Kizito Maria Kasule (Ugandan, 1973)
The Legacy of Democracy, 2013
Signed ‘KIZITO.m.Kasule’ (lower middle)
Acrylic on canvas
143 x 175.5cm
Ksh 320,000-370,000
US$ 3,600-4,200
Sold Ksh 352,200
Provenance: direct from the artist
When civil war broke out in North Uganda, Kizito only narrowly escaped. Many years later, he returned and attended Makarere University in Kampala and graduated with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Art History. Kizito won a scholarship to Burren College of Art in Ireland and in 2006 opened a school for higher education in the Art called the Naganda International Academy of Art and Design (NIAAD). NIAAD set up a project called Muse Uganda that educates disadvantaged youth in Uganda. He is also the Chair of the Department of Fine Art at Makerere University.
‘The Legacy of Democracy’ explores the notion of democracy in East Africa. Kizito believes that, “democracy is a right which is divine and which every person is supposed to enjoy without fear. Leaders have no power to deny or restrict any point of democracy.” He looks at leaders in East Africa who have denied citizens a genuine democratic status and thus failed to respect their rights. The dictators in the painting are represented by birds and the people demanding democracy are represented by the human figures.