Meet Duncan Senkumba | Animator and Illustrator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Duncan Senkumba and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Duncan, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Art has always been a passion of mine since a young age. I used to replicate Images from my favourite comics. But at 17 years old I decided I wanted to focus on Art in my education and took on a diploma in Art and Design. That was probably one of the best decisions I made because it opened my eyes to the possibilities and my knowledge in Art.
Looking back, I think it was meant to be, I wasn’t the best artist but I always did things my way and that kind of sums up creativity, being yourself.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My work documents the African experience, I created my animation style inspired by figurative African art I grew up around. I mainly work with themes of community and identity. My aim is to create work that represents where I am from. It was from this I created my brand Two Man Tribe.
With Two Man Tribe I get to collaborate with different people in the creative world, from musicians, architects, fine artists.
In the near future my goal is to make Two Man Tribe a leading creative company in Africa.
Am blessed to get up everyday and do what I love, to create, to animate and illustrate. The journey is never easy though.
I remember after graduating I had a difficult time finding a job and my freelancing career wasn’t going to well. This brought me to one of my lowest points, I questioned everything, I had given up. But just as I was about to, I got a freelancing opportunity from BBC UK and at the same time I got a job offer at a e- learning company as an animator.
I say this to remind any artist to have faith in themselves, we all have our own journeys and challenges but what is always constant is that you are you’re own hype man. Have faith in what you do.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in the UK but spend a lot of my time in Uganda. It’s a beautiful country with a lot to offer. For good food and good vibes I would take my bestie out to The Meat guy for the kampala BBQ and hangout experience. Kampala is a night city, so you can’t fail to find a place with good music and drinks, we’d stop by The Alchemist bar for exactly that. Later on in the week we’ll leave the city to experience more of the countries nature. Maybe a game park drive in Mbarara either at Lake Mburo or Queen Elizabeth national park which also gives you a chance to visit the equator. Before they leave we can visit the royal tombs at Kasubi and kabaka’s (King’s) palace for a bit of history of the country. But most importantly we’ll have to stop by a street food vendor and buy a ‘Rolex’.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My Parents and family. There have been so supportive in my life and career. My Dad has always encouraged me to take risks, to fail as much as I can while I am young and not to work in a box, be open to change. He’s the ultimate hustler, so when he speaks I listen. My Mum, is literally my backbone. She has supported me every single step of the way and has never reminded me of it when I disappointed her. When I decided to take on a non traditional route in my education, she did not budge, let me do my thing and her being an African parent it is crazy she let it happen. She really has been my biggest fan.
My Aunt, Helen. Similar to my Mum has been there for me. She asks the hard questions. Her presence and support especially at a young age is key to the kind of man I am today.

Website: https://www.duncansenkumba.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dunnydd/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duncan-senkumba-6ab821164/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Dunnydd

Other: https://vimeo.com/duncansenkumba