My work explores identity and rootedness through the lens of my Tanzanian heritage and the broader African diaspora. I focus on the emotional and cultural impact of colonial history and how it continues to shape African and diasporic lives today. Themes of displacement, memory, and resilience are central to my practice. I use oil paint on coarse linen, unstretched canvas, and sometimes wood. These materials allow for unpredictability in texture and surface, which reflects the complexity and fragmentation in the stories I tell. I often include the khanga, a traditional Tanzanian textile, as a recurring motif. It connects my work to my personal and cultural roots and appears especially in my self-portraits.

My paintings combine expressive mark-making with symbolic references. Some works are inspired by African writers like Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o and Chinua Achebe. Others draw from personal photos, social media, and everyday moments shared within the diaspora. I am interested in the space between clarity and distortion – between celebration and struggle. Through this, I aim to create work that feels both personal and collective, inviting viewers to reflect on how history, heritage, and identity are carried and expressed.