ABOUT 30 paintings displayed at the Russian House spoke of the beauty of Zanzibar through the Russian painter, Elena Sotnikova.
In her seven years in the Isles, Sotnikova has brought excitement to her audience appeared in her exhibition in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday evening.
On the wall, an artist honed her artistic voice of the famous stone town of Zanzibar, a fine example of the Swahili coastal trading towns of East Africa.
According to UNESCO, the town retains its urban fabric and townscape. It contains many fine buildings that reflect its particular culture, which has brought together and homogenised disparate elements of the cultures of Africa, the Arab region, India, and Europe over more than a millennium. Elena told 'Daily News': "I have been in Zanzibar for seven years, and I like the place.
Zanzibar is beautiful. Its beauty inspired me to draw; it is similar to my birthplace. I have been to many places, but no place like Zanzibar." She further said it took her a year to complete those drawings, commending the Russian-Tanzania Cultural Centre for their prompt assistance in completing the pictures.
She highlighted that the Russian-Tanzania Cultural Centre aided her with all the necessary materials to present her creative work, including colours. "One year was enough to draw all these pictures.
However, it was only possible with the RussianTanzania Cultural Centre's support.
"They aided me with all the necessary materials, including colours; it would have been challenging to get all the materials if I had to search myself."
The pictures were full of reality and pleasant to the eyes of the attendees who appeared; the images reflected everyday life in the colours that beautified the painter's palette.
"My birthplace is Samarkand, which looks similar to Zanzibar; in Zanzibar, I train and teach children how to draw. Children from Tanzania are very talented and good at drawing, music and singing. I enjoy teaching them. I have been drawing for 20 years; sometimes I take photos and draw. My art has no rules; it is only feelings inspired by Zanzibar. I draw pictures from observation and some from my imagination," she concluded.
In the exhibition, there were several paintings, one portraying a man with a hand on his cheek; looking at it reflected sorrow capturing most of the attendees' attention, while a few snapped photos of it for memory.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Another picture on the walls showed the beautiful landscape of Zanzibar, including beaches, coconut trees and activities on the beach, including cargo ships travelling through the sea. The picture, painted in different colours, attracted many viewers due to its realism.
The event saw arts stakeholders attending; among them was pianist Luigi Tamburi, who lauded the artists for displaying a superb exhibition at the Russian House.
He noted, "The pictures are very natural; they speak much of Zanzibar's life. You can see how the artist has been able to convey his feelings through his drawings. Moreover, these pictures reflect the reality of our daily activities. "When you closely look at the pictures, it feels like these drawn pictures are from a photograph. It tells a lot about Zanzibar. Although the artist expressed her feelings through the drawings, it is very rare for artists to cultivate what they feel through drawings fully. In her pictures, you will see sorrow, happiness and the true beauty of the Stone Tower." Shadrack Daudi, the Chief Executive Officer of Africa Talent Organisation, hailed the Russian-Tanzania Cultural Centre for organising events to nourish most youth talents.
"I like visiting RussianTanzania Cultural Centre; I attend about all events held here. I cultivated this behaviour while studying at the Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology (DIT). After completing my studies at DIT, I still came here to attend different performances. Apart from witnessing various events, I have also participated in organising talent shows for students at University. Today's exhibition is one of its kinds; seeing Zanzibar in pictures, I like it."
