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ART SUITE

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HERE, THERE & FORWARD

Playing with sticks

George Pemba

1912 – 2001

Artwork Details

Artist          George Pemba 
Title            Playing with sticks
Year            1987
Medium      Oil on board (45 x 63cm)

About the Artist

George Milwa Mnyaluza Pemba (1912–2001) was a South African painter, illustrator, teacher and writer born at Hill’s Kraal, Korsten, Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha), later based in the Eastern Cape. He earned a teacher’s diploma at Lovedale Training College, studied watercolour at Fort Hare, received a bursary to work under Austin Winter Moore at Rhodes University, and attended classes in Maurice van Essche’s Cape Town studio. The University of Fort Hare awarded him an honorary MA in 1979, while Nelson Mandela University awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1997. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Ikhamanga.

About this Artwork

Playing with sticks depicts a traditional fighting practice, an aspect that has long held cultural significance in many South African communities as a demonstration of skill, discipline and social tradition. The work captures a moment of movement and engagement, while the surrounding homesteads situate the activity within everyday community life. Although this painting was created later in his career, Pemba recorded the customs, social gatherings, religious practices and daily experiences of black South Africans, preserving aspects of cultural life that were often overlooked in mainstream art historical narratives.