Chidozie Oliver Maduka Illuminates Kampala with “Roots and Radiance” Solo Exhibition at Afriart Gallery
Kampala, Uganda — In a meeting of spirit, memory, and image, Chidozie Oliver Maduka brought his luminous vision to the heart of Kampala. From August 6th to 12th, 2023, Afriart Gallery unveiled “Roots and Radiance,” a solo exhibition that sang in quiet tones of ancestry, belonging, and the enduring glow of African identity. It was Maduka’s first solo offering in East Africa — a visual prayer, a gathering of layered stories spoken in light and shadow.
Through each frame, “Roots and Radiance” invites the viewer into a tender reckoning: a return to what lies beneath the noise of modernity. With his masterful sensitivity to portraiture and symbolism, Maduka crafts not just photographs, but living testimonies — textured, raw, and reverent. His work does not shout; it hums with the pulse of a thousand remembered footsteps, weaving together the dreams of past generations with the hopes of today.
At the heart of the collection lies a celebration of resilience — Blackness rooted deeply in tradition, yet radiating outward in strength and new possibility. Each image a metaphor, each face a testament. Maduka’s subjects do not pose; they breathe. They carry the silent radiance of those who remember, those who endure, and those who dare to imagine.
Chidozie Oliver Maduka
Reflecting on the spirit of the exhibition, Maduka shares:
“Roots and Radiance is about remembering who we are beyond the noise. It’s about honoring the beauty and power embedded in where we come from, and how that heritage shapes how we walk through the world today.”
Audiences across East Africa responded with admiration, gathering at Afriart Gallery to witness Maduka’s deeply human portraits. Critics praised the exhibition’s emotional depth and timeless relevance, cementing Maduka’s rising voice in the African contemporary art landscape. “Roots and Radiance” also stands as a testament to Afriart Gallery’s vision — a commitment to nurturing vibrant, global conversations rooted in African experiences.
