South Sudanese artist James Aguer Garang has been waiting weeks for new paint to arrive. ‘It has to be delivered by bus from NGOs in Kampala,’ he explains, cutting a frustrated figure in his sparsely furnished studio in Juba, the nation’s capital. Most of the roads have no tarmac. Militia operate checkpoints. When the bus runs, the journey takes two days. But after decades of conflict, it remains the only affordable way to get materials.
‘I have hundreds of paintings to finish,’ says James, gesturing to canvases propped against the walls. ‘When the fighting ends, I’ll paint all the ways South Sudan has suffered.’
