adminTHIS week I want to talk about the beautiful cultural centre that Pathisa Nyathi has built 60 kilometres outside Bulawayo along the Bulawayo-Kezi Road. I wanted to tell you, dear reader, about Amagugu International Cultural Centre and the My Beautiful Home project. Yes, I wanted to tell you about how I found myself travelling 60 good kilometres out of Bulawayo to the centre where their awards ceremony for the hut painting project took place.
I wanted to tell you about how my tour to the centre was life changing, particularly how it changed my view of community centred projects. Yes, I wanted to tell you, dear reader, how I witnessed firsthand the impact of the My beautiful home project on the surrounding Matobo community.
But then as I was preparing my article news filtered in that the Ministry of Sports, Arts and Culture had been reconfigured and the culture component taken away and given to the Ministry of Rural Development and Cultural Heritage. When I heard the news my heart sank. I could feel it sinking deep down into an abyss of nothingness. I had the same feeling years ago when I lost my father.
Only a year or so ago we were jumping up and down celebrating the creation of the then new Ministry of Sports, Arts and Culture.
Then we thought the Government had listened to artistes’ cries and created a ministry that would cater for them seriously and put their needs on top of the priority list.
Alas, how wrong we were. Sport was treated as the first child in the ministry. Sadly since the creation of the ministry till its reconfiguration now, artistes never really got to meet the minister. With each day that passed artistes’ hopes faded like dew stealing away from the sun. It was obvious that the ministry was really a sports ministry, nothing more. Slowly we reverted back to our old feeling of not being wanted, and not being appreciated.
The most saddening part about the reconfiguration and transference of culture to Rural Development is that artistes remain unsure whether the arts went with culture or they remained with sports under recreation. In this confusion many artistes continue to ask these questions: is culture all inclusive? Does culture mean arts and culture? Does recreation mean arts and other recreation activities? The answers to these questions need to be found very soon or artistes risk being lost for good.
Also in this reconfiguration of the ministry did the powers that be consider the arts and their importance? In an era where everyone is talking about the creative economy and its potential it is very saddening that once again Zimbabwean artisets are confused and lost, not knowing what role they need to play in the current setup. One is left wondering whether the reconfiguration was done for the benefit of arts and culture or the opposite. Maybe time will tell.
This week is Intwasa week. The week Bulawayo comes alive with live performances of music, theatre, dance, spoken word and fashion. From tomorrow to Saturday the festival curates 50 events in six venues around Bulawayo’s central business district. Make sure you see Afrika Revenge during the festival’s official opening show; Jeys Marabini, Clement Magwaza and Ndolwane Super Sounds will be at the festival’s main stage. Winky D performs for the first time at Intwasa on Friday evening.
Other shows not to miss are Without A Name, the stage adaptation of Yvonne Vera’s novel, Women, Wine & Words and Acoustic Night All Stars. For those that love art see you at the festival.
Online Reporter
derick.khumalo