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Prisca Murwira

The Madzimbahwe exhibition held on the sidelines of Expo 2020 Dubai was officially opened Saturday night at A Kostic Khachatourian Art (AKKA) Gallery, in Dubai.

The opening was in line with the Al Quoz Art Festival which is a celebration of the United Arab Emirates homegrown creatives from the region in the field of arts and culture.

Al Quoz festival is two-day celebration of arts exhibition, live musical performances, food, drinks, contemporary dance, wellness and mindfulness, a midnight movie marathon just to mention a few.

All the events are open and free to the public.

The Madzimbahwe exhibition will run till 28 February 2022 during weekdays from 10am to 5pm, under the theme: Visualizing the ways of seeing, ways of doing and ways of being.

In her welcome remarks, Zimbabwe Pavilion Commissioner General, Ambassador Mary Mubi, said: “The theme as you know for Expo 2020 Dubai is Connecting Minds, Creating the Future.

“We felt that as we were coming to Expo one of the key mediums for connecting minds across the world is music and you saw that not just our exhibitors but we are joined by Zimbabweans who are living in Dubai. Music connects us and it is a very important part of our culture and of our identity as a people.”

The exhibition themed Madzimbahwe is free to the public and celebrates the cultural revolution of Zimbabwe’s creative sector as it further seeks to connect the minds in the spirit of Expo 2020 Dubai.

The guest of honour, Zimbabwe Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Ambassador Lovemore Mazemo, said: “Zimbabwe is proud to be showcasing its artists in Dubai, more so on the side-lines of the world’s greatest showcase Expo 2020 Dubai.

“Zimbabwe is amongst the over 192 official participants and has a dedicated country pavilion where we are unpacking our country’s abundant opportunities that are embodied in our natural resources, chief amongst them being the incredible human capital. Zimbabweans have remarkable creativity and the Zimbabwean story is incomplete if its narrative does not include the exceptional and authentic talent of its artists.”

He said efforts are centred on achieving Vision 2030, that of attaining an Upper Middle Economy, further indicating that arts are a critical component of the journey.

“An exhibition of selected Zimbabwean artistes especially around this time of the Al Quoz festival is our way of giving the visitor a taste of the rich artistic talent that Zimbabwe holds.

“This exhibition’s diverse mix of artistes; reflects the nation itself, which is rich in narratives from all parts of society.

“National identity ultimately forms the core of this show; our story is as fluid as a first generation, stone sculptor exhibited alongside a debutante young artist; the conversations between these two generations and all that stands between is powerful.”

Zimbabwe Pavilion is exhibiting under the theme: Zimbabwe The Land of Great Opportunities and the message to the global village is Go See, Go Trade and Go Invest, inspired by President Mnangagwa’s mantra: Zimbabwe is Open for business.

The exhibition was put together by the Ministry, Youths, Sports, Arts and Recreation together with the National Gallery of Zimbabwe with the support of the Zimbabwe Pavilion Commissioner General’s office. The artefacts by various artists were inspired by the women’s everyday activities, family obligations, economic aspirations, womanhood, traditions and spirituality, family structure amongst other issues. The featured artists include Danisile Ncube, Nothando Chiwanga, Tamary Kudita, Doris Kamupira, Admire Kamudzengerere and Issac Choloka among others.

Zimbabwe Pavilion at the Expo 2020 Dubai is inspired by the Great Zimbabwe National Monument, in recognition of the historical journey of resilience, creativity and connecting minds that have characterised modern day Zimbabwe.

To date visit numbers at Expo 2020 Dubai stands at 11 million since the opening on 1 October 2021. Despite the surge of Omicron variant, the visit numbers at the Expo continue to rise.

The new wave of infections in the country was of concern at Expo 2020, which saw organizers ramping up precautionary measures and they remain vigilant and resolute. As people realize that time is running out, the 15 million visitors mark is likely to be surpassed as more traffic is predicted in the coming weeks.

The numbers are also boosted by an array of events and activities that includes musical performances which saw some of the most celebrated musicians such as Alicia Keys, Black Eyed Peas pulling up massive performances during Infinite Nights which have become very popular with visitors. Infinite nights offer music experiences featuring global and Arab superstars which connect millions of fans in unforgettable music experiences that capture the world’s imagination.

Sporting legends such as the top globe footballing superstars Christiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi who is Expo 2020 Dubai Ambassador, Bolt Usain the celebrated fasted man, Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City just to mention a few are some of the legends in the sporting discipline who have graced Expo 2020 Dubai.

Each participating country is recognized and celebrated with a National or Honour Day to celebrate its culture and heritage and Zimbabwe’s National Day is slated on 14 March 2022.

Expo 2020 Dubai is multi-faceted as it caters for all with proper amenities and facilities for the disabled, the elderly and children. The world global celebration will help to shape a better, brighter future for everyone and will run until 31 March 2022.