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Arts Gallery of Zimbabwe in Harare recently.
The artworks on exhibition focused on Kariba Dam, which until recently was Africa’s largest man-made water-mass and the massive work that went into its construction.

Running under the theme “Visions of Kariba Construction”, the exhibition also cast the spotlight on the history and culture of the Tonga people who lived on the shores of the Zambezi and their displacement to pave way for the construction of the giant dam.
The four artists – Taylor Nkomo, Giovanni Novarasio, Waalko Dingermens and Sir Cyril J. Hatty – used their skills to come up with a fascinating collage of graphic portraits whose objective was to recreate

the effort and toil that characterised the construction of one of the country’s major tourist attractions.

The result was an intriguing artistic documentation through various colours rendered on canvas for posterity.
Two of the artists – Giovanni and Dingermens – documented the construction of the dam from the 1950s to the 1960s and they used their experience to bring back vivid memories of the story of the

construction of the dam that still captures the imagination of many.
The exhibition also served as an apt reminder to those who witnessed Kariba Dam under construction, while at the same time it was a reference point to those who were born after its construction and are keen to learn about the dam.

The portraits on exhibition were from the gallery’s Permanent Collection.
Also on exhibition were sculptures and artifacts that detailed the life, myths and culture of the Tonga people who were inhabitants of the areas surrounding Kariba Dam.

“Tonga Man Crossing Zambezi River” by Nkomo is based on the myth of the Tonga people’s movement across the Zambezi.
Some of the artifacts of interest included Tonga drums, stools and a fish trap.
It was exhibition that people of all ages will have found interesting and enriching.