Ветеран искусства Йозеф Мадисия получил награду за жизнь за документирование истории Намибии

Veteran artist and art educator Josef Madisia said that art had never simply been about creating beautiful images. However, he used it as a language to document hardship, question exclusion, and capture a Namibia undergoing political and social change. Born in Lüderitz in 1954, Madisia grew up during the colonial era under apartheid rule. His earliest connection with art came in a difficult childhood, when his grandmother gave him scissors and colourful pieces of fabric to cut into recognisable shapes and figures. Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines "I guess that is how my love for artmaking started during difficult times when colonial times became a reality within South West Africa," he said. Madisia faced physical challenges as a child. He showed early signs of polio and, with specialised medical care beyond his family's reach, relied on traditional midwives for weekly massages. As a result, he only began walking between the ages of five and seven. Those early hardships later helped shape an artistic career deeply connected to the realities of ordinary Namibians. Madisia describes himself as a township artist who was indeed aware of the restrictions imposed on Black people under apartheid, especially the lockdown rules that stated that no Black people were allowed in white suburbs after 21h00. His work consequently became a record of township life and the social conditions of Black Namibians. Among his works are Elder Topnaar Portrait, created in 1980, and the more recent Ghetto Life, which focuses on marginalisation. His art also became increasingly political. In 1985, The Namibian newspaper described Madisia as a person with "unmistakable social consciousness". He remembers challenging the exclusion of African art from mainstream galleries, saying at the time that "African art should be taken out of the curio shops and into the galleries." This was part of a broader resistance to exclusion and segregation. His political consciousness can also be traced back to 1970, when he was expelled from high school in Rehoboth after challenging what he describes as unfair treatment by some teachers. As colonial oppression intensified, Madisia said it was impossible for his art not to reflect his surroundings. "No artist can manifest out of the blue his or her environment, especially when being emotionally dominated by colonial oppression," he said. Political art Works such as 'Spade and Spear' and 'Lamenting Wailers' reflected the political and social realities of the time. 'Spade and Spear', in particular, depicts a Black freedom fighter holding a spear, while also referring to the harsh conditions experienced by workers in fishing factories and mines. Through such work, Madisia documented a Namibia in which ordinary people were experiencing oppression, economic hardship and political exclusion. His contribution to the country's transition towards independence became even more direct in 1989, when the United Nations commissioned him to create Namibia's first election poster for the transition towards independence. The poster represented the inclusion of Namibia's different ethnic groups, reflecting the idea of a new country in which no one should be excluded. Independence marked a new chapter in Madisia's career. He became the first black director of the National Art Gallery of Namibia and helped develop the country's visual arts sector. Among the achievements he is most proud of is founding the Bank Windhoek Triennial Art Competition in 2008. At 72, Madisia later won the 2025/26 Bank Windhoek Triennial Art Competition, receiving a lifetime achievement award and walking away as the first-prize winner. He remains concerned about the support available to artists and the accessibility of art to communities outside Windhoek, pointing to the Mobile Exhibition System he initiated in 2009 as part of the National Art Gallery's decentralisation programme, intended to take exhibitions to communities across the country, not just the capital city. For years, he has experimented with cardboard as a printmaking medium, transforming discarded book covers, drawing pads and calendar boards into relief-printing blocks. "Cardboard is my selected art medium because of its low cost," he said. The material allows him to create a range of textures, patterns and shapes while requiring only a single sharp cutter, rather than the range of tools traditionally used for wood and linoleum printmaking. Madisia added that recycling cardboard also gives new value to something that would otherwise become waste. Heroes' Day As Namibia commemorates Heroes' Day, Madisia believes the country must broaden the way it recognises those who contributed to its history. He believes that artists, musicians, writers and other cultural figures should be recognised alongside political and military figures who contributed to the liberation struggle. He added that Namibia needs an Artistic and Cultural Hall of Fame similar to its sporting Hall of Fame. Madisia was particularly saddened by Namibians waiting until artists have died before recognising their contributions. "Waiting for people to die and then giving them flowers when they cannot smell is a practice that should be done away with," he said. Madisia's career explores colonial Namibia, independence and the decades that followed. he has dedicated his years to documenting an authentic Namibia, a Namibia that showcases township life, oppression, resistance and the transition to independence. Today, Madisia can be recognised as one of the many heroes who helped shape the Namibian cultural landscape that exists today.