Online Reporter
Mbulelo Mpofu, [email protected]
THE harsh scream of a chainsaw is usually the sound of falling timber and raw force. For Zimbabwe-born artist Raphael Saidi, better known on the international arts circuit as Bongo Love, it is the sound of creation.
For more than two decades, the Colorado-based sculptor has carved a unique path, transforming reclaimed wood into intricate wildlife sculptures using a chainsaw, an unlikely tool that has become his artistic signature.
Now, after building a celebrated career in the United States, Bongo Love is preparing for a homecoming, outlining a phased five-year plan to permanently return to Zimbabwe.
Born in Zvishavane, an area renowned for its stone-carving heritage, Bongo Love’s artistic roots run deep.
“I started carving when I was about eight years old. My grandfather was a great sculptor. We’re Shona, world-famous sculptors. We carved for tourists using hand chisels, mallets and tools we even made ourselves,” he said.
That grounding in traditional Shona sculpture would later shape his unconventional chainsaw art.
He relocated to Boulder County in 2000 and initially leaned into music to ease homesickness. But visual art soon pulled him back. His introduction to chainsaw carving came almost by accident after he spotted a competition in Colorado in 2006.
“I thought I could beat them. But I didn’t even know how to start the chainsaw.”
Using a small saw that drew jokes from competitors, he finished last. Instead of discouragement, the experience sparked a new obsession.
“It was the hardest piece I ever made, but I fell in love with it. It’s intense and exciting.”
From that moment, he committed himself fully, upgrading equipment, learning techniques and entering competitions across the US West Coast and Europe. The gamble paid off. He rose from novice to contender, clinching podium finishes in Vancouver and coming fourth at the prestigious World Chainsaw Carving Championship in Germany. His favoured cedar wood has since been transformed into striking owls, bears, eagles and even mythical figures.
Today, he carries the confidence of a seasoned master.
“They call me the master of the chainsaw. When I show up, people say, ‘Uh-oh, he’s here,’” he said.
Despite the international acclaim, Zimbabwe has never loosened its hold on him.
Bongo Love recently announced plans to return home permanently through a gradual five-year transition, a move driven by a desire to reconnect and contribute to the local creative ecosystem.
He fondly recalls his early days selling handcrafted wooden pieces at the Bulawayo City Hall Craft Centre, a formative experience that sharpened both his artistry and entrepreneurial instincts. Now spending more time back in Bulawayo during the transition, he is already reintegrating into the country’s cultural landscape.
Beyond sculpture and music, he has ventured into artiste management, guiding the career of rising Amapiano artiste Liora.
“It’s about giving back and helping others navigate the industry,” he said.
His long-term vision stretches further. Concerned that chainsaw carving is becoming a dying art, Bongo Love hopes to train a new generation of practitioners, especially women, and dreams of establishing a chainsaw carving school in Zimbabwe.
“So we can teach kids skills and help them build something for themselves,” he said.
For the man who once left home chasing opportunity abroad, the journey has come full circle.
After years of carving wood into life with a roaring chainsaw, Bongo Love is now shaping what may be his most meaningful creation yet, a life rebuilt back home, rooted in Zimbabwe. —@MbuleloMpofu
