Kitenge Arts Africa is our home!
Acrylic painting of a cape buffalo with heavy curved horns emerging from darkness
Nyati, Cape Buffalo Acrylic on stretched canvas · Painted at Chemka
Chemka Hot Springs · Boma Ng’ombe

Every piece here was made by the hands that sell it.

We are the art workshop at Chemka Hot Springs. Paintings on canvas, sculpture carved from mpingo blackwood, Maasai beadwork strung by hand, and clothing cut from kitenge cloth. Nothing here is mass produced, so no two pieces are ever quite the same.

See the collection Commission a piece
What we make

Four crafts, one workshop

We do not resell factory goods. Everything below is cut, carved, strung or painted by the artists you will meet at our bench.

Hand-carved mpingo ebony giraffes and seated thinker figures on a shelf Mpingo blackwood Carving Giraffes, thinkers, masks and wildlife, carved and polished by hand from African blackwood. Acrylic painting of a lioness and her cub resting together in blue tones Acrylic on canvas Canvas Paintings Original acrylics. Kilimanjaro, wildlife and portraits. Maasai beaded collar necklace and matching cuff on a display stand Glass beads Beadwork Collars, cuffs, bracelets and earrings in Maasai patterns. Black, blue and red dashiki kaftan top with tasselled hem on a mannequin Cut to measure Kitenge Clothing, bags and accessories in kitenge and Zanzibar fabric. A visitor painting a mountain landscape on canvas at a Kitenge Arts class At the bench Paint your own Sit down with a canvas and brushes. No experience needed. Made to order Commissions Send a photo, a colour or a size. We will quote and show you progress. The Kitenge Arts shop front at Chemka Hot Springs with visitors browsing Boma Ng’ombe · Kilimanjaro Visit us at Chemka Hot Springs Open air, under the fig trees, on the road between Arusha and Moshi. Open daily 08:00 to 19:00.
From the bench

A little of everything we make

Paintings, carvings, beadwork and cloth, side by side, the way they sit in the shop. Tap any piece to see it larger.

Acrylic painting of a cape buffalo with heavy curved horns emerging from darkness
Acrylic painting of a lioness and her cub resting together in blue tones
Hand-carved black rhinoceros sculpture with textured skin on a wooden table
Shelf of hand-carved mpingo ebony giraffes and seated thinker figures
Maasai beaded collar necklace and matching cuff on a display stand
Black, blue and red dashiki kaftan top with tasselled hem on a mannequin
Set of three carved wooden African wall masks with incised patterns
Dark green harem trousers printed with peacock feather patterns
Table covered with handmade Maasai beaded bracelets in many colours
See the whole collection Ask about a piece
Omary Kitenge Juma standing outside the Kitenge Arts shop at Chemka Hot Springs
Where we are

Find us at Chemka Hot Springs

The shop stands at Chemka Hot Springs near Boma Ng'ombe, on the road between Arusha and Moshi. This is where Kitenge Arts started and where it grew. Our shop is open air, paintings hang along the front, beadwork runs the length of the counter, and behind it the carvers are usually working on something that is not finished yet.

Visitors are welcome to watch, to ask what a pattern means, or to sit down with a brush and paint their own canvas. Most people arrive looking for a souvenir and leave having made one.

Our story Painting classes
Why buy from us

What you get that a market stall cannot give you

01

Made, not imported

Carved, beaded and painted in our own workshop. You can watch it happen.

02

Commissions welcome

Send us a photo, a colour, a size or an idea. We will make it and show you progress.

03

Packed for the journey

Wrapped for flights and hand luggage, or shipped to your country on request. Buy on your way back from the springs and carry it home.

Karibu sana, you are very welcome

Tell us what you are looking for

A gift, a commission, a wholesale order, or a class for your group. Message us on WhatsApp and you will usually hear back the same day.

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