Zimpapers Logo

Ivan Zhakata-Arts Correspondent

The German Embassy in Harare is set to unveil the Buddy Bear statue tomorrow at the National Gallery in Bulawayo to mirror the friendly relations between Germany and Zimbabwe. 

The Buddy Bear, a two-metre-tall bear sculpture made of fiberglass, is the symbol of the German capital Berlin — thus being called Berlin Bear as well. 

The event aims at celebrating the Ndebele culture in a wider context and will also feature musical contributions by Nobuntu, the choir, Sound of Joy Chorale and Asante Mo.

Besides introducing the Buddy Bear, a range of clay pots will also be showcased by 20 Zimbabwean women artists. 

In a statement, the German Embassy said the Buddy Bear campaign was initiated over twenty years ago by the German Foreign Ministry and made the Buddy Bears known around the globe as ambassadors of a liberal and cosmopolitan Germany. 

“By now, bear sculptures have been erected in front of more than 100 German embassies and ambassador’s residences. Local artists had been invited to propose designs that mirror the friendly relations between Germany and the host countries. 

“The raised arms of the Buddy Bear are an expression of a friendly attitude and of optimism. When the two Buddy Bears for Zimbabwe arrived in 2021, it was decided where the first one was meant to go — to Bulawayo,” said the embassy. 

The Embassy said one of the key objectives of the Federal Foreign Office “cultural relations and education policy — the preservation of cultural heritage worldwide” was the initiative of “My Beautiful Home”. 

The initiative, supported by the organisation Ekhaya Gaia, the Amagugu Cultural and Heritage Centre as well as the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, established an annual competition to revive the ancient art of decorating rural homesteads within the Matobo, an UNESCO World Heritage site just outside of Bulawayo. 

“In order to contribute to the preservation and greater visibility of the magnificent Ndebele art form of hut painting, the German Embassy invited women artists of Matobo to transfer their amazing designs onto the shape of the bear,” said the Embassy. 

Various women from the Matobo region were invited to a workshop at the National Gallery early last year to experiment with brush and acrylic paint after which a number of drafts were submitted.  The four designs by Lackina Zulu, Portia Ndlovu, Khumbulani Ncube and Kathazile Mlala were selected to decorate the Buddy Bear. 

They assisted artist Talent Kapadza in using the correct forms and colours and the Buddy Bear design started taking shape over the past few months.

The Embassy said the pots will be sold after the showcase and parts of the proceeds will go to the purchase of more pots for more women artists to help create a sustainable venture.

“After being showcased in Bulawayo, the Buddy Bear will travel home to Harare to take its place at the German Embassy. It will be an ambassador of the women artists of the Matobo region and the cultural diversity of Zimbabwe.”