Zimbabwean stone carvings seek revival, facing British colonial heritage as Oxford exhibition
Chitungwiza (AP) of Zimbabwe – A pair of white hands blindfolded the black face. A smiling colonist with a biblical one, smashed the skull of a screaming native with his boots. The locked man is in the gold mine, and there is also a pregnant woman.
These stone sculptures from Zimbabwe will take center stage in an upcoming exhibition at Oxford University in the UK, aiming to “contextualize” the legacy of British imperialist Cecil John Rhodes with descriptions of religious deception, forced labour and sexual abuse.
Rhodes conquered much of southern Africa in the late 19th century. He made money with gold and diamond mining and robbed land from local residents. His tomb is under a rock on the top of Zimbabwe.
Oxford’s Oriel College is a symbolic environment, which will be held in September. Despite protests since 2015, the statue of Lot is still there. His influence lasts through scholarships for students from southern African countries.
For Zimbabwean stone carvings at the Chitungwiza Art Center near the capital, the exhibition is more than just an opportunity for Western audiences to glimpse into dark history. It is also an opportunity to revive an ancient but struggling art form.
Stone sculpture was once a booming local industry that suffered due to huge economic challenges and the decline in tourism.
“This will promote the business. Foreign buyers will now see our work and buy directly from the artists,” said sculptor Wallace Mkanka. His work depicts the blackface of the blind, was selected as the best of 110 entries and will be one of the four winning sculptures on display in Oxford.
Zimbabwe means “Stone House”, its identity comes from the Great Ruins of Zimbabwe, a 1,800-acre iron-made city, filled with precise stones without mortar. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Southern African countries have long used stone sculptures as a form of storytelling to make history immortal. The craft survived nearly a century of colonial rule, which sought to eliminate local traditions, religions and art forms.
It instead flourished internationally. Thousands of works have been plundered from Africa. Some later became the subject of the repatriation movement. Others are valued by tourists and collectors. 20 Zimbabwean stone sculptures in a permanent collection are on display in a pedestrian tunnel at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the busiest in the world.
After independence, Zimbabwe’s stone sculpture industry flourished, with white local farmers buying items for their homes and promoting international sales.
“Customers are everywhere. They pay in advance, and I always have a group of customers,” recalls 45-year-old sculptor Tafadzwa Tandi, whose work will be exhibited at the Oxford exhibition.
However, the industry has struggled for the past two decades.
Zimbabwe’s global image has suffered losses after controversial agrarian reforms, according to government data. More than 20 years ago, more than 4,000 white farmers redistributed their land to about 300,000 black families. Late rulers Robert Mugabe defended the reforms necessary to address colonial inequality, but they had unexpected economic consequences.
“Many of our clients are friends of farmers. That’s where the problem originated,” said Tendai Gwaravaza, chairman of the Chitungwiza Art Center.
In the center, the sound of the sculptor carvings is filled with air. From small carvings to life-sized sculptures, hundreds of finished products, waiting for buyers.
“The only solution now is to get there yourself. If we don’t, no one will.”
He said the Oxford exhibition represents such an opportunity for exposure.
This is the creativity of the Oxford-Babwe Art Partnership, formed by the “Rod must fall” movement in protests against things like black life in the United States
The group consists of Zimbabwean artists, Oxford alumni and professor of African history and initially envisioned a larger project called “Oxford and Rhodes: Past, Present, and Future”. It includes African Liberation Fighters that enclose the statue of Rhodes in glass, install 100 life-sized bronze statues, and use recycled materials to represent the future.
However, the project is estimated to require 200,000 pounds, which is far beyond the available resources. Ultimately, Oriel College offers a 10,000-pound shrinking exhibition.
“I still hope it will happen one day, but now we’ve taken a little bit of getting started and doing something,” said Richard Pantlin, an Oxford alumnus and Ozap co-founder.
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