Edward Said Tinga Tinga developed and gave this interesting art its name! Said Tinga Tinga was born in 1937 to the Mmakua tribe, in Tunduru district - Southern Tanzania. His parents lived and worked as labourers on a Sisal farm and as he grew up he too helped his parents with their work.

Because of the demanding nature of his work, the talented young man could only make use of his artistic talent whenever they were allowed breaks! He used bicycle paints for his paintings and these are still used today. As his new technique became more recognised by art critics, Said moved to the Tanzania capital - Dar-es-salaam. Sadly though, he did not live long enough to see how famous 'Tinga Tinga art' would become. He passed away at a young age of 35.

Tinga Tinga is one of the many forms of Impressionism the beautiful and mysterious continent of Africa has given birth to. Unlike Western styles of Impressionism, Tinga Tinga Art gets its unique and vibrant style from the magnificent natural surroundings of Africa.

Artists have the freedom to use their brushes to express their thoughts in bright, eye-catching colours. A strinking feature in most of these paintings is the way the artists capture the animals of the Eastern coast of Africa, in what appears to the a distorted yet a very interesting image of the original creature!