Bulawayo Province: The arts greats factory

Theatre, the globe-trotting Black Umfolosi, award-winning Siyaya Arts and internationally acclaimed Iyasa, among others.
Emerging and already established artistes have over the years striven to see the success of arts and culture in the City of Kings. Worthy of mention are musicians from different genres and artists such as Cynthia Chamisa who has brought a new dimension to art.
Brendon Mabhena, an emerging young artist from Pumula North, has represented every young art genius out there to push it to the limits if they are to make it.
Musicians such as Proud of You (POY), Pozee, France and Don – the Seqamabhilidi hit maker- have made the city proud by promoting arts and culture through music.
In an interview with some of these future ambassadors, they attributed the grooming they had when they were young in the arts sector to the culture of arts in the city, which has made them what they are today.
“I really appreciate the way the Bulawayo Province has groomed me and I can truly say this has made me who I am today.
“I want to appreciate what the city’s arts and culture academies such as Amakhosi Theatre, Mzilikazi Art and Craft Centre and National Gallery have done in grooming some of these artistes,” said POY, who has plans to collaborate with Pozee.
POY has made it big in the music industry especially after scooping the People’s Choice Award last year among Zimbabwe’s finest such as Stunner and Maskiri and is still striving to get other musicians involved in arts and culture.
While some of these ambassadors engage in other things apart from arts, their love for promoting arts and culture will never fade as they continue to support arts and culture.
“In as much as I have focused on other lines of profession such as working at Pembroke Place last year where I was managing a nursery for Wrights and also had a studio there, my love for arts and culture was never changed.
“I am proud to be Zimbabwean and will always produce work that is related to things close to my culture because it is related to my upbringing,” said Chamisa.
Chamisa, a devoted Christian and artist by nature has continued to raise the arts and culture flag high with her breathtaking artwork.
“Despite administrative jobs, my love for art is still the same and I have called my art work Ocean’s Ark after my daughter Tsitsi Ocean Nyagweta.
“I will be exhibiting my art work at Bomo Restaurant at Hillside Dams and will be working on site,” she said.
With such people who have arts and culture at heart, the city will always be a pioneer as the hub of talent in Zimbabwe. Musicians from other genres such as house have also stood tall among heavyweights such as Big Nuz.
France and Don have lifted the city’s arts and culture all the way from Bulawayo to South Africa, which saw them scooping an MTN award though organisers of the awards claimed it was a Big Nuz track.
Besides having almost all platforms known to Zimbabwe like theatre, music, stand-up comedy, literary arts and visual arts, contemporary dance is the most common form of art practised in the city with such groups as Iyasa, Kaisa, Harsh Touch, Girls la Musica, Exotic Rhumba Dancers, Simunye Simunye leading the rest. These groups mainly perform in nightclubs, social occasions such as weddings and corporate events.
This has brought entertainment to a whole different level with most people travelling from as far as Karoi just to be part of the amusing dance groups. Of late the art of poetry has taken the city by storm with such institutions as Poetry Bulawayo and Kings Kraal Republic on the forefront of hosting poetry/spoken word and hip hop programmes such as Mlomo Wakho Poetry.
The province has also over the years witnessed an increase in the number of South African artistes coming to perform.
The province has prominent arts stakeholders that hold art events throughout the year and these include Alliance Francaise, which supports local arts exhibitions and the hosting of French artistes and those from Francophone speaking countries. Another major stakeholder in the province is the Bulawayo City Council from whose cultural policy many artistes in the city have benefited.
The city is set to consolidate its position as the hub of talent nationwide provided stakeholders and the city fathers continue to uplift arts and culture.
The province has lost a number of legendary artistes who have over the years flown the Province’s flag high and these include Beatar Mangethe, Ndux Malux and Solomon Skuza.
Their spirits will always defy the adage that life goes on and their contributions will forever linger in people’s minds.