Who are Mgcineni Sobopha and Michael Barry?
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| Michael Barry worked closely with Mgcineni Sobopha on the memorial to the Bulhoek Massacre. |
| Picture courtesy of Michael Barry. |
Mgcineni "Pro" Sobopha and Michael Barry are professional artists. Sobopha lives in Alice, where he lectures in history of art at the University of Fort Hare. Barry, who lives in Port Elizabeth, is the Eastern Cape arts project manager for the Sunday Times Heritage Project and regional manager for Business and Arts South Africa.
Sobopha was born in Engcobo, Transkei, in 1967. He obtained a BA (Fine Art) in 1998 from the University of Cape Town and a Masters in Fine Art in 2001. While studying he worked with various community arts and teaching programmes, including acting as a facilitator for a children's stories mural - a Truth and Reconciliation Commission project at St George's Cathedral in Cape Town in 1998.
A series of his work has explored the Xhosa male circumcision ritual, ulwaluko, and his work often incorporates unconventional materials such as sheepskin, blankets and cow dung.
Sobopha has received several grants and scholarships, including a National Arts Council bursary. He has lectured in drawing at UCT's department of architecture and has been involved in several conferences and seminars on the politics of art, representation and images of masculinity in Cape Town.
Barry has assisted a number of artists working on the Sunday Times Heritage Project with technical drawings. For the Bulhoek Massacre story, he worked closely with Sobopha on the creative development of the concept, as well as the making and installation of the artwork.
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