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One of the winning pieces

Stephen Garan’anga Visual Art
The National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Harare continues to be the centre for contemporary art that seeks to develop the visual arts through nurturing talent and creativity. They have strived for years to complement that goal by facilitating children’s art camps, weekend art lessons, running the National Gallery’s School of Visual Art and Design, conducting the annual schools and colleges art exhibition amongst other things with a vision to nurture talent from a very tender age.

It is the foundation necessary for venturing into an artistic life journey for some.
A journey that assigns one to nurture the eye to appreciate the beauties of nature, and exert the brain to recall a cultural heritage, full fathoms five deep with spiritual associations, a cultural heritage with unwritten rules about family and marriage, and the harmonious and conciliatory operation of society.

Recently the national institution hosted the annual schools and colleges art exhibition Tavatose/Sisonke under the theme “Celebrations with Mbira” that seeks to encourage the production and use of the state of the mbira instrument in schools, as souvenirs and furthering discourse for advocacy for the establishment of a national mbira orchestra which could help market Zimbabwe and its cultural heritage.

The ambitious intent was well dealt with into visuals dominated by colourful paintings and a few three dimensional artworks by the young and upcoming as well as the aspiring artists.

The mbira has been an important instrument used during cel­ebrations in sub Saharan Africa and Zimbabwe in partic­ular for over 800 years.

The exhibition is a platform for school children to contrib­ute to the arts industry in their own language (drawing, painting, photography and three dimensional artworks) lending their voices to the crusade for popularising the mbira.

The exhibition provides school children from all over Zimbabwe with an opportunity to showcase works of art featuring different mbira in terms of how they differ in the number of keys on each instrument, look at accompanying instruments such as drums and express how they may be used in various celebrations.

The general public is provided an excelled opportunity through this exhibition to encounter and entry works of art created by school children while at the same time measuring the level of our children’s understanding of this important instrument of cultural heritage.

Thirty six schools from the provinces of Harare, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland West and Manicaland took part in the annual show that had a significant number of categorised awards which were quite encouraging for the youngsters and their respective institutions of learning.

The prizes were awarded in the following order: category one first prize went to Lisbert Nemhara of Kusika Primary School of Mashonaland East, second prize was awarded to Definate Mundingi of Blessed Friends Academy of Mashonaland Central and the third prize was given to Izwirashe Mahiya of Ecode Française of Harare.

In category two the first prize was awarded to Brisly Mukoyi of St Peter’s primary school in Harare, second prize went Wayne Kasinamundima of Dandamera primary in Mashonaland Central and third prize was for Karen Musikambesa of St Peter’s primary school in Harare.

For category three first prize was given to Kuramunashe Muchanje of St Peter’s primary school in Harare, second prize was forMufaro Pasimupindu of St Werbur’s primary school in Manicaland and third prize was awarded toPanache Mavhunga.

In category four the first prize was given to Mascline Mujoko of Rusike primary school in Mashonaland East, second prize was for Mutsawashe Jega of Gororo primary school in Harare and the third prize was awarded to Trycos Dzukuta also of Gororo primary school in Harare.

Category five had first prize given to George Tsaura of Dangamvura primary school of Manicaland, second prize went to Tinotenda Tasukwa of Kuwadzana primary school in Harare whilst the third prize was for David Tsaura of Dangamvura primary school of Manicaland.

Category six had first prize given to Leigh Makiwa of Rusike primary school of Mashonaland East, second prize went toNeal Mutasa of Mufakose High 1 of Harare whilst the third prize was given to Beverly Siwedi of Kuwadzana 2 High of Harare.

In category seven the first prize was awarded to Tanaka Chikoto of Mufakose1 High and the second prize was given to Confidence T. Guma of Kundai Secondary of Mashonaland Central.

Category eight saw first and second prizes going to Shizzy V. F. Deyi and Enock Matumbure of Sakubva High 1in Manicaland while third prize went to Brandon Muchabaiwa again of  Sakubva High 1in Manicaland.

The final category nine had the first prize being awarded to Takunda Billiate, second prize to Michael Hela and third prize going to Patience Muyotcha all of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe School of Visual Art and Design and highly recommended was work for Troy Makaza.