| Tree of Life | |
|---|---|
 On display in the British Museum | |
| Material | recycled weapons |
| Size | Height: 3.5 m. |
| Created | 2004 |
| Place | Maputo |
| Present location | Room 25 of the British Museum |
| Registration | AOA 2005 Af. 1.1 |
The Tree of Life is a sculpture created by four artists in Mozambique. It was commissioned and then installed in the British Museum in 2005. [1] It was built from the surrender of 600,000 weapons that were converted into art following an initiative started by Bishop Dinis Sengulane. [2]
The sculpture was created by four artists, Kester, Hilario Nhatugueja, Fiel dos Santos and Adelino Serafim Maté in Maputo, [3] as part of a co-operative called Associação Núcleo de Arte in Maputo. [4]
The scheme was created by the Mozambican Christian Council [4] and supported by Christian Aid. It was Bishop Dinis Sengulane's idea which led to the creation of an organisation called "Transformacao de Armas em Enxadas" or "Transforming Arms into Tools". [1] Sengulane who was one of the people credited for creating the opportunity for peace following the Mozambique Civil War. [5]
The "Transforming Arms into Tools" organisation supplied the decommissioned weapons to the artists and his group for this and many other related pieces of sculpture. [6]
Around the bottom of the main trunk, which weighs half a ton (c. 500 kg), there are some complementary sculptures of animals. The animals are a turtle, a lizard and two birds. These too are made from welded guns. Weapons are important symbols in Mozambique. An AK47 still features on Mozambique's flag. [7] This sculpture was made from weapons which include Kalashnikov AK47s , Walther 42s, German MP 40s and British 4.85mms. [8]
The millions of weapons in Mozambique were the remains of the civil war that was funded by South Africa and Rhodesia and involved emigrants from both of their regimes. [9] One million people were killed and the war only ended when the Soviet Union collapsed and the funding ended. [10] Kofi Annan of the United Nations said, when similar work was being discussed, "We don't manufacture weapons, we sometimes don't even have money to buy them. How do we get these weapons to kill each other?" [11]
This sculpture was commissioned by the British Museum in 2005 after they had purchased another sculpture called Throne of Weapons in 2002. [1] The sculpture had been brought to England by Christian Aid's Julia Fairrie as part of an exhibition called Swords into Ploughshares. Transforming Arms into Art, following a documentary film for Christian Aid and the BBC of the same name.
This piece was exhibited in the museum main area from February 2005. [9] It played a leading part in the "Africa 2005 Season" which took place in Britain and involved the Arts Council, the British Museum, Christian Aid and a number of London galleries. The season finished in October 2005. [8] In 2010 the tree is a feature of room 25 of the British Museum. Bishop Sengulane who started this project said.
Why should this world have hungry people? Why should this world have a shortage of medicines? And yet, the amount of money which can be made available, almost instantly, for armament purposes is just amazing, and I would say shocking. [11]
Maputo, formerly named Lourenço Marques until 1976, is the capital, and largest city of Mozambique. Located near the southern end of the country, it is within 120 kilometres of the borders with Eswatini and South Africa. The city has a population of 1,088,449 distributed over a land area of 347.69 km2 (134.24 sq mi). The Maputo metropolitan area includes the neighbouring city of Matola, and has a total population of 2,717,437. Maputo is a port city, with an economy centered on commerce. It is also noted for its vibrant cultural scene and distinctive, eclectic architecture.
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Giuseppe Penone is an Italian artist and sculptor, known for his large-scale sculptures of trees that are interested in the link between man and the natural world. His early work is often associated with the Arte povera movement. In 2014, Penone was awarded the prestigious Praemium Imperiale award. He currently lives and works in Turin, Italy.
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Malangatana Valente Ngwenya was a Mozambican painter and poet. He frequently exhibited work under his first name alone, as Malangatana. He died on 5 January 2011 in Matosinhos, Portugal.
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The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, better known as the Maputo Protocol, is an international human rights instrument established by the African Union that went into effect in 2005. It guarantees comprehensive rights to women including the right to take part in the political process, to social and political equality with men, improved autonomy in their reproductive health decisions, and an end to female genital mutilation. It was adopted by the African Union in Maputo, Mozambique, in 2003 in the form of a protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.
The Throne of Weapons is a 2002 sculpture created by Cristóvão Canhavato out of disused weapons. It is owned by the British Museum and has been called the Museum's most "eloquent object" and has been shown in a wide variety of ways.
Dinis Salomão Sengulane is a Mozambican Anglican priest. He was the Anglican Bishop of Lebombo, Maputo, Mozambique, from 1976 to 2014. He had an important role in the end of the Mozambican Civil War in 1992 and helped with the surrender of 600,000 weapons that were converted into art. He was amongst the longest serving Anglican bishops.
Alberto Mabungulane Chissano was a Mozambican sculptor best known for his work using indigenous woods, and sculptures in rock, stone and iron. He is considered to be one of Mozambique's most important and influential artists, together with the painter Malangatana Ngwenya.
Lin Evola is an American artist. She is best known for making metal sculptures of angels out of melted weapons such as guns or nuclear weapons casings. She has been honored at the United Nations by Sergio Duarte, has collected weapons to build a statue at One Police Plaza in New York City, and has gifted a work to Bill Clinton, "the first recipient of a Peace Angel".
Carlos Simão Matsinhe is a Mozambican Anglican bishop. He is the 11th Anglican bishop of the Lebombo, Mozambique. The second Mozambican-born bishop of Lebombo, he is the symbolic head of the Anglican church in Mozambique. Matsinhe was formerly the dean of Maciene Cathedral, serving for over 15 years. Matsinhe's theology embraces the social tradition within Anglicanism and advocates an active participation of the church in education, health and environmental affairs.
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Bertina Lopes was a Mozambican-born, Italian painter and sculptor. Lopes' work displays a deep African sensibility with saturated colours and bold compositions of mask-like figures and geometric forms. She has been acknowledged for highlighting 'the social criticism and nationalistic fervour that influenced other Mozambican artists of her time'.
Ângela Ferreira is a Portuguese and South African installation artist, video artist, photographer and sculptor. She spends time in both countries.
