Browsing by Author "Nhlane, Tamanda"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Creation of Oil Paintings Inspired By Folklore for the Preservation of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Tumbuka Community of Malawi
    (Kenyatta University, 2025-06) Nhlane, Tamanda
    Documenting and preserving folklore is essential for safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), as it sustains traditional knowledge and reinforces communal identity across generations. Among the Tumbuka people of the Mzimba district in Malawi, oral traditions are increasingly vulnerable due to modernization, globalization and the diminishing role of elder knowledge bearers. While various media such as literature and digital media have been employed to conserve these cultural narratives, few studies have critically examined how painting, grounded in structured sketching and experimentation and informed by narrative structural analysis, can visually interpret and preserve folklore. This practice-led study investigated how oil painting with the intervening variables of the artists’ visual interpretations can serve as a tool for the visual interpretation of Tumbuka folklore that communicates across linguistic and temporal boundaries. Therefore, the study was significant because it helped to ensure the existence of a tangible archive of the intangible cultural heritage of the Tumbuka tribe. Positioning the artist as a researcher and practitioner, the research utilized an exploratory approach, drawing from secondary sources of folklore narratives, which were analyzed using the narrative structural analysis criteria to identify character roles and key narrative functions. These insights informed the development of sequential sketches, which visually mapped out the structure and thematic content of each narrative. This further led to the selection of the most consequential scene, which was developed into an oil painting. In doing so, the study’s methodology and findings contribute to broader cultural preservation strategies within Malawi and in other contexts where oral traditions face similar vulnerabilities.