Boys Club Member’s Art Graces Cover of New Book

By Kangwa Yombwe, Founder/Mentor, Friends of Change Boys Club, formerly Wayi Wayi Boys Club, Livingstone, Zambia

When Simon Siantumbula joined Wayi Wayi Boys Club in 2018, he showed a remarkable talent for drawing and painting. However, growing up in a modest household, his artistic ambitions were often met with skepticism. His family, though supportive, urged him to pursue a more practical career path. But his passion for art burned brightly, refusing to be extinguished by the doubts of others.

Unfortunately, after finishing grade 12 about three years ago, Simon, now 22, has not been able to further his education due to financial constraints. His main financial support comes from his older sister, who is currently paying fees for another sister who is training to be a nurse. Simon would like to attend Copperbelt University to study public health, yet still lives with his parents and five siblings in Livingstone.

Simon practiced and developed his artistic expression through his years at Wayi Wayi Boys Club

Despite the challenges, Simon persists, pouring his heart into his art and seizing every work opportunity that comes his way, including selling shoes, cutting hair, gardening, dancing at weddings, and at times, working with Yande Yombwe of WayiWayi Art Studio and Gallery on her clothing design collection.

Late last year under my guidance, Simon entered the Cynthia Zukas Young Artist Competition, run by the Lechwe Trust, alongside 40 other upcoming artists from around the country.Though he didn’t win a prize, he managed to make a sale. Stumbling upon his work,a couple was captivated by its beauty and depth. After purchasing the piece in February, the coupletraveled from Lusaka to meet Simon and tell him thatthey had featured his work on the cover of a book they had just published, aprestigious honor for any artist.

Authors Sara Longwe and Roy Clarke (in white pants) visiting from Lusaka to meet Simon and Wayi Wayi Creative Village Founders Agness and Lawrence Yombwe

Authors Sara Longwe, a renowned feminist and gender consultant, and her husband, Roy Clarke, a well-known former newspaper columnist and lecturer at the University of Zambia, put Simon’s art work on the cover of their new book, The Process of Women’s Empowerment(available on Amazon Books). The book is their latest contribution to further society’s understanding of systematic gender discrimination and overcoming it.

Simon, proud that his artwork is featuring on a prominent new book about empowering women

Simon’s success is a success for the boys club as a whole, as one of our goals is to educate and empower boys for girls. This is a testament that our work with youth is effective, and it fills me, his Mentor, with pride. His artwork attracted those of like minds, thereby nurturing the artistic fire within. Simon feels a range of emotions, including excitement, gratitude, pride and inspiration. Most importantly, his confidence has been boosted as this experience has made him feel validated.