“Don’t Tell Marley depicts Robert Mugabe being re-sworn in as president by a judge. When he first came into power over 25 years ago he was hailed by the west as a beacon of hope for post-colonial Africa. To celebrate the liberation of Zimbabwe Bob Marley played a large concert in the country. Today, the view of Mugabe’s rule has altered drastically and most western leaders see him as unfit, or evil. The question then is how the change occurred and whether power itself has a role to play. The figures in the painting are displayed in isolation; these wielders of power do not share the world with common folk. The judge is depicted in Rastafarian colours to illustrate the link with the original optimistic view of the subject; he’s set against the sparse lonely backdrop of the current view. Either way, I am sure that Bob Marley would disapprove of what has become of the country he baptized with reggae.”