Celebrating Africa Day the African way!

AFROCENTRIC art will be on full display on Africa Day, May 25 as artists join the rest of the continent in celebrating Africa Day.

Africa Day is a day set aside to celebrate Africanacity following the establishment of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) (now the African Union) (AU) on May 25 in 1963.
Continentally, these legendary 60th-anniversary celebrations are being celebrated under the slogan:

“Our Africa Our Future” using the hashtag #OurAfricaOurFuture!

Locally, lovers of art will be treated to a nature walk which will commence at the Hillside Dams Conservancy in Bulawayo on Thursday. The nature walk being organised by the George Mgona Art for Conservation (GMAC) Trust in partnership with BirdLife Zimbabwe is meant to bring people closer to nature’s verdure.

The walk will be held under the theme, “Africa’s Nature Haven” with the director of GMAC Trust, Mgona saying the initiative is meant to shine the spotlight on Africa’s richness.

“Basically, we appreciate Africa through art that celebrates African nature. Apart from Africa Day being an African political commemoration, we’ll be celebrating the nature of the African continent that surpasses the other continents. This is the reason why people from across the globe make sure that once in their lifetime, they visit Africa. “The seas, forests, minerals and even the ever-smiling people compel one to acknowledge Africa as a great and beautiful continent. This is why we will have, as part of the programme, a nature talk and a nature walk for the patrons to rub shoulders with nature and see who will spot most of our wildlife present in the conservancy. People will just go around and come back to finalise the day at the same venue. We shall also have nature poems and some nice music about our beloved continent,” Mgona said.

For Mgona, the mission is simple and straightforward, “Spreading nature conservation using art as a tool”.

He said preparations for the celebrations are on course with artists, tour guides and speakers to be unveiled soon.

Mgona’s idea of celebrating Africa Day in the confines of nature is different from what a lot of people usually do on the day. Usually, people repose from work and attend musical concerts to unwind, but this time around, class will be in session and one of the topics to be discussed will be ornithology, a branch of zoology dealing with the study of birds.

These flying creatures fascinate Mgona and over the years, he has drawn a lot of them. Last year, together with a team of artists, he attended the 15th Pan-African Ornithological Congress (PAOC15) which was held in Victoria Falls.

Mgona, an exceptional wildlife artist, outlined the purpose and strategic objectives of his Trust, especially in relation to the upcoming Nature Walk and Talk.

“Our fundamental purpose is to promote the survival of bird life in Zimbabwe and elsewhere for its intrinsic value and the enjoyment of future generations. Our strategic objectives are centred on species, sites/habitats, people and sustainability,” he said.

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