English Art world Art and Friendship, The challenge of Artist Julius Njau
  Mr.Julius Njau is an artist being active in Japan and Holland now. He has lived in Tanzania, Kenya and Holland so far. He was born in 1961, and  from a tribe The  Chaga in Marangu village, Moshi, The Republic of Tanzania. His mother tongue is the Chaga and the Swahili known as an official language in Tanzania. Marangu  Villegaes is located in the skirt of Mt. Kilimanjaro which is the highest mountain in Africa.(5895m) It is also an alpine belt surrounded by farms where corn, bananas and coffee are cultivated. Especially Banana-Beer is widely known as traditional liquor. Liquor is essential among the Chaga people and there are a lot of pictures entitled “Drinking” in his works.    The big incident occurred to him, which was a major turning point for his life, he grew up in a big nature, and he loved playing soccer in his childhood. In 1972, he broke his leg badly during a soccer practice, and then had been in hospitalized for two years. He was a kind of boy who loved drawing by nature drew various sorts of pictures while he was in hospitalized. Sometimes he painted even on the floor, and then was scolded. At that time, he draw animals, monsters, landscapes and the patients around him for fun. Under those circumstances, a Finland, one of the doctors working for the hospital discovered his talent in paintings.”The accident was an unlucky thing, but I would have not been an artist if I hadn’t had it. That changed my life.” Mr. Njau said.    t was a milestone that a raw ore began shining. Now he gained praise for what he did to be called “an African Picasso”. Mr. Njau, who used to be a raw ore, gives off light as brightly as Mt, Kilimanjaro does.   In 1983, His first exhibition was held in Helsinki, Finland. After that, He had a lot of exhibitions in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Kenya and Japan not to mention his mother land, Tanzania. He is now active world wide as a promising artist. (359 words) Art and Friendship, Julius Njau’s challenge” “Encounter with Julius Njau” Art and Friendship, the challenge of Julius Njau against the world 
1. The beginning of meeting Julius Njau 
He was waiting for me when I came to the meeting place at Nagoya Station. He was tall and dressed casually and stylish. He received me warmly, saying “Karibu! Karibu!” meaning ‘welcome‘ in Swahili. He was as friendly as he was 3 years ago when I met him for the first time.
 
I met Julius Njau for the first time in 2004, when I dropped in his exhibition at Osaka Contemporary Art Centre. The theme of the exhibition was “Wings of Kilimanjaro”. Although I am not familiar with art, his paintings deeply impressed me with their color and dynamism, which seemed to embrace those who looked at them. Above all, the gentleman who spoke to me in a friendly manner, made visiting the exhibition even more pleasant. That gentleman was Julius Njau, the artist himself. He was very unlike to that general impression of artists who are exalted and hard to get along with. The artist Julius Niau has got a warm nature and temperament which could untie a tightly bound rope or could melt down frozen ice. Could not the warmth that emanates from his works come from his well balanced temperament?
 
About 30 minutes drive to the east from Nagoya Station will bring you to a peaceful residential area quite different from downtown. This is Meito-Ku, east entrance of Nagoya. He has recently established his studio in this place which is peaceful and rich with nature. He showed me his studio. When I opened the door, I found a different world opened where the pleasant melody of the blues of Louis Armstrong jumped into my ear with full volume. When I stepped in, the studio was full of not only paintings but also of wooden sculptures, masques and pictures of his family. In addition, framed paintings and certificates of prizes that he had earned hanged on the wall. I wondered how he creates such warm and generous art out of this chaotic space. Or whether this kind of chaos could make him to create his works? 
 Art and Friendship, the challenge of Julius Njau against the world 2.”African Picasso” was born in Kilimanjaro.
 
Njau currently works in Japan as well as the Netherlands, after he moved here from Tanzania, through Kenya and Holland. Julius Njau was born in 1961 in Marangu, Moshi in Tanzania. He is of Chaga origin and his mother tongues are Chaga and Swahili, the official language of Tanzania. The village of Marangu is located at the foot of the highest mountain in Africa, the Kilimanjaro (5,895 meters). Marangu is located in a highland with a vast farming area where people grow cassava, corn, banana and coffee. Above all, the crop of banana is very rich and banana beer has been brewed traditionally in the area. Drinking is an essential part of life and numbers of his painting have a title pertaining to “drinking”. 

Njau has grown up in this environment endowed with nature. His turning point took place in 1972, when he had an accident of breaking his leg in the course of football training. He spent 2 years in hospital where he started to draw many paintings, sometimes scribbling on the floor of the hospital, for what he was scolded by the hospital staff. He enjoyed painting playfully in those days; his themes were people, animals, monsters, landscapes and fellow patients in the hospital. A Finish doctor working at the hospital recognized Julius’s talent. Julius remembers “the accident was unfortunate, but I would never have become an artist unless I met the accident. The accident changed my life”

This was the moment in which that buried gemstone who is now called the African Picasso had been unearthed and started to shine. This gemstone has now emitted light and has become a twinkling Kilimanjaro.

The first exhibition was held in Helsinki, Finland in 1983, and exhibitions followed thereafter in Tanzania, of course, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Kenya and Japan. He is now an artist who is thriving in the world .Uganda Kenya Kilimanjaro Tanzania Dar-es-salam Zambia Indian Ocean
 Art and Friendship, the challenge of Julius Njau against the world 3. From the Simple World to the Complicated World.

Julius Njau is popular as a contemporary artist in oil painting but he pursues other various kinds of expression such as engraving, batik and sculpture. He has so far painted more than 1,000 works. Some of his works were completed within 5 days or a week, others could take more than a month. Among those of his works which he finished so concentrated that he forgot to sleep or eat, some were inspired by his dreams. Many of his works were awarded prizes in competitions and they are collected in museums in Osaka, Toyama, Germany, Finland and the United Kingdom.

His early works focused on the tradition and folklore of the Chaga tribe and his home region, but his style shifted to the abstract with the theme of “human” in the mid 1980’s. One of his earliest masterpieces “A woman carrying firewood” (1973) shows the outlines of a woman who heads home carrying firewood for cooking. His recent works no longer tend to show such figurative compositions.
 This change of his style in painting stems from his own reflection. He says “Always doing the same thing is not good for oneself. To improve myself I changed the style of my painting. I wanted to discover something new. This became more satisfying for myself”.
 
But his works are not always inward looking. “My works continue to change. Early works used to be simple, but recent works are getting more sophisticated. We were able to look at things in a simple way 20 years ago, but we are now unable to recognize the reality at a glance. We live in a complicated world where we find something new every day, things we have to learn one by one throughout our life.”
 
While he expresses himself in step with the changing history, he closely links the epoch and art, looking at the world not in an emotional way, but strictly dispassionately. This perception of the world becomes at the same time the perception of his paintings, in which he reflects the present complicated world.
 A woman carrying firewood, 1973, Oil on Canvas Art and Friendship, the challenge of Julius Njau against the world 4. Foster the Friendship through Art 
The Big oil painting titled “Market” almost completed was placed among other works in his studio. Many of his works have been titled including “Market.” People come to the space called “market” and communicate in daily life there, thereby creating a special world. “I love this kind of space where people come and exchange greetings and topics of their lives”, he said.

As can be seen in the painting “Market”, his basis as an artist includes the keyword “communication”. In 2003 he established the group of “Marafiki” (“friendship” in Swahili) with 10 foreign artists living in Japan in order to enhance international understanding and cultural exchange. The concept of this group implies “Friendship and Art”. “I feel more than happy to make friends through art. If I did not pain pictures, what chance would I have had to meet you?”

The variety of themes of the recent exhibitions held in the spirit of marafiki is also very interesting. Among the recent exhibitions, one where he joined forces with foreign artists was titled “Pamoja Qua Amani - The Spirit of Global Harmony” (2005), and one in collaboration with Japanese artists was named “New Bridge - Hashi” (2006). What will be the theme of the next exhibition due to take place in 2008? “We have not yet decided, but »Black and White« would be nice. Black people and white people belong to different races, but we are the same human beings. The people living on earth are all the same human beings, the classification in yellow, black or white doesn’t matter. Skin color does not make any difference. There is no black people’s art or white people’s art. The door of art is open for everybody and it is a common language for everybody. This is the message I would like to convey.”

African art used to be called “Primitive Art” or “Negro Art” by Europeans. Such discriminating words have disappeared, but reflecting this matter, we should support Njau’s claim or we should at least understand the circumstance from which he created such a claim.  Art and Friendship, the challenge of Julius Njau against the world 5. The Portrait of Family Produced from Communication. 
He was motivated to establish “Marafiki”, since he felt a lack of communication among fellow Japanese while experiencing everyday life in Japan. “They don’t talk with neighbors or even don’t greet each other. They should realize the importance of making friends who will help each other, because only friends can help you in some cases.”

The necessity of communication can also be named concerning the state of the family in Japanese society. Recently we have seen several cases reported in the press in which a chilled killed a parent or vise versa. I asked him what he feels about such horrible cases. “Such things should not happen. Communication in the family is of course important, but it is even more important that we respect each other among family members. This is also true for other cultures and nations.”

A happily smiling mother holding her baby is painted in the background of his work titled “Self Portrait”. He added it on his self-portrait, remembering his mother and himself in childhood. “My mother was a primary-school teacher and she gave me many lessons. »Don’t work for a dishonest company. Discern good people and bad people. Don’t take drugs. Make sure of the facts.« My father, who was a politician passed away last year. My father used to speak about crocodiles. »Crocodiles always smile, don’t they? But, they may attack you anytime with ferocious intent. This is true for human-beings as well, those who come to you with a smile may be your enemy, and good friends could become enemies instantly.«“ 
Among his father’s lessons Njau especially keeps those in his mind that cherish the importance of “true friendship”.
 
He plans to go to his mother’s home in Tanzania around Christmas this year. “Christmas is a big family event for us Christians. My brothers and sisters who live in Sweden and Norway will all gather there” he says with a really happy face. The family connections form a strong bond that doesn’t break even across the seas. ”The parent’s happiness is having their children close by. It’s like a medicine for any kind of illness.” The warmth of Njau who approaches me sometimes like a friend, sometimes like my father conveys through one painting family, friendship, the people in Japanese society, and the people in the world. Hence appears before my eyes an ideal portrait of him, or better of the whole humanity of the world. Self-Portrait, Oil on Canvas. Art and Friendship, the challenge of Julius Njau against the world 6. Keep on Painting His Messages to the World Changing, trying, challenging: Julius Njau himself, and the art produced by him. I asked him what kind of pictures he will paint from now on. He answered promptly: “Against the world. I can say my life is »freedom facing conflict«. Freedom is not conflict. Freedom is peace. If peace exists, Osama bin-Laden would not regard the United States as his enemy. People would not say Bush is right. The United States started a war for power and money therefore many people lost their lives. It’s ridiculous. It’s not cool. What is war? There is neither love nor peace for people who make war.”

Like Picasso who painted "Guernica" to criticized war, Njau is also trying to fight against war which is a threat to humanity. He continues like this: “This world is divided too much. Even man and nature. Although man should protect nature, he spoils it more and more. Division brings various problems. Wars too break out continuously. We human beings have to unite our hearts. (Further emphasizing in Swahili) Siyo moyo mwili, ndiyo moyo mmoja. (There are not two hearts, there is only one heart)”.

Although Njau did not actually experience war himself, he became involved with various people who differ in nationality or race through his migration experience and whilst traveling throughout Western Europe and African countries, and he saw unfathomable ugly fights and discrimination between human beings. Those experiences move him to the pursuit of freedom and peace, and also the pursuit of universality instead of particularity, and when subtle irritation and dissatisfaction harmonize with balanced temperature and good composition, they will appear as abstract paintings filled with tenderness and tolerance beyond description.

For himself whose hope is entrusted in humanity, the world, and the future, what is his own dream? “To become a better painter. Then I would like to write my own book and also build a museum. I would like to speak more to young people about my pictures and the attraction of art.” Finally, I tried to ask him was what his hobby is. “It is painting pictures (smile). Yes, paintings are my life itself. Besides painting pictures, well, I like walking in the forest.” In his way of life he doesn’t put his work, hobby and even life into one frame, but accords each an original viewpoint without losing his identity. I felt the way of life and personal character of him also appears in his works themselves.

How will the sublime drama of the human beings continuing from the past to the present, from the present to the future from now on affect “Njau art" which has infinite possibilities? And when the severe light that Njau throws at the world collides with a blank canvas, how serious will we receive the message reflected from that canvas? JULIUS NJAU SEIF-PORTRAITS IN 2006  link https://artistjuliusnjau.virtualgallery.com    https://artistjuliusnjau.virtualgallery.comhttps://artistjuliusnjau.virtualgallery.comshapeimage_3_link_0shapeimage_3_link_1