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Elliot Ziwira
Senior Reporter
The National Gallery of Zimbabwe’s ongoing virtual exhibition in commemoration of the shattering catastrophe that befell parts of Southern Africa in March last year, dubbed Aftershock: Re-imagining Life After Cyclone Idai, which opened on July 3, 2020, has been an eye-opener on disaster preparedness.
Co-curated by the NGZ’s acting executive director Mr Raphael Chikukwa and Jekesai Njikizana, the exhibition comprises documentary photographs courtesy of corporates, with Zimpapers among them, international donor agencies, non-governmental organisations and relief institutions.
In an interview yesterday, Mr Chikukwa said the exhibition, which marks a year after the natural disaster hit parts of Chimanimani and Chipinge in eastern Zimbabwe, killing hundreds of people, many of whom still unaccounted for, as well as injuring and displacing scores of others, was supposed to start in March.
However, another calamity, Covid-19, hit the globe.
“Because of Covid-19-induced challenges, we had to launch the exhibition online where we have a public programme every week which touches on all the chapters on the show,” said Mr Chikukwa.
The exhibition will run under seven chapters up to the end of September this year.
The chapters are; The calm before the Storm, The eye of the Storm, Zimbabwe Responds, The Storm is Over, Neighbourhood Watch, The process of Recovery and Reconstruction and Climate Action.
Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Acting Minister Professor Paul Mavima was the guest of honour at the virtual launch of the exhibition on July 3. The ministry’s Permanent Secretary Dr Thokozile Chitepo and United Nations (UN) resident co-ordinator Ms Maria Ribeiro also participated.
“We had more than 2 700 people viewing our live streaming on the launch. Last Friday we had a Harare conversation on the role of art and photography in times of climate change and global warming.
“Today (yesterday) we talked about disaster preparedness in extreme weather conditions. The Meteorological Services Department director Mrs Rebecca Manzou and Jacqueline Anderson of Miracle Missions Trust, gave their views on the topic.
“Going forward we also want to cover other topics on the show, including climate action and global warming,” Mr Chikukwa revealed.
The objective of the exhibition is to enlighten people on the magnitude of Cyclone Idai and its socio-economic impacts on communities.
He pointed out that the exhibition will “travel to Bulawayo and Mutare”, and called on Zimbabweans to “come and see real life stories of ordinary people from Chimanimani, Chipinge and Mozambique.”
According to Oxfam, on the night of March 14-15, the devastating Cyclone Idai hit Beira, Mozambique, killing more than 1 000 people in the country, Malawi and Zimbabwe, leaving a trail of annihilation in terms of human life, wildlife and infrastructure.
More than 2,6 million people were left in desperate need of humanitarian assistance as their sources of livelihoods were destroyed; millions were left homeless.
Like any other nation, Zimbabwe has not been spared by shifts in climate.
However, the country has made strides in the fight by working towards establishing the National Climate Policy, following finalisation of the draft National Climate Change Response Strategy.
The draft followed extensive public consultations to allow citizens to contribute to the process of developing a comprehensive action plan on aspects of climate change.
The process of developing the National Climate Change Response Strategy started in 2012, with the Institute of Environmental Studies at the University of Zimbabwe leading.
To get input on how best the country could come up with comprehensive and strategic approaches on climate change adaptation, mitigation, appropriate technology, public awareness and financing, consultative workshops were held countrywide.
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