Africa-Press – Mozambique. Last week, under the patronage of the Spanish embassy, an art event was held in the context of the exhibition “Djindjiritana & Quijotes Plasticos” by visual artist Nália Agostinho, already considered a bridge linking Mozambique and Spain through art.
An exhibition composed of nine canvases, whose titles are inspired by the work of Don Quixote de La Mancha, work by Miguel Cervantes, a Spanish writer, and in a bird, “Djindjiritana”.
The works express the Djindjiritans, children, dreams, innocence, and childhood games and Don Quixote’s ideas that represent the ideals of adulthood, in this case about the women’s clothes of their struggles to achieve their dreams and goals, despite the odds.
“It’s about seeking a cure and having the courage to go after what you want, being more humble, in solidarity with each other and having the courage to be ourselves, without letting ourselves get lost trying to please society and for us to seek always a connection with spirituality.”, said Nália Agostinho.
One of the paintings that draws the most attention was painted together with Mozambican and Spanish children from Mafalala and the Maputo city.
“These are children who live in totally different realities, who shared what they know about Djindjiritana and Don Quixote and coloured their understanding of this theme.”
Nália Agostinho understands art as a “land where war does not arrive”.
“Art soothes us. During battles all over the world, soldiers will sit at the fire and there they play and sing and that’s how they find the comfort and strength to go on,” she says.
The event was supported by the Spanish Embassy in Maputo.
The embassy supported the solo exhibition, after the artist participated in the Gala-gala festival, in September.
Spanish ambassador to Mozambique Alberto Cerezo and Nália Agostinho. [Photo: Further Africa]The Spanish ambassador to Mozambique Alberto Cerezo said that this is the first time that the diplomatic mission has carried out activities of this kind in the country.
“Nália worked in August on what are the ‘Quixotas’, to address women who fight for their ideas despite the difficulties”, he commented.
In his turn, the secretary of State for the City of Maputo, Vicente Joaquim, said at the ceremony that the opening of the exhibition during a pandemic, with all the preventive measures, shows that the city is willing to keep the cultural industry alive.
“In this exhibition, we feel that, in addition to what is evident in the canvases, it is also possible to gather their perspective because they look at the world in a different way”, he commented.
“For what is patent, it shows that art has no limits. It has no borders.
Bringing on the same screen the feeling of children from Mozambique and Spain is something that encourages us,” he added.
By
Emmanuel Chilamphuma
