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Tawanda Marwizi and Tawanda Matanhire Arts Correspondents —
The art of sculpture has been instrumental in passing information through generations. Pieces that depict various societal issues stand in many galleries in the country and abroad, telling a lot about our culture and history.

Stone sculpture is an important way of documenting history because the pieces stand the test of time.

The emergence of metal sculpture brought another way of immortalising important historical figures and events.

It is in this bracket of immortalising important historical icons that metal sculptor Joshua Mboya stands.

He believes in doing larger than life metal sculptors of the country’s icons and recently he completed President Mugabe’s statue.

Mboya, who has been working on the statue for the past three years, said he recognises the iconic position of the country`s leader and he felt it was best to honour him through the sculpture.

The piece is made from recycled metal sheets, body filler, primer, paint and metal rods.

“This is a gesture to show that we love our President Comrade Robert Mugabe and will continue to show our appreciation for the various roles he has played for our country,” Mboya said.

The cheerful artist said lack of resources led to the delay in finishing the big piece that is about eight metres tall.

“This is a vision that dates back to 1996, but because I lacked resources, I had to wait for a long time before starting the piece and, when I started it, I took a long time to finish but I am happy the job is now complete,” Mboya said.

“I sold most of my belongings and resorted to staying at the workshop just to make this dream come to pass and finally I am a happy man as I wait for this piece of art to be placed at its rightful place by relevant authorities.”

It is Mboya`s utmost desire to see the President`s statue placed at a convenient location where people can see it and admire their revolutionary leader.

“I just hope the relevant authorities will find a convenient place for this piece of art for the masses to see it and appreciate our revolutionary President,” he said.

At the moment the statue is at his warehouse in Kuwadzana, but he fears for its safety as well as depletion and wants it to be taken to a safer place.

Mboya has been in the art industry since 2007 and has made statues of iconic figures like the late Vice-President Dr Joshua Nkomo, which was handed to Friends of Joshua Trust.

He also did a statue of Jamaican musician Bob Marley, which was exported to Korea.

He urged Zimbabwean artists to make pieces that are relevant to our history rather than pursuing alien themes that have no meaningful relevance to our society. Mboya said artists should use resources that are readily available to avoid damaging the environment is search or art raw materials.

The man is also looking forward to making statues for more local icons as well as African leaders, if resources permit.

It is however sad to note that the visual art industry in Zimbabwe has declined because of sanctions imposed on the country.

The market is now low because it was dominated by foreigners.

Zimbabweans should, therefore, promote local art and appreciate creativity of visual artists.