Kamante Gatura

Sam's Piece by Herbert Freeman

I received this image from a gentleman named Sam Venus who purchased this from Mr. Freeman this past weekend.  Congratulations Sam!

 

Kamante Gatura (1912-1985) was a Kenyan national of the Kikuyu tribespeople.  As a young boy his family exchanged work for wages and the right to live on the undeveloped farmland of Karen Blixen, better known by her pen name Isak Dinesen the author of  the memoir Out of Africa.  Mr. Gatura became Blixen’s cook and good friend and is featured in the memoir.

He was also a self-taught artist who captured life in Africa with crayon and colored pencils.  Along with Dinesen and the photographer Peter Beard he wrote a book called Longing For Darkness: Kamante’s Tales from Out of Africa which contains stories of his life with Dineson as well as folk tales of his people.

Kamante Gatura photo by Peter Beard