By Elvis Dumba The European Union continues to support the Zimbabwean arts and culture sector with the EU Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Jobst Von Kirchman launching a sculpturing competition as part of the ongoing Culture Month celebrations. The Competition is part of World Day of Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development celebrated globally on May 21…
ONCE upon a time, there was the usual prelude used by folk storytellers to gain maximum attention from their audience, mainly children. For Shona-speaking storytellers they would expect the attentive audience to immediately respond by saying: “Dzepfunde (we are listening)”, which would encourage the storyteller to proceed. Among the many old Shona tales that children…
BY TENDAI SAUTA CHITUNGWIZA Arts Centre vice-chairperson Winston Nyekete last week said meaningful partnerships and linkages in the creative sector were important to ensure the realisation of artists’ rights envisaged in the country’s Constitution. Speaking at the centre where artists from various disciplines and members of the community, vendors and counsellors discussed the Constitution, Nyekete…
by Gretinah Machingura, Zhang Yuliang HARARE, — Despite obtaining a motor mechanics diploma at a private college in Harare, Tendekai Tigere Tandi finds himself surviving on stone sculpting, something that he started as a hobby while in his pre-school age. Tandi is one of Zimbabwe’s self-taught, third-generation stone sculptors at Chitungwiza Arts Center, and he…
BY TAFADZWA KACHIKO YOUTH, Arts, Sport and Recreation deputy minister Yeukai Simbanegavi has admitted that the Arts Development Fund was moribund and needed to be revamped to extend a lifeline to artists from different disciplines to bankroll their projects. Artists, who included award-winning filmmaker Melgin Tafirenyika, actor Albert Charichafa Brown, former PPC Imaginarium award winner…
We managed to get the behind the scenes processes related to making Shona Sculpture from Felix Mlungisi a contemporary scupltor based at Chitungwiza Arts Centre. Check out the video to get the backstage story of the beautiful sculptures you love.
Working from his base at Chitungwiza Arts Centre, Isaac Choloka is a towering figure just like the massive sculptures he loves to carve. Choloka started off as a cartoonist. One of his big sculptures had been selected to be put up at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa but in an unfortunate twist of events the…
Simon Samhere is your typical Shona Sculpture who is true to the culture. He believes it’s his duty to remind Zimbabweans of their culture and traditions as most people have lost respect for their culture and have been swallowed up by Western culture. Simon was initiated into sculpture by his brother Caleb Samhere and the…
Personal Zenda is a stone sculptor based at Chitungwiza Arts Centre. He joined the Arts Centre in 2013 working as an assistant to Tamuka Njanji washing and polishing his sculptures. Now a sculptor himself, Percy as he is popularly known makes sculptures in the form of human and many other figurative creations. Percy believes that…
Government assistance in the form of grants or loans will go a long way in supporting artists according to Farai Tavengwa a sculptor from Chitungwiza. Farai believes the grants or loans will enable artists like him to purchase the necessary inputs required to invest back in their work.
Copy cats are a menace in the visual art scene and Ambrose Shambare does not hide his disdain for people who copy other peoples work. Despite copyright laws being present Ambrose does not see their effective implementation and accuses some buyers of fueling the scourge in an effort to pay less and short change original…
This year Zimbabwe hosted the Harare International Festival of the Arts. In a country dealing with cash shortages, power cuts and high unemployment, artists have been striving to reveal a beauty in the environment around them. Al Jazeera’s Haru Mutasa reports from Harare.
Local sculptors have cried foul over the piece that won the National Art Merit Awards (NAMA) Outstanding Three Dimensional Work saying it was not original.
In the past, art was associated with “the poor” with most parents discouraging their children from the discipline. Some artists would nurture their talent and develop it without even advancing their education. However, things seem to be taking a different dimension as the world now appreciates more than just natural talent.
The Chitungwiza Arts Centre (CAC) is going further to develop their working area through improving their structures. Currently they are refurbishing their exhibition stand, a building close to their offices. They are having a redo of its thatched roof and walls as the building was now getting old and had time not in its proper…
The National Arts Council (NAC) of Zimbabwe expressed concern with the small number of women involvement in the arts business. This was said by the NAC Director Elvas Mari during his visit to the Chitungwiza Arts Centre (CAC) recently. He encouraged women to take part in occupying influential positions in the running of the Centre…
Art centres play an important role in the creation and promotion of visual arts in Zimbabwe. The growth and development of the Shona Sculpture movement was greatly influenced by the establishment of formal and informal art centres.
“I was made an artist by other artists and the only way I can thank those who made me what I am today is promoting other artists in any way I can.” These are the words of world renowned Shona Sculptor Dominic Benhura on his visit to the Chitungwiza Arts Centre recently.
”I use wire; beads; and recycle cups, tea pots, spoons plates and beverage cans/tins to make my art. This creativity began when I was still a young boy, I used to like to put different things together and produce something impressive to the eye.” said Mugoti Musekiwa a resident artist at Chitungwiza Arts Centre when…
AVAC Arts is marketing and working with four of Chitungwiza Arts Centre (CAC) resident female artists who have broken new ground, venturing into the male dominated stone sculpture industry. Tracy Chatsama, Diana Nyakudya, Rachel Ellon and Agnes Mupariwa are not only stone sculptors but also the best and most promising names in the industry as…