Naughty and mischievous as a child, Saburi was able to get away from trouble lightly because he was his father’s favourite. First born of five children, Saburi’s love for drawing stood out from an early age. His mother was the creative of the family and she pushed Saburi towards the arts.

He is not shy to say that he was not the brightest, academically, and did not do well in school because he spent most of his time drawing and getting lost in his sketchbook. He is dexterous. Therefore anything that requires him to use his hands, he is good at; from woodwork, masonry to boxing professionally. For example, Saburi built the house he lives in with his own bare hands. Needless to say, he is also talented in other areas such as singing. He participated in the local version of the American idols show known as the “Bongo Star Search.”

Famous for his meticulous realistic portraits, Saburi participated in many competitions and his highlights range from participating in the Deutsche Welle (DW) competition in 2013 and he painted the founding father of Tanzania, Mwalimu Nyerere and emerged the first winner which was announced at the national stadium. This achievement took him to an art training camp in Morogoro where for the first time, he had the opportunity to obtain formal training in the arts. As a member of the Dar Art Youth (DAY), under the guidance of Ernest Mtaya, that helped Saburi’s exposure.

Saburi is ambitious and determined, as you read this, he is building his dream - literally- of opening a studio by his house where he can draw portraits and do signwriting.