Art history professor publishes book about Christian art in Tanzania

Georgia College & State University Professor of Art History Dr. Fadhili Safieli Mshana has a newly-published book, “African Artists Under Mission Patronage: Focus on Tanzania,” exploring the relationships between African artists and Western Christian missions—and how missionary patronage helped shape and define art in Africa during the 20th century.

“The Department of Art would like to celebrate the scholarship of Dr. Mshana,” said Matt Forrest, interim chair and associate professor of art. “His book encapsulates his insightful research, inviting you to explore the history of Christian mission patronage within art in Tanzania. Congratulations, Dr. Mshana!”

Mshana said he remains “grateful to Georgia College for paid professional leaves and financial support that includes financial research grants for this work. These were invaluable in my research trips and writing, as were the funds for the image reproduction for this book.”

According to John Picton at the University of London, Mshana’s book is “essential reading” for learning about the impact of Christianity on the visual arts and 20th-Century development in Tanzania. These include “the encouragement of personal artistry, the use of local architectural and sculptural forms, access to international art-making techniques and the development of local art schools and workshops.”

Nicholas J. Bridger, author of “Africanizing Christian Art: Kevin Carroll & Yoruba Christian Art in Nigeria,” wrote in a review: “Mshana has taken an impressively deep dive into the often overlooked field of African Christian art. He reveals so much about the origins of missionary-based Christian art in Tanzania …”

Cécile Fromont of Yale University highlighted Mshana’s “valuable contribution to the all too scant scholarship on African Christian art in a generously illustrated volume that will enrich readers interested in religion, expressive cultures, and the many facets of cross-cultural missionary encounters.”

Gary van Wyk of Axis Gallery wrote: “Mshana contributes a valuable Tanzanian perspective to the scholarship on Christian-mission patronage of art in Africa, assessing and contrasting five influential art centers in Tanzania.”

Mshana’s book was published in July 2023 by Lexington Books, an imprint of Rowman & Littlefield. “African Artists under Mission Patronage” is available in hard cover and e-book at Lexington Books, as well as Barnes & Noble and Amazon Books online.