Richmond BC, Canada #richmondartgallerybc
Eric Mazimpaka was born in 1987, in Nairobi, Kenya to Rwandan parents. Due to growing political unrest and increased threats towards people of Tutsi heritage, his family moved frequently between Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda as a child. Shortly after he was born his father was detained by the government, who believed him to be a spy. As weeks went by, Eric’s mother accepted that he was dead, meanwhile tensions grew in Rwanda between Hutu and Tutsi.
Six weeks after being arrested his father was released. He quickly scraped together enough money to help his family leave for Sweden, however he had to stay behind in Africa. This was one of the last times Eric would see his father.
In 1991 Eric, with his mother and two brothers, landed in Sweden as refugees. The shock of the new cold climate was only surpassed by a hostile, anti-immigrant environment that was growing in Sweden at the time. Entering elementary school Eric quickly internalized the new traumas in his environment. Running from school to the school bus to escape gangs of Neo Nazis became a regular ritual. The family couldn’t leave the house after dark, and when Eric was 7, an old woman with her husband in the grocery store spat at his mother over his head. As this continued he stopped speaking much as a child, retreating instead into his imagination, carving little figures out of crayons and finding peace in doodling.
After four years of uncertainty in Sweden, Eric and his family were fortunate enough to be sponsored by St. Andrews church in Victoria B.C. They moved to Victoria in 1996, where his family was able to finally set down roots. Canada became the home that helped foster and grow Mazimpaka’s creativity. Through fine arts, theatre and martial arts, Mazimpaka has found a way to process, accept and deal with childhood PTSD and trauma. Currently, Mazimpaka lives with his wife and dog and works as a Stunt Performer/Actor in Vancouver B.C.Eric Mazimpaka’s artwork interfaces with the rich history of East African art by assimilating its styles and mediums. Mazimpaka casts, cuts, colours and amalgamates the works of classical and renaissance painters, with a contemporary African pulse, creating ceremonious themes composed of bright colours aligned with newer tales of Afrofuturism.
RBHM (Richmond Black History Month) was initiated by Mary Wilson in 2016 to share Black History, to acknowledge and celebrate the vast contributions of People of African descent to Canada. Art plays an integral part of these contributions.
