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Tingatinga Arts Cooperative Society
The Oyster Bay home of Tingatinga painting, where a cooperative gallery sells work and artists paint in studios lining the road near Morogoro Stores.
At a glance
- Type
- Artists' cooperative and gallery
- Area
- Oyster Bay, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Good to know
- Gallery shop
- Working studios
- Commissions
Why we recommend it
Tingatinga is Tanzania's best-known popular painting style: bright, flat, often humorous images of animals, village life and city scenes, traditionally painted in layers of glossy enamel or bicycle paint on board. The style is named after Edward Saidi Tingatinga, who was born around 1932 in Tunduru District in southern Tanzania, moved to Dar es Salaam in 1959 and began painting in 1968, selling his work in Oyster Bay. He was shot by police in 1972, aged about 40, but his studio helpers kept painting and selling in the same spot, and the style spread across East Africa.
The artists organised themselves after his death, and in 1990 their partnership became the Tingatinga Arts Cooperative Society. Proceeds from exhibitions abroad from the mid-1990s onwards, including a Swiss show at which more than 600 paintings sold, helped fund the gallery that stands in Oyster Bay today. According to the cooperative's secretary, quoted in African Business in 2025, around 80 per cent of the price of each painting goes to the artist and the rest pays for the gallery's upkeep.
A visit has two parts. The gallery sells paintings in many sizes, from small boards that fit in a suitcase to large canvases, along with painted objects such as house signs, door numbers and enamel plates and mugs. Along the short road outside, small studios are open to passers-by, and you can watch artists at work in a range of styles, from classic Big Five animals to the busy urban scenes introduced by second-generation painters such as Simon Mpata. You can also commission a piece, which the gallery says is usually ready within a couple of days, so order early in your stay.
The gallery is on a short side road off Haile Selassie Road in Oyster Bay, close to the Morogoro Stores where Tingatinga's wife once sold his paintings. Coming from the city centre, head north along Ali Hassan Mwinyi Road, turn onto Haile Selassie Road and look for the turning on the left about 50 metres past the Peninsula Hotel. Taxis, bajajis and dala-dala minibuses all run along this route.
Allow an hour to browse and talk to the painters. Prices vary with size and artist, and polite negotiation is normal. Ask the gallery about packing if you are flying, and check your airline's rules for large flat items.
Tingatinga Arts Cooperative Society FAQs
What is Tingatinga painting?
A Tanzanian painting style of bright, flat images of animals and daily life, named after Edward Saidi Tingatinga, who began painting in 1968.
Where is the cooperative?
On a short side road off Haile Selassie Road in Oyster Bay, about 50 metres past the Peninsula Hotel, near Morogoro Stores.
Can I watch the artists?
Yes. Small studios line the road and artists work there in the open.
Can I commission a painting?
Yes. The gallery takes commissions, which it says are usually ready within a couple of days.
What else is sold?
Painted house signs, door numbers and enamel plates and mugs, as well as paintings.
Do the artists benefit from sales?
The cooperative says about 80 per cent of each painting's price goes to the artist.
How long should I allow?
Around an hour.
When was the cooperative formed?
The artists' partnership became the Tingatinga Arts Cooperative Society in 1990.