The war victim

Abstract

Prof. Nnagenda found that a part of the tree had fallen down, close to the Art School. This tree is called Mukebu in luganda, mugomati in other places and the scientific name is, Cordia Africana. One of the lecturers had ordered the groundsmen to burn the trunk. The burning of the tree symbolized that a lot was going on. The tree that had fallen reminded ourselves of the destruction today caused by man and nature. The Sculpture was done in three (3) years, from 1981 - 1983. After making the sculpture, some Europeans came and admired it. Rockefeller too admired it and wanted to take it to New York. They offered monetary compensation but Prof. Nnagenda preferred that the monument remains in the university. In 1984, Rockefeller decided to purchase it for the university. They then decided to put it in the library. However, it would not fit through the library doors so Rockefeller hired cranes that passed it through the roof and fitted in a specialized space in the old library building. The Sculpture is a headless Torso, but with energy. The symbolism is that even if people were victims, they did not lose everything. Prof. Nnagenda came back in 1979 revolutionized after observations that there were no artifacts from Africa, yet Africa had its own way of communication through visual arts.