ZIMBABWEAN student Hope Mafiko (18) has raised high the country's flag after she emerged the ultimate African winner of the My Dream painting competition for African Youths award.
She shrugged off competition from more than 2 000 teenage painters from all over Africa to win the competition which was co-organised in March by the secretariat of the Chinese Follow-up Committee of the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation, the China Manned Space Engineering Office and the Chinese embassies and consulates in Africa.
According to China’s ambassador to Zimbabwe Zhou Ding, the competition attracted more than 2 000 participants in Africa.
Mafiko, a pupil at Chisipite Senior School in Harare emerged the ultimate winner of the Tainhe Award, through her One of the Best Interior Architects in Africa painting that was transported into space by China’s Shenzhou-16-man spacecraft.
Mafiko’s painting and nine other artworks are on display at the China Space Station also known as the Tiangong Space Station as part of the International Space Exhibition.
On Wednesday, Mafiko was among the teens who received the awards at the arts exhibition in Beijing China.
Back home, her compatriots among them Asa King Zvihari, a fine art student at the National Art Gallery of Zimbabwe in Harare who won the third prize (Meng Tian Award) of the same competition received their awards at Chinese embassy in Harare.
The Zimbabwe awards ceremony was held under the theme Talking with Taikonauts concurrently with China and eight other African countries.
- Zim student wins African painting competition
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Speaking at the awards ceremony Ding described Mafiko’s winning painting as well-designed with a very distinctive art style.
In her painting, two African girls look up to the starry sky, which vividly depicts mankind’s yearning for the mystical universe.
“As Chinese astronaut, also called taikonaut Jing Haipeng said, the exploration of the vast universe was the common cause and dream of mankind, regardless of race, age or region.
“Science and arts know no boundaries. I sincerely hope that today’s event will help sow new seeds of science, art, friendship and dreams in your mind, where I believe the seeds will take roots, flourish and bear fruits,” Ding said.
He said the winning artists were the future and hope of Zimbabwe and the world at large.
“I wish you and all our young Zimbabwean friends to thrive and become the pillars of this country. I also want you to bear in mind that China is always your friend,” he said. “Hopefully you will be able to visit or even study in China in the future and realise more of your dreams and goals there. Let’s join hands together and build a better Zimbabwe and a better world.”
Zvihari said the competition was a platform to express his future aspirations.
“History entails that China and Zimbabwe have always been partners since the independence of Zimbabwe in 1980 with a shared future both in times of happiness and struggles. This is evidenced by the My Dream painting competition, which gave young African artists a platform to showcase their talents,” he said.
“My painting portrays my dream of a future where Africa is united and working together as one to improve standards of living. Through unity, there will be equal distribution of resources, free trade, and employment. When lives are improved, the art industry will thrive, and artists will be able to make a living.”
He continued: “To be honest, the way to this award was no child’s play. I had to deal with other complex projects while doing this one. Furthermore, bringing an idea to life requires a great deal of effort.”
“However, I was able to overcome every obstacle that came along the way. I would like to thank my lecturers for nurturing and moulding me into a great artist and to my friends I say you hold a very special place in my heart.”
Zvihari dedicated the award to his parents.
“I am what I am today because of your (parents) efforts, you left no stone unturned in providing me with the necessary resources in life. I can never pay back what you did for me,” he noted.
“I am confident that my efforts will bear fruits and open doors for other artists. In fact, thinking about how my dream will benefit people in the future was actually the motivation behind my work.
“This award will always be dear to me. It will always be a reminder of the hard work that I put into this project.”
Apart from Mafiko and Zvihari, other Zimbabweans, Darren Samuel Abraham, Tiller Tatenda Maringa, Noor Qamar Shahzad, Zahrah Abdoola, Izwirashe Blessing Masvodza, Nicole Lebogang Njanjari and Jada Boyd also received awards for their excellent works submitted for the competition.
Speaking at the same event, Zimbabwe National Geospatial and Space Agency (ZINGSA) acting director general, Painos Gweme said over the years, Zimbabweans like other African youths had expressed strong interest in the outer space and their desire to “fly to space” someday in the future.
“The government through ZINGSA is ready to actively support the activities that enable the youths to explore the universe,” he noted.
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