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Trust Khosa and Remember Deketeke

TWO balding artisans at Dindingwe Arts and Craft Centre in Warren Park 1, Harare, are busy polishing a granite headstone with a hand-held grinder on Thursday afternoon as we enter their workshop.

The pair appears used to the growling sound of the diesel-powered generator supplying energy to their cutting disc.

Some artisans seem not to mind inhaling clouds of dust fumes hovering all over the place. Their focus is to outshine other artisans and sculptors competing for clients.

As we draw closer to their stands, the duo continues working on their piece, which appears ready for the market.

One of them signals to us that we talk to other carvers after noticing a camera held by our photographer. After all, they have every reason to be sceptical as they are only used to customers collecting their treasured tombstones and headstones or making inquiries or queries.

Located a stone’s throw from the National Heroes Acre along Bulawayo Road, the open area gallery is home to several entrepreneurs making a living from exploiting the granite stone. The wise ones, who have made a transition from stone sculpture to tombstone designing, are now making a killing.

Top designers are now battling for space in the area while others are not sure if the city fathers will allow them to operate from that zone.

The only truth is that several sculptors in the area are battling to make a living from the dead.

While it might sound rude to say they are making money from the dead, tombstone designing has since eclipsed stone sculpture, which used to be the core business.

However, Dindingwe Secretary General Francis Wutete, who has been operating at the place admits they are now cashing from the dead more than from tourists who used to buy their sculptors.

“Most of the people here were stone sculptors but due to economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe, tourists who used to come to this gallery have since stopped supporting us.

“We found ourselves doing tombstone design business from 2000 up to now.

“The sanctions slapped on Zimbabwe badly affected us here. We are struggling to maintain sculpting,” he said.

Wutete, who has settled as a tombstone designer, urged members of his cooperative to diversify.

“In every sector, there is need for people to diversify because of the changing environment that we operate in. At this cooperative, the most expensive tombstone we have is going for us$7000 while the cheapest is fetching US$350.

“We are doing good business here but we also have several challenges because land use can be changed anytime.”

The 50-year-old said modernisation has led to demand for tombstones.

“We are usually busy from mid-June to October when most people perform rituals like appeasing the dead. Another reason for the high demand for tombstones is because of modernisation and the availability of granite.

“People are now competing to spruce up gravesites of their relatives which is good news to us because they then order tombstones,” he said.

Wutete, whose cooperative is registered with the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises, said the lack of working space was their biggest challenge.

“We used to operate across the road where the Museum of African Liberation has been constructed and we are not sure if the area will be here in the next few years.

“Land use keeps on being changed in Harare and we are just keeping our fingers crossed,” he said.

Similar sentiments were echoed by Michael Murambiwa (43) of M & T Granite who operates inside Kubata Art and   Craft Village near Dindingwe Arts and Craft Centre.

“I started as a sculptor like most of my peers. Business is going on well here but we also have challenges with space.

“The cheapest tombstone sold here is going for US$350 while the most expensive fetched us $15000,” he said.

Some of the artisans have also welcomed the tombstone business for its power in fighting drug abuse.

“I am happy that we now have something to do here. I could have been home taking drugs with other ghetto youths but this business has changed my life. At 28, I can see a bright future here although we need to be innovative,” said Wilson Mugambiza of Kubatana Arts and   Craft Centre.

Some tombstone designers hailed the Government for making granite affordable to many people.

Ngoda Granite proprietor Tendai Mbofana believes good times are coming for tombstone designers who believe in quality.

Mbofana, whose firm designed Soul Jah Love’s tombstone worth over US$12000, said they were not into business to make money but to change lives.

“We hope to see granite prices falling so that all Zimbabweans can afford it. In our case, we tried our best to be unique and that is why we are in demand,” he said.

To date, the Ngoda Diamonds has designed donated tombstones for celebrities including Leonard Dembo, Paul Matavire, former Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, and the popular Jerusarema drummer Douglas Vambe.

“After designing Soul Jah Love’s tombstone which is trending at the moment, we are now working on Gringo’s tombstone to be unveiled in October.

“Since Gringo (Lazurus Boora) was a creative genius, we want to come up with something unique,” he said.

Mbofana, who operates from the Harare Exhibition Park, said professionalism has made them popular.

“While some players might think we are cashing in through our marketing strategies, professionalism has taken us this far and we do not regret it. We do not take our clients for granted as we ensure that we give them value for their money.’

Elsewhere in the Rugare suburb of Harare, there is also an influx of sculptors joining the tombstone design business in the area.

A visit to Rugare Sculpture Village along Lytton Road in Harare showed that it was survival of the fittest.

One of the artisans in Rugare, Blady Kawinga (68) said these days, the rules of commerce are about who makes money off the dead.

“As the market is now growing, making of tombstones which are not up to standards has risen within the Rugare market and Zimbabwe at large as people are seeing the business as a way to cash out of the dead,” he said.

“During the time we started, the market was heavily monopolised, so the cheapest tombstone was sold for US$500 or equivalent, but now the game has changed, as tombstones now start from US$200 which is causing more competition in different markets at different locations.”

Kawinga narrated the journey of how Rugare became a famous tombstone village with more than 55 companies.

“The business grew from my apprentices, who would come to me and say, “I think I now I need to start my trade and he/she would move next to me and start his trade,” said Mr Kawinga.

“At first this was an elite profession, and with the coming in of some foreign investors, the game has changed and brought everyone to the table.”

By removing youths from the streets, Kawinga, who started as a sculptor, said society has benefited immensely from this business.

“The business is elevating most families at the moment and we can see that most of the youths are now being occupied and the stiff competition has helped in eradicating idleness among the youths,” he said.

Brian Haruperi founder and chief executive officer of Five Star Granites said the competition between registered and unregistered companies has reduced the value of tombstones.

“I recently came into the field but the rules have drastically changed and it is affecting registered companies. As of now, there are more than 55 companies and only 15 are registered and the registers are facing price fights as most of them are forced to compete with unregistered companies who are opting for lowest profits,” he said.

Haruperi said the surge has come as something of a surprise for an industry that was thinking that millennials no longer respect the dead.

“I cannot fully say the recent rise has come as a way of sculptors cashing out from the dead, but I think there has been a culture change recently as people now are being respectful to the dead,” he said.

“The change of mindset has really elevated and changed the business immensely.”

Haruperi shared the same sentiments with Kawinga on the competition between registered entities and unregistered entities pushing for the creation of substandard tombstones.

“The mortality rate in Zimbabwe as of 2022 was around 8.94 deaths per 1,000 inhabitants, which might be part of the reason for the rising demand. It is also driven by those who are looking ahead, ordering monuments, and deciding how they and their families will be commemorated after death,” he said.

Added Haruperi: “The unexpected demand for tombstones has led to robust hiring, plans for expansion, and a high demand for writers (who engrave names and verses on tombstones), sculptors, and other employees to work as many hours as they can handle at companies while also reducing unemployment, teenage pregnancies and helping the Government fight drug and substance abuse.”