SHAPESHIFTER - ALBERT MUNYAI By Stephanie Donau

Albert Munyai lives in the area of Tengwe, Venda, overlooking the Pile Mountains, a tall, majestic structure of natural architecture that lets the spirit free.
Here stands the round thatch house and rough pole structure of a studio which tries to house Albert's vast imagination, his wife and children, farm animals and sculptures.
Albert hasn't got time for small talk; it's either practical or mystical or both, as he gestures with his arms in the air, relating his universe or stories of how he got to where he is.
He is deeply passionate about life and art and for Albert there exists no difference between the two.
His works of wood are spiritually allegorical or symbolic; the carved lines dancing as vividly in explanation as Albert's narrative hands.
He is one who seeks through contemplation and self-surrender a union into the Divine.
The eyes of Albert Munyai see all things filled with this Divine, from trees and rocks to worms and blades of grass.
Through these eyes, Albert sees objects in wood and shapeshifts through using his mallet and chisels.
Once he starts work on a piece, Albert turns from mystic philosopher into an over-drive doer.
Watching him at work, one almost senses a surrendering to a flow of energy that just moves through him.
This is very much the way in which Albert views his creative inspiration, as something which is felt and not thought.
His journey as an artist has been one of solitude, his nature and sense of being has branded him as a non-conformist within rural society in earlier days.
But it was this nature and sense of being that pushed him through these times of intense emotional and financial hardship.
Today, Albert's spirit soars, regardless of opinion and he has had many successes both personally and professionally.
Albert absorbs his existence deeply, both consciously and sub-consciously.
He is a man who believes in the spiritual apprehension of truths beyond the building-blocks of logic and understanding
This is manifested in Albert's work; carved fish swimming in counter-punctual rhythm in the shape of a chair, xylophone keys in the shape of men and women suspended on the back of a cow, its carved head covered with real skins, and other works of the imagination that are full of hidden meaning, mysterious and awe-inspiring.
The Fish Chair - Albert Munyai
THE SPIRITUAL EYE - Albert Munyai Tradition has within it a force - a force which creates the style of an entire civilisation Titus Burkhardt.
Venda wood sculptor Albert Munyai believes that when God created the universe he was making art.
In that broad canvas he gave each plant a rustle, insects a sound, animals a call, every bird a song and people different colours, shapes and languages.
His garden would have been so boring had it just been yellow and contained one note, said Munyai, spreading his arms to the heavens.
"But God wanted it all because this was His image - all of it. Isnąt it so beautiful?
And He gave everything in this masterpiece the power to live life to the fullest. It is so sad that we fail Him in that".
Munyai was born in 1958 in a rondavel in a village nestling at the foot of the lush, majestic Pile Mountains of the Northern Province and, as was customary, stayed with his mother for three months in the dark, smoky hut.
His first recollection after he emerged is of his grandfather making exquisite woodcarvings and he recalls sitting at the old manąs feet learning the craft. And he has a missing finger to prove that some of the lessons were painful. Sitting there he came to realise that art was a universal language a form of expression flowing from the spirit world, through the artist and to the people in much the same way as healing powers are communicated from the ancestors through the traditional healer in African custom.
The artist was thus a hidden treasure, the spiritual eye, a receiver of visions and energy to be translated into objects that all can understand. Munyai knew instinctively that this was why God had placed him on Earth.
"Mine is a spiritual inspiration, Iąve always known that", he said, speaking fast.
"I'm a piece of God". Even though he had talent, others were not convinced of his purpose.
His father thought he should go to school, but Munyai kept running away impatient at having to sit in a classroom while powerful visions were acting on him with an intensity impossible to ignore.
This branded him a rebel in one of the most conservative rural societies in the country and the path he walked as a young man was often a lonely one, filled with hardship a sacrifice he was prepared to make because he had faith in his spirit.
Unlike others with a predetermined mission, Munyai never denied or fought his calling he embraced it from the outset.
His spirit is his friend, a part of him, and he even eats less to give it more room for manoeuvre in his body so that it can build up the energy of ten men before it is released on a piece of wood with the same sweat and emotion that accompanies childbirth. It is an ardour that gives this small, intense man the impression of greater size.
"Albert hasnąt got time for small talk; it's either practical or mystical or both, as he gestures with his arms in the air, relating his universe or stories of how he got to where he is", wrote Stephanie Donau in Shapeshifter.
"He is deeply passionate about life and art and for Albert there exists no difference between the two.
His works of wood are spiritually allegorical or symbolic; the carved lines dancing as vividly in explanation as Albert's narrative hands. He is one who seeks through contemplation and self-surrender a union into the Divine".
"The eyes of Albert Munyai see all things filled with this Divine, from trees and rocks to worms and blades of grass. Through these eyes, Albert sees objects in wood and shapeshifts through using his mallet and chisels.
Once he starts work on a piece, Albert turns from mystic philosopher into an overdrive doer.
Watching him at work, one almost senses a surrendering to a flow of energy that just moves through him.
This is very much the way in which Albert views his creative inspiration, as something which is felt and not thought". Munyai lives in a hut on top of a hill believing things can only reach their potential when they grow at the highest point. Round him run his daughters and chickens as he frantically sculpts an enormous chair under a tarpaulin.
Depicted on it are animals, mystical figures and a woman peering to the heavens from the backrest.
Behind it is a cow with xylophone keys in the shape of men and women suspended on the back and a table on which fish swim rhythmically on the surface.
"Man cannot live without water", he explained.
"All across Africa it is the most precious resource. It is of vast spiritual significance; water moves and flows, it is the giver and sustainer of life. In Venda, the custodian of water is the fish and its depiction pays homage to that which protects water, ensuring the prosperity and well being of the community".
As he finishes at the end of the day he closes his eyes and runs his hand over the works to feel what still needs to be done.
Then he puts on a jacket and walks down to a rough pole structure that is the beginning of a studio he is building on a rocky outcrop.
This is not only to display his work, but a place where the community can gather and he can teach the local youth how to fulfill their purpose in life.
Sticking out of the centre is a huge log with a ladder propped against it, which he climbed to sit atop the pole.
"Spiritual matters are more powerful at night", he said.
"This is where I receive my strongest messages particularly from the stars and the moon".
And tomorrow when he goes out looking for that piece of wood on which to render his vision, he will take seeds to plant wherever he finds suitable soil.
It is his way of giving something back to the Divine Earth for sacrificing a part of itself.
(Article by Pat Hopkins Tel: 011 679-4718 e-mail: hopkins@icon.co.za)

"Fish Mbila" Man cannot live without water. All across Africa, water is a most precious resource. It is of vast spiritual significance: water moves and flows, it is the giver and sustainer of life. In Venda, the custodian of water is the fish. A depiction of fish pays homage to that which protects water, ensuring the prosperity and well being of the community.

“Cow Mbila” The mbila in the shape of a cow gives thanks to South Africa. It celebrates the tribal laws and culture which centers around cattle. The cow is a celebrated and spiritually revered animal. It is considered sacred since it sacrifices itself entirely: giving meat for food, hides for clothing, horns for vessels and intestines for various uses. The cow gives what the bull cannot - milk for nourishment and a womb for to gestate new cattle. The musical keys carry the importance of symbolizing well balanced emotions - half the register is smiling, the other half is crying.

The fourth carrier being the metal support at the base of the drum. These three support pillars (in the form of half humans) rest on the spirit of Thoyandou: the last leader of a united Venda, who mysteriously disappeared at the end of the eighteenth century. His spirit still resounds within the heart of the Venda nation, and is enshrouded with history and mythology. At the bottom of the structure stand three traditional huts: one kitchen, one bedroom and one storeroom. This is encompassed by a stick structure representing the youth of Venda.