Eastern African migrant ‘modernism': reviewing the significance of the Muedan Makonde blackwood sculpting movement in Tanzania

Early narratives on Makonde blackwood sculpture were generally uninformed and led to the output of this multifaceted eastern African creative movement being relegated to categories such as ‘tourist souvenirs’ or ‘airport art’ and disregarded by western art institutions. In order to counter the persistent legacy of those commentaries, this article outlines a historically informed narrative for the development of the Makonde blackwood sculpting movement, which gives necessary attention to Makonde experiences of colonial violence on the Mueda Plateau in northern Mozambique, migration to Tanzania, and the challenges of postcolonial urban life. By foregrounding migration as the formative experience for the first generation of migrant Muedan Makonde blackwood sculptors in Tanzania, the article offers a revised ‘modernist’ perspective on the development of the ‘shetani’ genre of Makonde blackwood sculpture and the creative efflorescence that followed its introduction in postcolonial Dar es Salaam.