PERSONAL Zenda has been working from the Chitungwiza Arts Centre for close to 10 years and has worked on several stone types, which include hard and soft stones, with great expertise.
Zenda prefers abstract creations which entertain and decorate.
He says they shift a person’s mindset from a depressed, suppressed mood to a refreshed one.
His art focuses on situations like a people’s preferred fashion styles; Manjuzu Mermaids; Go Warriors Go campaign through World Cup and Afcon Derby; water and sanitation through the Blair toilets and the Soft Copy versus the Hard Copy, among several others.
“My creative works are aimed at making people think differently all the time. People fear mermaids a lot and Mermaids Manjuzu is a campaign that people should dress to feel good all the time.
“Manjuzu is just my response to how ladies may dress in summer without being abused or insulted,” Zenda said as he defended his springstone statue.
In the past, young ladies have been jeered by touts and commuter omnibus crews if they happened to be wearing short or revealing clothing while passing through commuter omnibus terminuses, hence Zenda’s Manjuzu figurine.
This was largely common in urban communities.
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“The World Cup and Afcon Derby is just an expression of my desire and passion as a staunch supporter of the Warriors Go Warriors Go. I have a dream that the Zimbabwe senior soccer team can make us proud if it is given adequate resources,” he said.
“There is an acute shortage of ablution facilities in all our major cities and if need be the existing ones must be complemented by Blair toilets as a sustainable response to open defecation and reckless disposal of diapers.
“Parents should not short change their children's interest in studying because of lack of the internet and power cuts. There is a need to buy hard copy versions of books to allow children to read at their own pace and that’s why I carved the Soft Copy Versus the Hard Copy sculpture.”
During a copyright and intellectual property rights workshop organised by the Culture Warriors Trust at the Chitungwiza Arts Centre sometime back, Zenda argued that those in the creative sector must establish a solid position which is generic if they are to claim copyright ownership.
He explained that in his case, he was invited on several occasions to assist with adding details to carvings.
Throughout the process, he observed that he was very consistent in developing some themes and patterns, unfortunately, he could not demand authentication of his style because he did not own the pieces he worked on.
“I am still looking for opportunities to conduct workshops and exhibitions so that I can showcase all the beautiful works that I have done. For now, I am only exhibiting them at my garden in the Chitungwiza Arts Centre.”
