WHEN Chitungwiza Arts Centre prominent and multi-winning visual artist Winstone Nyekete visited the Huanglong Cave better known as the Yellow Dragon Cave in Hunan, China in 2010, he became part of a world record of over one million visitors to that site.
Nyekete, who bagged an award in China expressed his appreciation of the Sino-Zimbabwe relationships through his flying eagle monument titled Our Friends Forever which he describes as symbolic of several mutualities which China and Zimbabwe have to safeguard. His trip was facilitated by the China-Zimbabwe Exchange Centre in conjunction with the Chinese embassy.
“My carving appreciates the incredible and consistent support that the Republic of China has rendered to Zimbabwe before and after independence. I was driven by that to carve the Zimbabwean bird carrying a parcel in a traditional sack to China.
“The big receiving arm represents a welcoming attitude and expression for exports to the inexhaustible market to China from Zimbabwe at large by the people of China,” he said.
The visual artist who is a former vice chairperson of the Chitungwiza Arts Centre believes collaboration with other artists to decorate the outside arena of the New Parliament building with the National Bird (Hungwe) was the gateway to a wider market. International galleries require and always hype creative work that has been widely appreciated by local galleries, Nyekete said.
“I have travelled extensively and taught sculpturing in several countries. We have carved eight Zimbabwean Birds on granite that are outside the New Parliament building of Zimbabwe. Most of our creative works have found the diaspora as the only lucrative market. The local market is fast growing and we would want to capitalise on it to lure foreign tourist buyers.”
Nyekete, who is popular for animal fine art creative renditions on hard stones such as granite, springstone and leopard rock, labelled Zimbabwe as the Brazil of Stone Art. Brazil is rated and perceived as the traditional home of football. He added that the over 60 known carvable stones should be the country’s tool for communicating peace, love and unity.
“I have a strong passion for illustrating harmony between people and nature. I look at the animals as enablers to human life. The ecosystem is there to enable both people and animals. We are very cognisant of that and are always keen to protect animals,” he said.
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He has been at the Chitungwiza Arts Centre for nearly two decades. He said the emerging new talent in visual art lacks proper orientation on winning approaches to the business. The artist said most of their pieces were copying several creative works which have been celebrated across the globe.
“They need a lot of orientation. We have a plague of plagiarism whereas this art centre in the past has always been reputable as a creative hub. Our old members here are still popular for their creative capability whereas the newcomers are coming in as industrialists. The management has to correct this irregularity as a matter of urgency.
“Chitungwiza Arts Centre has for the past years been popularised by creativity and innovation. Novelty has helped us build the global market that we have and we wish to maintain and expand it,” he said.
