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Arts Reporter

NEWLY-APPOINTED National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) director, Napoleon Nyanhi (pictured), has vowed to work hard and address creatives’ grievances.

Nyanhi took over from Nicholas Moyo, who was appointed Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture last year.

Nyanhi outlined his vision in an interview with The Herald Arts.

“It is indeed a great honour. I am humbled by the confidence of the NACZ board, the Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, the Government and His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Cde Mnangagwa.

“I do not take this lightly as I am quite aware of the responsibilities that come with this appointment.

“This was a resounding welcome. The industry believes so much in me. It means that I need to live up to the expectations and even go beyond.

“It is an interesting challenge worth exploring and the experience will propel me to a new age in my professional career,” he said.

Nyanhi, who believes in synergies, has vowed to bring together various arts stakeholders for the industry’s growth.

“What is critical now is building partnerships and collaborations that drive the growth of the arts sector into a fully-fledged industry and developing initiatives that address the social and economic challenges faced by artists.

“In the long run, we want to foster a supportive ecosystem for artistes to grow and innovate and to advocate for policies and programmes that promote artistic expression and cultural diversity.”

Nyanhi outlined areas that need urgent attention.

“There are a lot of areas that need immediate attention, but for a start, we can talk about artistes’ welfare and training.

“Bridging the knowledge gap for artists located in remote areas and embracing digitalisation and commercialisation of their craft as well as restructuring of the NACZ.”

In line with the Government’s mantra of leaving no one behind Nyanhi’s team has vowed to empower artists in remote areas.

“Our nation is rich with raw and unexplored talent. Talent identification will be intensified and the process does not end by identifying them but also marrying them to synergies that will make their craft a sustainable lifeline.

“NACZ is currently running programmes that are inclusive, with the recently held Culture Month national celebration held in Chisumbanje.”

“These are efforts to give opportunities to the less exposed areas so that the nation can appreciate the wealth in these cultural crafts.”

He reiterated that the welfare of artists was at the top of their priorities list.