials that have been sanctioned by a number of Non Government Organisations (NGOs) that have sought his expertise at putting together effective pieces.
Igala says many of the NGO’s he has worked for work with communities, addressing countless issues ranging from children related issues, HIV/AIDS, hygiene and sanitation.
After graduating from Makerere’s Margaret Trowell school of Fine Art, Igala was like any other artist, applying his preferred paints on bark cloth and making beautiful pieces, some of which grace the walls in his sitting room in Luzira.
His dining room is his studio. Unfinished works are thrown about on the huge table in the middle of the room. When we walk in, Igala’s six-year old son, perched on a chair, is practicing his drawing skills with his father’s tools.
Straying away from the usual, Igala found himself doing this kind of art when he applied for a job at Water Aid, an organisation that was working with communities upcountry, teaching people about the dangers of unprotected water sources.
“What Water Aid wanted was someone to design hygiene and sanitation promotional material. I applied, was short-listed and did that rigorous interview I will never forget. So I think that was the beginning of my getting involved in this art medium that I had never imagined before,†Igala says.
He says his work involved going to the field with the specialists and looking at situations, analysing them and seeing how best those situations could be improved.
While in the field, he says he is tasked to identify that negative situation— an ill in society that needs to be addressed. By presenting it the way it is (realism) and juxtaposing it with the ideal situation, Igala says people’s attitudes can be changed.
Presenting the ugliness of a situation on one side and the beauty of it on the other side helps people change and with time, a community will revert back to the normal and indeed this is what Igala’s illustrations aim to achieve.
To effectively address a situation, Igala’s drawings will have to achieve that effect and indeed the strength of the pieces is in the power of his drawing and use of colour to come out with an image that will jolt people’s minds towards change.
Dr. James Tibenderana, a medic who has worked with Igala, says he has the unique talent of translating both his own ideas and those of others into expressive illustrations: “In the medical field this is very important when trying to convey educative health messages to the public or specific groups,†says Tibenderana. Tibenderana Igala remains true to his Ugandan roots without trying to adulterate his art with foreign forms or images. While doing all the drawing, Igala says there is a lot of consultation that has got to be done, especially among the communities that are being targeted.
“To achieve that desired effect, you have got to go back to the target community and do what is termed as a pre-test. It involves consulting them on any possible adjustments, finding out the common situations and if any adjustments can be made,†he says.
He says the drawing/illustration should have a subject which brings out the identity of that community in question. The picture should be relevant and familiar with the group, bring out people’s feelings and should be clear and simple with no distracting details.
The drawing, he says, should stand out with no background to it. He however is quick to add that if one must add details, they must be relevant to that situation.
Igala’s works come in all colours, even black-and-white, depending on what he wants to put across. He employs both water and oil colours, depending on what a client wants. His strokes are bold; the colours are heavy, making his images stare at you.
Tibenderana says this is a useful effect when trying to pass on a message or state a point.
The colour, he says, enriches what is being portrayed and makes that particular situation being addressed become real, appealing both to the young and adults.
Igala says the only short coming as far as his work is concerned is that people do not seem to realise that there are better alternatives of relaying information to a given audience.
“They are grappling with issues and bombarding people with all kinds of literature, yet there are simpler ways that can be used to drive a point home,†Igala says.
With Igala’s work, social marketers cannot wish for anything more. Social marketers should try and use this approach if at all the communities they are working with are to understand their intentions.
Igala has worked with a number of NGOs. He has designed messages for The Aids Support Organisation, AMREF, and Plan International and has gone to Nairobi, where he developed messages on safeguarding water sources in the sprawling Kibera slum.
Justin Igala is an artist. His art is not the kind you buy to add to your collection or use to decorate your living room. His is art is used to benefit the poor, develop their communities and improve their way of life.
He calls it development communication. It involves designing of posters, calendars, brochures and other communication materials that have been sanctioned by a number of Non Government Organisations (NGOs) that have sought his expertise at putting together effective pieces.
Igala says many of the NGO’s he has worked for work with communities, addressing countless issues ranging from children related issues, HIV/AIDS, hygiene and sanitation.
After graduating from Makerere’s Margaret Trowell school of Fine Art, Igala was like any other artist, applying his preferred paints on bark cloth and making beautiful pieces, some of which grace the walls in his sitting room in Luzira.
His dining room is his studio. Unfinished works are thrown about on the huge table in the middle of the room. When we walk in, Igala’s six-year old son, perched on a chair, is practicing his drawing skills with his father’s tools.
Straying away from the usual, Igala found himself doing this kind of art when he applied for a job at Water Aid, an organisation that was working with communities upcountry, teaching people about the dangers of unprotected water sources.
“What Water Aid wanted was someone to design hygiene and sanitation promotional material. I applied, was short-listed and did that rigorous interview I will never forget. So I think that was the beginning of my getting involved in this art medium that I had never imagined before,†Igala says.
He says his work involved going to the field with the specialists and looking at situations, analysing them and seeing how best those situations could be improved.
While in the field, he says he is tasked to identify that negative situation— an ill in society that needs to be addressed. By presenting it the way it is (realism) and juxtaposing it with the ideal situation, Igala says people’s attitudes can be changed.
Presenting the ugliness of a situation on one side and the beauty of it on the other side helps people change and with time, a community will revert back to the normal and indeed this is what Igala’s illustrations aim to achieve.
To effectively address a situation, Igala’s drawings will have to achieve that effect and indeed the strength of the pieces is in the power of his drawing and use of colour to come out with an image that will jolt people’s minds towards change.
Dr. James Tibenderana, a medic who has worked with Igala, says he has the unique talent of translating both his own ideas and those of others into expressive illustrations: “In the medical field this is very important when trying to convey educative health messages to the public or specific groups,†says Tibenderana. Tibenderana Igala remains true to his Ugandan roots without trying to adulterate his art with foreign forms or images. While doing all the drawing, Igala says there is a lot of consultation that has got to be done, especially among the communities that are being targeted.
“To achieve that desired effect, you have got to go back to the target community and do what is termed as a pre-test. It involves consulting them on any possible adjustments, finding out the common situations and if any adjustments can be made,†he says.
He says the drawing/illustration should have a subject which brings out the identity of that community in question. The picture should be relevant and familiar with the group, bring out people’s feelings and should be clear and simple with no distracting details.
The drawing, he says, should stand out with no background to it. He however is quick to add that if one must add details, they must be relevant to that situation.
Igala’s works come in all colours, even black-and-white, depending on what he wants to put across. He employs both water and oil colours, depending on what a client wants. His strokes are bold; the colours are heavy, making his images stare at you.
Tibenderana says this is a useful effect when trying to pass on a message or state a point.
The colour, he says, enriches what is being portrayed and makes that particular situation being addressed become real, appealing both to the young and adults.
Igala says the only short coming as far as his work is concerned is that people do not seem to realise that there are better alternatives of relaying information to a given audience.
“They are grappling with issues and bombarding people with all kinds of literature, yet there are simpler ways that can be used to drive a point home,†Igala says.
With Igala’s work, social marketers cannot wish for anything more. Social marketers should try and use this approach if at all the communities they are working with are to understand their intentions.
Igala has worked with a number of NGOs. He has designed messages for The Aids Support Organisation, AMREF, and Plan International and has gone to Nairobi, where he developed messages on safeguarding water sources in the sprawling Kibera slum.