A replica of the bust that made him famous, Eliud Kipchoge sits, arms akimbo on a green crate. A larger-than-life work in progress stands tall, secured to the roof by blue rope, white lights illuminating the sculpture’s head and the room from the roof.
The studio is surprisingly clean. Cleophas Mandela says the reason for this is they have a TV crew coming in later. “This is the cleanest my workshop has been,” he chuckles.
Outside, a canopy of banana plants welcomes you to Mr Mandela’s place of business. A sculpted work of Kenya’s founding father waves his famous flywhisk in salutation.
On August 15, 2024, Eldoret, a long-standing municipality was conferred city status and, on the occasion, some ‘well-wishers’ donated statues of famous athletes – world beaters – to be erected around the new city.
Seeing the artefacts that would adorn the city of champions, there was all-round outrage from Kenyans including on social media where Cleophas Mandela’s name was touted as the man who should have been given the job.
Mr Mandela shared his thoughts on the furore that followed the unveiling of the infamous Eldoret sculptures.
Sculptor Cleophas Mandela at his workshop in Kitengela on August 21, 2024.
Photo credit: Boniface Bogita| Nation Media Group
“The question that was looming in my head was, did it go through the right channels for it to be displayed in public for everyone to see? Despite them saying that it was done by well-wishers, there are some protocols that government bodies should undertake before putting sculptures or artworks on [display for] public consumption.”
He speaks on merit.
Mr Mandela’s late father, Oshottoe Ondula, was a long-time sculptor and is the artist behind the towering Tom Mboya statue in Nairobi city centre.
A young Mandela sat at his father’s feet to learn the trade. He confesses that, with his father’s blessings, he was the one that worked on the flamingoes that wade in the water at Mboya’s feet.
A father, a mentor
Coming from an artistic family – one of his sisters is pursuing a PhD in Artificial Intelligence, the other is a food artiste – Mandela recalls being the child that drew on the back pages of his exercise books in class.
The memory of the beatings he received for that are still vivid in his recollection.
Wanting to follow in his father’s footsteps, Mr Mandela took up a course in fine art.
“I realised there were no sculptors in the school I was in. Most of them were into digital fashion, graphics, and pencil painting,” he recalls.
He dropped out of art school before the end of his first semester! This happened when his father was working on the Tom Mboya statue. He took his son under his wing and formed a formidable relationship until the untimely demise of Mr Ondula.
Mr Mandela remembers working with his father as one of his life’s most memorable moments. He gets emotional talking about it.
“He allowed me to do the flamingoes (On the Mboya statue), to meet some of his friends, some of his clients. We were so close that some of the people who met us [together] thought we were brothers.”
Matchmaker
Richard Njogu, a fellow artist held an exhibition at Sarit Centre in 2016. Mr Mandela attended to support a friend and was told about an artist who specialised in interior design and wall murals but wanted to hone her skill in the art of sculpture.
He was then introduced to Cheryl Nagawa, his now wife and artistic partner.
Sculptor Cleophas Mandela and his partner and wife Cheryl Nagawa at their workshop on August 21, 2024.
Photo credit: Boniface Bogita| Nation Media Group
Speaking of their earlier days, Mr Mandela remembers a meticulous Ms Nagawa.
“When she shared her portfolio, I realised that I needed to work on [mine] because hers appeared more professional, more organised,” he says.
While Mr Mandela worked with his father at City Hall, a persistent Ms Nagawa would always show up to try and learn. He, Mr Mandela, didn’t like prying eyes on his unfinished work, something his father noticed.
“My dad said, ‘If you feel uncomfortable with her being here, you can give her other tasks.’”
That’s how Ms Nagawa took on father and son’s administrative duties before a stronger bond and the workload grew.
Going into business
“The first project we ever did with Cheryl was a bust of Bob Collymore,” Mr Mandela speaks of the statue made in memory of the late Safaricom CEO.
Guided by Ms Nagawa’s enterprise, the duo set up a company, Three Dee Exhibition Services which employed the model of making and gifting sculptures of famous Kenyans as one of their ways to have their work out there, especially in this age of social media.
Their most famous to date is an exquisite bust of Eliud Kipchoge, presented to the great marathoner on the backdrop of his win at the 2022 Tokyo marathon.
A sculpture of Eliud Kipchoge by Cleophas Mandela at his workshop on August 21, 2024.
Photo credit: Boniface Bogita| Nation Media Group
Ms Nagawa elaborates on their gifting business model, saying “Most of the time you find, if you're going to gift or showcase somewhere for free, at the end of the day, the organisation comes back and contacts us with paying, commissioned work. It’s a trick up our sleeves.”
They’ve also gifted art to comedian Eric Omondi.
Not only the brains behind the Three Dee outfit, Ms Nagawa is also a seasoned artist in her own right. Mr Mandela elaborates amid laughter.
He raises his sculpting hand, “I have fat fingers. When you look at my previous work, it more or less appeared a bit bland, or maybe not as detailed. But Cheryl comes in to do the detailing, the [face] wrinkles, the hair, the eyes, those nitty gritty details.”
If he hadn’t been an artist, Mr Mandela would have been a catholic priest. He maintains strong ties to date and reveals that a lot of their work is commissioned by the Catholic Church.
Does art sell in Kenya?
To this question, Mr Mandela has a unique take.
“I can tell you for sure, even in your home, there's a piece of art made by a Kenyan. Be it a wall clock, there's a touch of a Kenyan artist or craftsman in each and every person's home. That means there's a market. People are consuming it!”
The advent of more art galleries also proves his point despite the fact that they desist from exhibiting at galleries too often – maybe to maintain the mystique of their work.
Going forward
The couple have learnt to work together over the years, and Ms Nagawa puts the key to this in the division of labour, where each knows what their job is to avoid conflict and artistic differences - communication, she calls it.
“Moving forward, we want to become powerhouse sculptors, a one stop shop if you need something to do with sculpture and rocks,” Mr Mandela says of his view of Three Dee Exhibition Services’ future.
Ms Nagawa shares her husband’s sentiments.
“I want us to be on Kenyans’ mouths for anything that's 3D (three dimensional) sculpted.”
And with the current conversation with regards to art and artwork, she adds, “We want to be authentically Kenyan!”
