Online Reporter
Langalakhe Mabena
Zimpapers Arts and Entertainment Hub
ACCLAIMED artistic duo Masimba Hwati and Michael Gould, known collectively as Zebra Collective, are set to present their thought-provoking multi-media series Nyami-Nyami at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Harare from July 9.
Nyami-Nyami explores the cultural and ecological trauma triggered by the construction of the Kariba Dam.
The dam, built in 1955 under British colonial rule, forever altered the Zambezi River, Africa’s fourth-longest waterway.
Its construction led to the displacement of 57 000 Tonga people and the death of 86 individuals.
At the core of this immersive work is the mythical figure of Nyami-Nyami, a revered Tonga river deity believed to possess a fish-headed, snake-bodied form.
Nyami-Nyami is seen as a guardian spirit, historically called upon in times of community crisis.
During the dam’s construction, many Tonga people believed the disruption angered the gods and hoped Nyami-Nyami’s power would bring destruction to the dam and restoration to their homeland.
Through this work, Zebra Collective re-imagines Nyami-Nyami not merely as myth but as a symbol of resistance and ecological memory.
Blending sculpture, sound and digital technology, Hwati and Gould traverse ancient Shona traditions while incorporating contemporary sound engineering, including the use of modified guitar-spears that perform as sonic sentinels.
Speaking ahead of the exhibition, the executive director of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe Raphael Chikukwa encouraged Zimbabweans to be part of this show.
“Hwati has consistently shown a deep fascination with our nation’s collective past. I’m pleased that he’s bringing this home to engage with its home audience.
“It’s important for Zimbabweans to come and experience Hwati’s performance at the Gallery.
“I urge all to attend this momentous homecoming, as it’s our story that we must try to follow and understand.”
First launched in 2022, Nyami-Nyami has already made an international impact, with performances at Tanz Tangente in Berlin, Germany, Ogrosen Kulturland farm in Lausitz, the Global Water Dances Festival and, most recently, the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, USA.
Hwati is an internationally recognised Zimbabwean interdisciplinary artist, working across sculpture, performance and sound.
He is known for his innovative, three-dimensional mixed-media works.
A former student of the Harare Polytechnic School of Art and Design, where he majored in Ceramics and Painting, Hwati also taught Visual Arts and 3D Art at the same institution.
He is currently a PhD candidate at Akademie der Bildenden Künste Wien, Österreich.
Gould is a Professor of Music at the University of Michigan where he teaches in the Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation Department at the School of Music, Theatre and Dance, as well as in the Residential College within the College of Literature, Science and the Arts.
