Artisan Market - Lubango, Angola
Driving into the center of town we passed many vendors on the street selling vegetables, fruit, baskets and various other goods.
We passed an interesting catholic church with a modern twist on gothic architecture. It had beautiful teal doors and interesting window patterns that reflected the patterns in the mosaics on the walkway in the front.
Across from this church was a walled courtyard with a small group of vendors. Teague and Robert led me through the grassy yard into a small room where two men were woodworking. Along two walls were shelves filled with stone and wood carvings of iconic Angolan imagery. The most common were busts of women from the Mwila Tribe carved from purplish pink rocks of the nearby Chibia Quarry and the Pensador, (The Thinker) which is one of the most famous symbols of Angolan culture.
While Lubango is in the southwest of Angola - home to the Mwila Tribe - the Pensador originated with the Chokwe Tribe in the Northeast part of Angola. This tribe has the most famous artwork in Angola and it has been influential across the country. You can find the Pensador on everything from Angola’s currency to the bathroom doors.
However the most fascinating was watching the craftsman carve a Pensador from start to nearly finish. I got to stand close enough to have wood shards fly into my face and hair. He masterfully hammered on different chisels until the form began to appear out of what was once a rectangular block of wood.
The ground was dirt covered with a layer of sawdust, wood scraps and rock pebbles. A chicken sat beneath the artist’s feet and the air was thick and hot. But I could have stayed there and watched him carve all day.