THE TORTURED ARTIST MYTH
Afrobeat originator Fela Kuti. image from Atlanticblackstar “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” so said writer Ernest Hemingway. The quote suggests sacrifice, suffering and a sense of self torture. Many artistic people have long claimed that to create awe inspiring and truly original work, one has to suffer. I can’t help but think that it also helps the artist feel more like what they are doing is somewhat noble. History certainly is not short of troubled artists in all walks who walked the path to destruction and also left us with some great work and perhaps without fulfilling the full promise of their talents. We can cite people like writer Sylvia Plath, musician Fela Kuti, actor and filmmaker Orson Welles, composer Beethoven and painter Jean Michel Basquiat; these are some creative people who led troubled lives and indeed did create incredible work. Back in our humble Uganda we also have local greats such as musicians Philly Bongol...