NEWTON SIBANDA

Lusaka

DAVID Makala loves his paint and brush, and has turned a hobby into a business. The 42-year-old

multimedia artist, whose works border mainly on conceptual and African traditional art, is not only contributing to transformation of the sector, but of the mindset as well. He wants to prove that art is not just a hobby but business and is liveable, dispelling the notion that earning a living on art in Zambia is a challenge. “I am a freelance artist and I live on art. Almost all artists I know and admire, I have never known them to do anything other than art,” says Mr Makala. “It is hard but very much do-able. Of  course it takes long to penetrate the market,” he says. Born in Lusaka, Mr Makala started school

in 1990 and attended several primary schools that included Lusaka’s Woodlands B and Muyooma, and Chongwe’s Kampekete. He later went to Lusaka’s Kabulonga Boys Secondary School, where he  completed Grade 12 in 2005. He later enrolled at Kafue’s Riverside Institute of the Seventh Day

Adventist (SDA) church for a Lifestyle training programme which focused on healthy living. Even then, his heart was in art. It was not strange, therefore, that upon completion, he enrolled for a two, year apprenticeship programme in drawing and painting at Lusaka’s Evelyn Hone College. His mentor was Alex Nkazi, who is now a curator at Lechwe Trust. Mr Makala, who is married and has one daughter, also did mentorship with Starly Mwaba, a renowned artist. “My heart has always been CLICK TO READ MORE