Paintings by Lola Lonli The Burundian This story is about how my love for Africa began to be expressed in art.
The first themes of the drawings in 1986-1990 were taken from personal life and observation of people, communication with friends and reading books. At that time, I especially loved African fairy tales and books by African writers such as: Amos Tutuola, Chinua Achebe, Ciprian Ekvensi and others.
The African music I adored and the work of African woodcarvers shaped my idea of the aesthetics of African culture. Around the same time, I met the members of the group of artists "Union of African Figures". I realized that life presents me with a gift in the form of an endless variety of topics for creativity. Then I drew the first African story "No, I'm marrying a Burundian!!". It was an art game. My friend, the artist Mikhail Astafiev, also known as Mifodiy, argued with the artist Andrei Rumyantsev, also known as Rum, who of them would be the first to marry an African girl.
Rum painted an oil painting on canvas, showing a close-up of a very contented self with a beautiful, slender African woman leaning her head on his shoulder. The painting was called "Rum Marries an Ethiopian". Mifodiy, in order not to be indebted, drew in a notebook, self-portrait as very pleased himself, kicking Rum away with his foot and an African girl dancing next to him. The caption read: “No, I am marrying an Ethiopian!” Deciding to join the argument, I also drew a work depicting me with a dancing Burundian, because I was listening to Burundian drums at that time. The work was called “No! I’m marrying a Burundian!!” I was only 16 years old then. And of course, I understood why my friends want to marry girls from Ethiopia, we met them near RUDN University and they were divinely beautiful. By the way, Andrey Rumyantsev, was the grandson of the first rector of the RUDN Professor Sergei Vasilievich Rumyantsev.
Unfortunately, the paintings of my friends have not survived, time and life have left intact only my "Burundian", and now this story.