Knowledge Mushohwe
The Government raised expectations on Zimbabwean artists, particularly visual artists, by presenting a people-driven manifesto seeking to empower the majority. According to the manifesto, “the ideological meaning of Indigenisation and People’s Empowerment arises from the historical fact of our independence and sovereignty as Zimbabweans, as an expression of our heroic liberation struggle that was waged by Zimbabweans to attain the freedom and democracy we all enjoy today”.

Indeed, democracy is nothing without empowerment, and the new Government says, “Zimbabweans have a historic opportunity to extend the ownership of their land to 14 key sectors of the economy whose control and ownership are in foreign hands as a direct result of colonialism and Rhodesian racist rule”.

To visual artists, this would mean independence from the shackles of exploitation and a more direct personal involvement in the business end of their work.

Tengenenge Arts Centre in Guruve for example, houses talented sculptors that are not in control of their products the moment they finish polishing them.

If they are lucky enough to find visitors from elsewhere, and they are fortunate enough to sell their products, they are required to pay a heavy commission, as much as 35 percent during the Tom Bloomefield era, according to the sculptors.
The visual artists have no power to negotiate nor the freedom and opportunity to seek alternatives.

The long and short of the story is that sculpture in Zimbabwe is poorly marketed, it is not presented to a wide audience often enough and the money that eventually trickles down to the artist is only a percentage of what the sculpture may be worth.

Artists say little on the subject, they hardly complain because ‘paydays’ are few and so far between that when an opportunity presents itself, they have no choice but accept predetermined, skewed terms.

Every other visual artist in Zimbabwe faces the same problem.
The lack of financial independence for visual artists has created a loophole, gleefully taken advantage of by middlemen that are not artists, but who make more money on art than the originators of creative products themselves.

The Ministries of Sports, Arts and Culture; Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment; Psychomotor Activities in Education and Small and Medium Enterprises and Co-operative Development have the means to empower visual artists so that they properly market their work, develop themselves as business-oriented entrepreneurs and receive good returns for their efforts.

Zimbabwean stone sculpture is well documented in foreign lands and other visual art products such as painting, ceramics, illustration and installation are beginning to make their mark on the world stage.

But the artists and their products are rarely presented to the market.
The ministries concerned must help by creating a link between the market, artist and product.

One way of going about it is making available exhibition spaces for visual artists to present their work, and to avail channels of communication between the visual artists and the wider public.

This would present artists with opportunities to market their products and increase chances of generating fair income.
In turn, the public would gain a greater understanding and appreciation of visual communication.

The new Zanu-PF Government has an opportunity to empower young artists who have the ability to create products of high aesthetic appeal but lack the required resources to market their work to a wider audience.

In its manifesto, Zanu-PF says over the next five years, it will “use assets from indigenisation to empower the youth to create a national entertainment industry with international quality to celebrate Zimbabwean culture and creativity and to project it on the international scene”.

The process of empowerment of the visual arts requires the involvement of Government.
Performing arts have already benefited through the 75 percent local content policy on the airwaves that links music directly to the public.
Had piracy not been such a determining factor, performing artists would surely have gained financially beyond the ordinary.

Piracy and copyright infringements are prevalent in the visual arts, but unlike performing arts, the original would always look far better and unique.

A misconception is that empowerment or any government assistance has to be all about financial aid.
Visual artists have other needs, such as vocational training and skills enhancement.

Universities and Polytechnics teach artists how to make art, but once they get the hang of creating products, they require marketing skills, wealth management techniques and ways to add value to their products.

Zimbabwean visual artists need a voice, a voice that shows the public where their products may be found.
The current voices directing the public to visual art also tell the artists, “this is how much I am going to make from you art. Take it or leave it. End of discussion”.

Without help, visual artists will continue to be exploited by middlemen racking in a fortune for simply providing display space.
The Government can surely build a dozen or so exhibition parks across the country were independent artists may use as meeting places for the public and their products.

It is high time that the public realizes that there is more to visual art than the stone sculptures and bright paintings of animals they see on the roadside.

Given the sheer amount of visual art talent I have observed around Zimbabwe, it is clear that direct incentives by Government to energize the industry will help to bring visual communication close to the public, and in the process create a viable, vibrant industry with the capacity to generate income for both the creative individuals and government via standard tax.

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