The Queen of Africa, 2016

Mosoti Kepha  

Rarely have I met a friendlier and kindhearted person than Mosoti Kepha. He is married, has two children and has been working for a long time at the Kuona Artist Center in Nairobi (Kenya).
Mosoti is one of the most important sculptors in East Africa and has delivered a true masterpiece with his "Queen of Africa".

"I simply wanted to create a picture of a beautiful woman", says Mosoti. He has truly succeeded.
I myself am rather untalented - or rather inexperienced - in terms of craftsmanship, but I believe that it is quite difficult to create such a sculpture in a static way. At a size of 183 cm, it is only made from a single piece of cypress wood. After all, the sculpture has to stand upright, so you can't afford to make a mistake.

But whoever has seen Mosoti at work once, does not doubt that a true master is at work here. Every stroke fits.
To the Queen of Africa I asked Mosoti: "Tell me, Mosoti, is it really clever of you to create a woman with such large breasts? Imagine a man buying this sculpture. Don't you think he'll get into trouble with his wife? No woman likes to have competition in her own house."

Mosoti smiled at me. "You're wrong, Norbert. With us here it's a positive image, it's not at all pejorative, something like that, a woman would become a sex symbol. Here with us, large breasts are a sign of fertility. And a thick bottom is good, because in difficult times a woman still has physical reserves, so that she can be sure that she will not get sick or die if there is less to eat. And believe it or not, most of the sculptures of this kind I make are bought by women."

So the question was settled. And I had learned something. :-)
This sculpture is truly a great eye-catcher. The combination of wood and metal looks modern and the female form very harmonious. If you want to bring a little bit of African culture into your home, the "Queen of Africa" is certainly not a mistake and offers your guests a nice conversation piece.