On Trial For My Art: Owen Maseko Speaks

Zimbabwe Wed 21-04-2010

On Trial For My Art: Owen Maseko Speaks
By AfricanColours Correspondent

Artist Owen Maseko Although he was arrested and harassed for the mere fact of expressing his experiences and impressions through paintings, Owen Maseko says he will never look back.

The Bulawayo-based artist has vowed not to be silenced since he believes in himself and his art.

The exhibition, which is titled Sibathontisele (Let’s Drip On Them), showcased paintings that explored the torture and massacres that characterized the civil unrest known as Gukurahundi. It was closed when he was arrested.

Maseko spent four days in a police cells but he has emerged stronger and courageous.

“It was my first time in police cells. The experience was harrowing but it has made me stronger,” said Maseko.

“The cell was crowded and the cold floor on which I slept was unbearable. But it has given me the courage to soldier on and I will continue doing my art as my mind dictates, not as I am directed by the so called ‘powers that be’.

“Art is a talent and I believe people should support rather than try to destroy it through politics. This was an exhibition of my reflections on things that actually happened. About Gukurahundi. It was not a creation from nowhere.”

Gukurahundi is a Shona word describing the first rains that wash away chuff and it is used to refer to the reign of terror that President Robert Mugabe unleashed at the Ndebele people just after independence. Thousands of people were killed by the Korean trained 5 Brigade militants in the southern parts of the country.

Maseko narrated how he was at first devasted by the experience in the cells but later adapted to the environment and became a family with his inmates. He thought about his family at home and he felt depressed but the company of strangers in detention and the hope that he would meet his family again kept him strong.

Lets drip on them by Owen Maseko

^{Lets drip on them | Owen Maseko | Image by zimbojam.com/culture}

The 35-year old visual artist is currently on bail and faces a possible one year imprisonment if he is convicted for ‘displaying certain pieces of art that were allegedly insulting to Mugabe or causing offence to persons of a particular race or religion’.

He is being charged under the draconian Sections 33 and 42 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.

Maseko says failure to confront one of the darkest periods in the country’s history will prevent progress in some parts of the country because memories of these massacres are still fresh in many people’s minds.

“This is an exhibition about what happened to the people in Matabeleland and these are reflections through the eyes of an artist.

“There is no way people shall forget Gukurahundi. There is no amount of force that will erase that era in the history of this country.

“Although they arrest artists or any other people that might want to talk about Gukurahundi, those massacres still remain a fact. People died and people were tortured and maimed. The only way we can heal these wounds is to talk about it and accept that we erred. Necessary apologies should be made.

President Mugabe has refused to apologise for the atrocities insisting that the army was deployed to deal with insurgents who were threatening national security but has described the massacres as “an act of madness”.

However, human rights activists and politicians from the region say besides being a ploy to destroy the support base of PF Zapu under the late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo, Gukurahundi was an attempt at ethnic cleansing.

Women were raped for allegedly giving birth to “dissidents” and several hundreds were also thrown into disused mines for supporting PF Zapu.

Art work by Owen Maseko

Maseko says the reign of terror took place when he was still a young boy but he vividly remembers some of the incidents. He recalls how his family members suffered during that dark year.

“I witnessed Gukurahundi as a young boy but I still remember most of the events. I and my family members suffered emotional distress during that period. We lived in perpetual fear as there was no security in the region. You did not know the day they would descend on you and it was all gloom and uncertainty amid bloodshed.

“My father was tortured during Gukurahundi and there is no way I can forget about such experiences. I will speak for my relatives, family and friends. My way of saying it is through art.”

Maseko is a resident artist at the Bulawayo gallery and he has exhibited extensively in and outside the country. His arts experience dates back to the early 1990s when he attended Mzilikazi Art and Craft Centre learning to use water colours, acrylics and oils.

Owen has worked with a number of renowned international artists.

Action Alert: Stand up for Owen Maseko

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Your Comments

Willis Otieno: This is the way to go!Art for peace and justice!Keep the fire blazing!

caccuri elio: magnifica espressione di arte di un continente ricco di motivazioni espresse con un impronta definita ,la madre AFRICA,grandioso luminoso accecante ,affascinante

moja: iam with you till the end,,,aluta continua

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