Online Reporter
Mbulelo Mpofu [email protected]
THIS Friday, the National Gallery of Zimbabwe (NGZ) in Bulawayo will open the curtain on Chicago Dzviti: Portrait of Zimbabwe, a photographic exhibition chronicling everyday life from the early 1980s to the mid-1990s.
Through the lens of one of Zimbabwe’s most perceptive and understated documentarians, the exhibition offers an intimate visual record of a nation in the process of defining its identity during the transformative years following independence.
The showcase, which features 75 compelling photographic prints, first made its debut last year at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Harare. It later travelled to the Arches Gallery at Aberfoyle before arriving in the City of Kings, giving Bulawayo audiences an opportunity to engage with an invaluable archive that was nearly lost to time.
The journey to reviving Dzviti’s work gained momentum last year at the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo during the U.S. Embassy’s Fulbright Scholar Annual Address. The lecture, delivered by Dr Jennifer Kyker, Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology at the Eastman School of Music and the University of Rochester, brought renewed attention to Dzviti’s forgotten archive.
Recognising the cultural and historical significance of the collection, a collaborative curatorial process was initiated. The exhibition is co-curated by Dr Kyker and Fadzai Muchemwa, Curator of Contemporary Art at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe.
The project is a partnership between the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, the University of Rochester, the United States Embassy and Fulbright, working together to reconstruct a visual narrative that is both historically significant and emotional.
In interview, Dr Kyker expressed excitement about bringing the exhibition to Bulawayo.
“I’m thrilled to bring these beautiful images, together with their important historical perspectives, to audiences in Bulawayo. Together with my co-curator, we have worked to select 75 images from this extensive selection representing the work of Zimbabwean photographer, Chicago Dzviti.
“Audiences will experience Dzviti’s unique perspective on Zimbabwean life in the 1990s including his portraits of many important traditional and popular musicians as well as a diverse range of Zimbabweans from all walks of life. From street children and farm workers to former President Robert Mugabe.
“I look forward to introducing this important collection and the work of Dzviti to new audiences in Bulawayo,” she said.
Born in 1961 in the rural village of Bushu, Shamva, Chicago Dzviti’s journey into visual storytelling was defined by a deep sensitivity to human dignity. He studied photography in the late 1980s at Harare Polytechnic, where he developed a style that balanced journalistic precision with artistic empathy.
In the early 1990s, Dzviti worked as a staff photographer for The Financial Gazette before transitioning to freelance photojournalism in 1993, a move that gave him greater creative freedom to pursue deeper cultural narratives. Although he tragically passed away in 1995, Dzviti left behind an extensive and invaluable visual archive of Zimbabwean social life, which now forms the foundation of this exhibition.
The collection presents a rich and diverse mosaic of Zimbabwean society during a pivotal era of hope, transition and resilience. Visitors are taken on a visual journey through bustling urban markets filled with post-independence energy, as well as quiet rural scenes capturing sacred cultural rituals. – Follow on X @MbuleloMpofu
