Abigail is originally from Indiana, but currently teaches at an international school in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Addicted to adventure, she enjoys traveling, playing volleyball, cycling, playing sports, and experimenting with photography. Abigail blogs of loving God, loving people, and loving life. While she’s in Africa, she graciously offered to do a street art tour for the readers of Uncustomary Art! Come take a look!
As I enter my final six months of living in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, I want to capture in photographic memories the beautiful city that I now call home. This city explodes with color and life. Its street art offers only a small glimpse into the natural beauty of this coastal city.
Bright colors adorning a dismal grey block wall
An entire wall of paintings on the wall surrounding Dar’s Alliance Francais and EU Info Point
My favorite of the paintings on the wall around the Alliance Francais
Finding its origins in Dar es Salaam, Tinga Tinga is a style of painting that makes use of several layers of bicycle paint (originally, anyway) and often caricatures of animals or people. Walls and walls of Tinga Tinga paintings hanging for sale line many of Dar es Salaam’s streets.
In Dar es Salaam’s City Centre, many of the roundabouts feature sculptures such as this one.
Each of the roundabouts is like a mini-oasis in what can otherwise seem like just a busy, dirty, and crowded city.
The sculptures are repurposed metal waste, restructured to reflect the life and beauty to be found in Tanzania.
One of the shopping centers in Dar es Salaam includes this building, where the overhang is painted with Tinga Tinga style murals.
Isn’t that awesome? It’s always fun to see the street art of other cities, but a peek into a city in Africa is way cool! If you’re interested in doing a street art tour of your city, please get in contact with me via e-mail. Thanks again, Abigail! Be sure to check out her blog to get more insight on life in Tanzania, and tell her I sent you!
Oh wow… that is so beautiful. I could spend countless hours just soaking it all in, working in my art journal. Thank you, Abigail, for taking the time to share with us such an inspiring piece of the world we’de otherwise never see! Off to research Tinga Tinga!l
I hope you do use these images for inspiration for your art journal! You do great work, Aloquin. And agreed. Thanks again, Abigail!
Thank you for sharing these amazing pictures. And thank your friend for being such a wonderful “distance” tour guide. I enjoyed the colorful beauty of a place I will never see in person. Very unique. Yet, universal at the same time.
Agreed! It’s kind of amazing how universal art, even street art, can be! Thanks for commenting, Darla.