Peintre Moke, 1950–2001

Moke, born Monsenguro Kejwamfi in 1950 in Ibe (Bandundu Province, Democratic Republic of Congo), is widely regarded as a “painter-reporter” of Kinshasa’s urban life and one of the leading figures of the city’s school of popular painting that emerged in the first decade after Zaïre’s independence.

Moke arrived in Kinshasa at the age of ten, surviving day by day. Discovering a market for paintings, he taught himself to paint landscapes on discarded cardboard. In 1965, he created a painting of General Mobutu waving to crowds during Independence Day celebrations — a composition he revisited many times. This work launched his career.

He established his studio at the crossroads of Kasa Vubu and Bolobo avenues, an area known for billboard and advertising painters. Immersed in the daily life of Kinshasa, he drew constant inspiration from the city’s energy, characters, and rhythms.

Moke adopted the conventions of commercial art: bold outlines, strong colors, and simplified forms unconcerned with strict likeness or perspective. His paintings are lively, humorous, and deeply sympathetic, celebrating the everyday life of Kinshasa rather than focusing on social conflict — unlike later artists such as Chéri Samba or Cheik Ledy.

His canvases depict street scenes, bars, neighborhood disputes, sapeurs (elegant dandies), Miziki associations (groups of financially independent women), all-night parties, and public ceremonies. Through these scenes, Moke captured the spirit, humor, and humanity of a city in constant motion.

source: CAACART FR