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Inatu Indongo has secured her place in Namibian history as one of the country's first black female artists. It was during one of the many nights she Lay awake pondering life's mysteries and Listening to the radio that the multi-talented insomniac heard the song after which she consequently named her first solo exhibition.
How It Feels For A Girl, a mixed media exhibition by this budding artist, was shown at the Franco-Namibian Cultural Centre in Wind-hoek during March, where she showcased her undeniable talent. The exhibition, a culmination of six months' soul searching and artistic expression, was a result of the artist finding the courage to start doing all the things that she had been putting off.
"Everyone has ideas but they are afraid to put them down," she says. "Some people will like what you do, some will not, but as an artist, you have to express yourself. My exhibition is about learning understanding and compassion for people who are different from us, about pursuing the difficult things in life and not taking the easy way out."
The exhibition featured images of people, faces and some nudes. Inatu says that she has learnt to appreciate the people in her life and this exhibition is a form of worship, paying tribute to her family and friends. More than this, it is part of an ongoing process of self-exploration and self-healing, she explains.
Inatu's attention to detail was nurtured from an early age. "Art was a form of play in our house, we didn't buy toys. If we wanted dolls we made them and also the little clothes and outfits for our dolls. My brothers and sisters and I liked to draw and paint and that is where all this started," she laughs.
Inatu was born in exile in Zambia during Namibia's struggle for liberation, and lived in Kwanza-Sul, a refugee camp in Angola, for thirteen years. Her father, Iyambo Indongo, worked as a doctor, and her Zambian mother...