A walking work of art, Gregory Da Silva is more than an odd spectacle – he is a symbol of Africa’s many diverse cultures…In the first heady years of the African Union, the world’s eyes are increasingly turned to the continent from which humankind first appeared. Beneath the seemingly impenetrable mask of violence portrayed in popular media, lies a living and thriving cultural climate which Des Warde finds well depicted by West African street artist Gregory Da Silva.
His head dress weighs up to twenty five kilograms, his body is armored with artifacts and his face painted with tribal patterns and an undying smile. Each day, Gregory Da Silva presents the city center with a new display of his symbolic art.
Gregory’s voice is lively and he repeatedly offers phrases and words in French. Born in Benin, West Africa, 1979, he was trained in computer science at university, but went on to found a theatre group in Benin called ‘Voice of Spirit’ or ‘Voix de l’Esprit’ which performed politically motivated as well as comic and poetic theatre at the Benin National Library.
When he is traveling in Africa, be it in Senegal, Cameroon, Mali or the Congo, the local people invariably look at him and say “ahh, that is our culture” as they see something of their own represented. “All Africa is in my clothes” he says, drawing attention again to his peerless suit.
He is very popular with tourists, especially those from Italy, England, America and Germany, who frequently ask why he does not come over and do his thing in their own country. But he says his focus is on Africa. Pictures of him certainly do get back to their countries though, as Gregory says everyday “hundreds” of pictures are taken of him, usually posing with the tourists.
Asked about his dreams and ambitions, Gregory (or the “Egg Man” or “Ei man” as he is also known) says that this year he is planning on starting an art school, which is part of his ‘Project for Africa’ for this year. He wants to impart creative knowledge to South African youth, giving them the power to create beautiful things and also to support themselves, all part of his ultimate venerable ambition to “bring Africa together to make one”.
Popular Posts
-
We live in an age when doctors' fees, hospital costs, and many medical treatments are incredibly expensive and disease statistics are of...
-
See the world through the eyes of your 4-legged friends! Built-in timer automatically takes photos. A tiny camera on your pet's collar w...
-
I saw a video on You Tube that said we need to drink at least half our body weight in fluid ounces. So if you weigh 200 pounds, then you nee...
-
A new study says the fertile women become more attracted to other men if their partner has a less-masculine “baby face.” Researchers at the ...
-
Brisk walking can boost blood flow to your brain, according to a new study from the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Institute for Exercis...
-
Spy surveillance equipment is no longer the territory of security agencies, fiction books or movies. Today, any consumer may go to a spy sho...
-
Jogging may have a cult following among fitness fanatics, but if you want to lose weight, jogging may not be the ideal kind of exercise, say...
-
Different spy gears are used for the purpose of investigating information that others would prefer to keep private. Homemade spy gear and co...
-
Do you love to cook, and are you always looking for interesting new gadgets that will make your life easier? Here's a list of some usefu...
-
New technology may help to improve brain tumor surgeries, according to a report from the Detroit Free Press. The Hermelin Brain Tumor Center...
Meet Gregory- The Egg Man- 6 Images
Tuesdayat 12:19
Labels: Gregory Da Silva, The Egg Man
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment