Mannex and Zimreggastra Take Reggae Uptown

Zimbabwe’s top reggae crooner, Emmanuel Motsi aka Mannex and his Zimreggestra band will be taking his ground breaking act uptown at the PaPosition Bar and Lounge in Avondale this Friday, 22 June, 2018. Mannex, who used to perform with legendary reggae band, Transit Crew, as a lead singer, promised to put up a polished act…

Thomas Mapfumo Backstage Conversations

Being a huge fan of Chimurenga Music, I had told myself on countless occasions that come what may, when Thomas Mapfumo returns from exile I would attend his home coming show without fail. Having a conversation with him was however way out of my wildest imaginations but thanks to his longtime friend Cosmas Zamangwe this…

Call for a comprehensive arts policy in Zimbabwe

By Zandile Zaza Ndlovu Zimbabwe Arts practitioners have made an urgent call for the establishment of a comprehensive arts policy that will guide operations within the sector. A dearth of arts policies that speak to artistes, lack of knowledge on various art forms by local consumers and challenges on building and harnessing audiences locally and…

ZIFF extends call for film submission

THE Zimbabwe International Film and Festival Trust (ZIFFT) has extended a call for submission to filmmakers for its flagship programme the Zimbabwe International Film Festival (ZIFF) slated for September 1 to 8, as the festival marks its 20th anniversary. ZIFF director, Nakai Matema, made a call in a statement stating that the deadline for the…

Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions among most influential 100 books

AWARD-WINNING novelist and filmmaker, Tsitsi Dangarembga’s blockbuster novel Nervous Conditions has been listed among the BBC Culture’s 100 stories that shaped the world in which it was pegged at number 66. Dangarembga yesterday said she was overwhelmed by the development and the congratulatory messages she had received in the wake of the listing. “I’m overwhelmed…

Zimbabwean Artists Exhibit At Dak’Art

The 13th Dakar Biennale, popularly known as Dak’Art, has returned for its 2018 edition. With an upsurge in valuable content and context from Zimbabwe, this cycle of the Biennale has three artists appearing, namely Kudzanai Chiurai, Admire Kamudzengerere and Dana Whabira. The exhibition features “We Need New Names”, Chiurai’s 2017 showing at the National Gallery…

Zimbabwean Museums Risk Collapse

NATIONAL Gallery of Zimbabwe (NGZ) deputy director and chief curator, Raphael Chikukwa has said museums in the country risk collapse due to a raft of factors, including poor management and lack of funding. Chikukwa, who was speaking at a discussion on the future of African museums during the International Museums Day on Friday last week,…

History of the Tengenenge Sculpture Community and how Bloemfield wanted to keep it in the dark ages

Tom Bloemfield is eulogized for having ‘persuaded’ his farm workers to, “try their hand at sculpture” purely for altruistic reasons; out of concern for their livelihoods and after he became aware of a huge deposit of black serpentine (rock) situated on a hill on his farm. This, however, is a fallacy. His farm workers were…

UK-based Zimbabwean women in reality show.

A new online reality show, Zimbabweans With Attitude, Glam & Style (ZWAGS) which premiered on April 14th 2018 in London reflects on the glamorous life of UK-based Zimbabwean stylist and aspiring model Precious “Cookies” Matare and fashion designer Gladys Smith as well as their friends and love interests. The show which was met with rave…

Contribution of art to travel, tourism and the Zimbabwe economy

BY SIMBARASHE RUSSELL SIYAKURIMA To argue the contribution of art in travel and tourism, one has to understand the two factors in question. Art and Tourism. In very simplistic terminology, Travel and Tourism has to do with the sightseeing, exporting the scenic national natural beauty, promoting international understanding through popular cultural exchange programs, etc. The…

Zimbabwe’s incomplete PayPal experience adds to cash crisis frustrations

PayPal, the American online money transfer, is undoubtedly a global online transactions giant. According to its own account, it has 179 million accounts drawn from 190 markets. In 2014 it gave Zimbabweans a glimmer of hope by lifting what, by all definitions, was an embargo on Zimbabwe by starting to allow accounts with Zimbabwean cards and…

Women are capable artists

Visual artist Lydia Molai believes women have what it takes to stand the heat in the male-dominated visual arts industry. At a tender age, Molai started expressing herself in music, painting and drawing. Her creative skills were further sharpened when she enrolled at Roosevelt Girls High School where one of her practical subjects was Art.…

National Art Gallery Exhibition of Zimbabwe: Lost and Found

By Lindsay Chiswe The National Gallery of Zimbabwe held its first exhibition of the year on the 22nd February 2018 at its premises running under the theme- Lost and Found, “Resilience, Uncertainty, Expectations, Excitement and Hope”. The exhibition sought to reaffirm the position of the artists as the primary storyteller, using different media and it…

Becoming Henri Munyaradzi

Henry Mudzengerere Munyaradzi is considered as the inward looking magus of Zimbabwe sculpture. Born in Guruve, in the north of Zimbabwe in 1931, Munyaradzi’s life and work is as deceptively simple as it is remarkable, hence a paradoxical salience is resultant from his body of work. He eventually worked in various ways with the natural…

RBZ unveils $15m Tourism Support Facility

THE Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) has unveiled a $15 million Tourism Support Facility aimed at capacitating small players to effectively participate in the development of the sector and contribute towards improving the country’s economy. Addressing tourism stakeholders in Harare recently, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Prisca Mupfumira said the facility would go a long…

‘Take arts seriously to boost tourism’

NATIONAL Arts Council of Zimbabwe (Nacz) director Elvas Mari has called on the Tourism and Hospitality Industry ministry to strike healthy collaborations with artistes, as a way of pushing for growth of the local tourism sector. Mari, who addressed a National Consultative Stakeholder Tourism Strategy workshop on Thursday last week, said tourism had its basis…

PPC Imaginarium arts competition comes to Zim

Local talented artists, architects, jewellery and fashion designers are set to benefit largely at the forthcoming PPC Imaginarium Competition that will be hosted in Zimbabwe for the first time with the winner expected to walk away with R100 000. The first and second runner up will get R50 000 and R15 000 respectively. The competition…