Arts Galore In Midst Of A Crisis

Zimbabwe Mon 26-05-2008

Arts Galore In Midst Of A Crisis
By Martin Chemhere/AfricanColours.com

In the midst of a deepening crisis in Zimbabwe, there is a wider creative arts progress taking place as the industry welcomes several arts events, project, and personalities.

This phenomenon has been largely responsible for an ecstatic mood gripping the country’s artists, art organizations and private sponsors who have until recently attracted criticism from cultural stakeholder and artists for lacking the action to bankroll the arts.

Zimbabwean art lovers have so far experienced artistic ideas that could further strengthen their belief that the country is a major cultural arts centre, not only in the southern African region but even in Africa.

Art Galore In January the celebration of 50 years in art at the NGS spilled over from 2007 and has since gone. But the exhibition Tsva/New, which was shown at the country's highest art institution, was a kind of creative catalyst, to the general creative arts sector- particularly in the visual arts.

Tsva/New has provided, through its ability to showcase cutting edge innovative ideas with old age creative concepts, a rallying point for reviving Zimbabwe’s art, and further providing a reference point to new ideas and or plans for the present and the future.

HIFA 2008 has since come and gone and more is coming! Then there was the just – ended Francophone world’s painting competition that climaxed in mid – March and dangling attractive awards in cash prizes for winners.

The appointment of Dominic Benhura, arguably one of Africa’s most known stone sculptors as the new director of Tenganenga sculpture centre early this year adds to the excitement and high optimism currently in the local arts scene despite the present political tension.

If you throw in the mix, the continuation of the Culture Fund of Zimbabwe Trust ongoing call for applications for funding for the arts sector announced in the month of February, then the arts and culture sector has probably one of its finest seasons in this year.

Artists have met the deadline of April 29 to submit project proposal to receive funding from a promised US$3 million. Last year the fund had US$1 million in its coffers for Zimbabwean artists.

Photography-wise, the country is not only still basking in the success of Calvin Dondo and Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi at the 2008 Bamako African Photographic Encounters exhibition.

Dondo won the first prize in the inaugural awards event whose jury comprised of key international curators. March saw the launch of another photographic showcase dubbed, “Specificities” while the annual Gwanza month of photography has also sent out calls for entries for this year’s edition coming in July.

Bearing all the foregoing, one can say that the art scene in Zimbabwe is poised for a greater future despite the current unpredictable political crisis.

The cultural blend available is great and unprecedented, although this has meant that some cultural products have had to meet with authoritative restriction due to their content being deemed offensive.

Then there is the History of African Painters which will take some of us back into the years gone by and will once again throw some light into the development of the visual art forms.

Surely, there is light at the end of the Zimbabwe's current dark tunnel and one hopes that all these events will bring us together.

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