Madiba’s love for children lives on through Titios’ murals
The larger-than-life paintings decorate the walls of more than 10 crèche buildings in rural villages around Tzaneen and immortalises the memory of the world's most famous political prisoner.
LIMPOPO – Titios Ubisi (47) from Muhlava village near Tzaneen is a mute and deaf artist who paints beautiful, wall images of South Africa’s first democratic president, Nelson Mandela.
His ability to create such breathtaking artwork is a rebuff of the definition that deaf and mute people are missing ‘a sense’ and proves that they have unique talents, capabilities and perspectives that are less common to the majority of hearing persons.
The Manager of Muhlava Crèche, Lucy Mashele, said they asked Titos to paint Mandela on their wall in order to celebrate and recognise the enormous contribution the late icon made to the achievement of freedom in this country.
“Our crèche owes its existence to the social grant system, which was pioneered by Nelson Mandela and his government. The majority of our children come from the poorest families and their parents survive on social grants, which enable them to pay our monthly fees.
“The painting itself gives our children an opportunity to learn about the history of our country from a very young age. It is a history lesson on the wall,” she said.
Speaking through his wife, Titos said painted a Mandela on every crèche building in the area after he realized that the former president was still the most popular politician in the country today.
“Everybody loves and recognises Nelson Mandela, especially young children. He is the father of the nation. By putting his painting on the walls of crèche buildings, I am giving young children an opportunity to appreciate the sacrifices he made in making their country a better place to live. They become patriotic citizens,” he said.
Born into a poor family, Titos started his primary education at a school for the hearing and being one of many children in a crowded class, the overworked teachers didn’t realize that he was deaf and mute.
“I didn’t hear what the teachers were saying and they thought I was just a slow learner. So while other children were learning how to read and write, I drew images on my book. Eventually, I quit school in Gr 2,” he said.
It took him many years to perfect his drawing skills and today, he makes a decent living by creating business signs and logos for businesses, and decorating walls of local crèches. He is also a self-taught shoe-repairer, builder, welder and carpenter.
“I am deaf and mute, but I thank God for giving me two hands and two legs. I will never go hungry and don’t expect charity from anyone. I believe in myself and my ability to overcome any challenges,” he said.
When Titos recently needed a roof over his head, he didn’t wait for an RDP house, instead he made his own bricks and built a modest five-roomed structure for his wife and child, showing the same streak of independence and fighting spirit that Nelson Mandela immortalised.
