Bester Gunja

Bester Gunja was born in 1976 in Guruve. His tribe is Budya and his totem is shumba, lion. According to his cultural background he is forbidden to eat lion flesh. At the age of two he went to Tengenenge where he was living with his parents. Bester began sculpting at the age of five. He used to cope with his father as a sculptor. In 1983 he went to a rural school. In 1989 Bester completed his primary education and went on to Secondary Education from 1990 to 1993. After his secondary schooling he was employed as a surveyor at a company. Bester quickly moved from the company after he was told by his father, Enos Gunja and his brother Costa Gunja that he began sculpting at the age of five. Bester then went to Tengenenge with the aim of doing his fathers work. In 1994 he began sculpting as a full time sculptor. Besters art is of corners, figures of human heads that are made of corners that he believes is magic. The corners appear like pangolin scales and because of that Pangolin cannot be easily seen. He names his art Diamond heads. Bester says My art came when my ancestors told me in my dreams. Bester has exhibited in The University Twente in Holland.