Acclaimed Tsonga artist dies
2006-05-29 12:23
Riot Hlatshwayo
Makhado - Acclaimed Tsonga artist John Melwana Baloyi was laid to rest on Saturday after being killed in a road accident two weeks ago.
Baloyi was a key figure in the creation of the Rural Gallery in Mashamba, near Elim in Limpopo.
One of his most famous works, Godzilla, so impressed Constitutional Court Judge Albie Sachs that the gargantuan wooden sculpture now sits at the lower end of the Great African Steps at Constitutional Hill.
"John Baloyi is dead. This terrible truth still has to sink in, but his spirit lives on in our fond memories of him as a person and in his art. His sculptures will permanently remind us of his particular legacy to us," said friend and director of the Heinrich Boell Foundation's Southern Africa office, Dr Stefan Cramer.
Inspired by spirits and dreams
Like all Tsonga and Venda artists, Baloyi was inspired by spirits and magical dreams and communicated best through the medium of wood. The Heinrich Boell Foundation, a German NGO, has supported the gallery, which Baloyi opened last year and wanted to turn into a centre for the arts.
"Besides Godzilla, another masterpiece is John's Defeated Soldier, depicting a beaten Napoleon Bonaparte, which is now on permanent display at the Sandton Convention Centre," said Dr Cramer.
Dr Cramer said Baloyi, who was 41, had asked him shortly before his death for assistance in drafting his will, to ensure his six children were able to get a good education. Baloyi is also survived by three wives.
Bakkie accident
Baloyi was killed when the brakes failed on a bakkie he was travelling in on May 15. The driver was unable to stop at an intersection with the N1 highway and a bus slammed into the side of the bakkie.
Baloyi, who had been sitting on the back, and his assistant, Joe Maano, were killed, while the driver and two passengers who had sat inside the cab survived.
According to his brother Jomo, the two men had hitched a ride to Makhado to buy parts for Baloyi's truck.
"We are all shocked at what happened. John was my backbone and without him I just can't see any light at the end of the tunnel," said Jomo.
'We had pinned our hopes on him'
Limpopo MEC for sport, recreation, arts and culture, Joe Maswanganyi, attended the funeral.
"He has been the kind of an artist who did not believe in being reliant on government to succeed," he said.
"We had pinned our hopes on him and others like him to train and encourage the younger generation to venture into the art industry," said Maswanganyi.
- African Eye