By Doreen Mokgolo
In honour of his celebrity role model – Connie Chiume – young artist Luvuyo Shongwe gave her family his pencil portrait of the legendary actress.
He joined three other visual artists – including Rasta, who is known for painting celebrities during funerals – who donated their portraits to the Chiume family at the funeral service.
Chiume was laid to rest on Thursday, 15 August, after a provincial and civic funeral in Ekurhuleni. She died on 6 August at Garden City Hospital in Mayfair while recovering from an operation.
The Grade 9 learner from the East Rand School of the Arts said that, as an artist who looked up to Chiume, he felt he needed to pay tribute to the actor through his work.
“I grew up watching her on the small screen and followed her work in the country and abroad,” Luvuyo said. “Her role in Black Panther set her apart from many international artists and continued to open more doors for her.
“She has done so much for the industry; I followed her work empowering young artists by linking them with opportunities to study abroad and to agencies in America.
“My dream was that once I finished my matric, I would join her foundation as an artist,” he said.
Shongwe said that through Chiume, he learned the importance of owning the copyright of his works to ensure that no one can steal them.
“We often hear about artists who were exploited and their work stolen, but as young artists, we are in a better position to protect our work through her teachings,” he said.
Arts teacher and visual artist Njabulo Radebe said his wish is for young artists to be trained to understand contracts to ensure they are not ripped off.
“Exploitation of their work starts while they are still starting up, but fortunately in school, we groom and nourish their talent by following the set curriculum.
“Many leave the school ready as artists but lack the business skills to support their talent,” he said.
Pictured above: Young artist Luvuyo Shongwe.
Source: Doreen Mokgolo
