daniel chigunwe
Tendai Rupapa in PARIS, France
FIRST Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa and UNESCO director-general Ms Audrey Azoulay yesterday undertook a tour of awe-inspiring exhibitions at the Africa Week in Paris, France, and interacted with artists including those from Zimbabwe in a unique display of appreciation for talent and what Africa has to offer.
Ranging from fashion to food, paintings and sculptures, the displays which largely had an African theme appealed to all the senses, giving a huge impression of the continent’s diversity and versatility.
Zimbabwe’s stand featured exhilarating exhibitions which showed great depths of imagination like the gastronomy dress and “Marina Wevhu” also known as Hosho dress by Ivhu Tribe fashioned out of locally available material like traditional grains, wild fruits, rattles incorporating sea shells, sacks and many more.
The collections were both innovative and creative, showcasing Zimbabwean culture and tradition leaving the people, including the UNESCO boss, in awe.
The dresses were graciously made with the assistance of the First Lady.
Apart from the fashion side, there was live music from a Zimbabwean cultural group, drawn from diverse artistic backgrounds, whose rich and mature melodies illuminated the stand, luring more visitors.
Apart from being mouth-watering, the food displayed on the Zimbabwe stand was eye-catching and cleverly packaged to titillate the tastebuds and give visitors a glimpse into the country’s rich cultural heritage.
The general organisation of the stand and well-groomed exhibitors were in a class of their own.
Speaking on the sidelines of the tour, Amai Mnangagwa, who was invited here as guest of honour in recognition of her efforts in heritage and cultural preservation, said more needed to be done to promote the country’s culture and pass the knowledge to the younger generations.
“The most important thing here is that countries have come to meet and showcase what they have and here they are. I am very impressed with what I have seen and there are so many ideas we exchanged as African countries. There were many people seeking to taste our African food from different countries. Here at the Zimbabwean stand there is the gastronomy fashion with our traditional grains that have been put together to come up with a dress. There are so many things that are locally available that we can use and we can be proud of in our country Zimbabwe. We have sorghum and wild fruits, pumpkins that we grow and turn into fashion and we have so many ideas. I am proud of our fashion designers and the cultural musical group. They put up a top-drawer performance.
“Many people are scrambling to have a glimpse of our fashion, traditional dances, and instruments and to also have a taste of chikafu chedu chenyika yeZimbabwe. I am amazed at how people enjoyed our Seven Days and maheu,” she said.
The mother of the nation said even the keynote address she delivered emphasised the need for inclusivity across Africa.
“The speech that I gave was inclusive of all countries, even in my quotes, I did not speak about Zimbabwe alone, but for the whole of Africa. We are one and should stand true to our culture and we must also teach our children,” she said.
Dr Mnangagwa, who works with a team of designers, explained some of the fashion displays.
“We also have evening wear made from beads, sea shells and our national fabric. Bird feathers were also used. We have fashioned a sack into a garment that can be worn. We need to become big in traditional/modern wear and everyone with an idea must come forward,” she said.
Jasper Mandizera, a fashion designer from the Ivhu tribe, paid tribute to the First Lady for her cultural programmes.
“I am thankful for the culture programmes being undertaken by the First Lady back home. I am glad her programmes have enabled us to be here since she was invited to showcase our culture. She is helping us to come up with many ideas in terms of culture,” he said.
His designs captured the imagination of the guests with outstanding outfits of different colours, hew and tastes.
Displayed with an assortment of beads, the depiction of a lion in the design and decorated with the thumb piano (mbira), his displays left many spellbound.
Mandizera said Marina Wevhu dress (Marina of the Soil) symbolises the harmony between water and earth in giving life.
“Made from cowry shells, jute and recycled cowhide, it reflects nature’s raw gifts. A Zimbabwean masterpiece calling us to protect and nurture the land like a mother does to her child.
“The Zimbabwean seed is a celebration of heritage and sustenance adorned with sorghum, millet, rapoko and masawu, ancient grains rooted in our soil.
“Telling a story of resilience, tradition and nourishment. A tribute to the life-giving force of our land and the wisdom of those who farm it,” he said.
Also on display was the Zimbabwean elegance which embodies the grace of Zimbabwe as a Zimbabwean bride, regal, rooted and radiant. It blends tradition and modernity in a timeless celebration of heritage and feminine strength.
All the pieces were made from locally available resources.
Ms Azoulay marvelled at the creativity showcased by Ivhu Tribe and his team. The dresses showcased Zimbabwe’s rich heritage.
The First Lady and her host also had an appreciation of Tanzanian fashion after touring the Tanzanian stand, where they were taken through some artistic processes by the creatives.
Not to be outdone were some sculptures which were being showcased by Zimbabwean artist Zibusiso Ncube.
The sculptures were made by Ncube and Collin Nyanhongo.
Ncube explained the significance of such pieces of art to Amai and the UNESCO DG.
Dhlomo Sanele exhibited contemporary art of Zimbabwe which portrays a positive picture of how people live in Zimbabwe.
They also toured an exhibition by a Tanzanian female visual artist Sekela Mwambegele where they were taken through a piece called Umoja, meaning Unity in Swahili.
She also toured Sudan and Liberia stands.
Zimbabwean food that was being displayed included sorghum sadza, brown rice, samp, Zim gastro sausage (flavoured samp stuffed in cow intestines), Kariba bream, Haifiridzi (a mixture of meat and vegetables), road runner, peanut butter biltong, dried vegetables, fried kapenta and madora.
For drinks, there was the traditional brew 7 days, baobab Maheu, fermented milk, mapfura wine, Victoria Falls Gin, Chibuku and Zambezi.
Teas on display were Zumbani, Moringa, Tanganda.
For snacks there was fried kapenta, madora as well as roasted corn and nuts.
The mother of the nation also toured food stands mounted by Nigeria, Niger, Uganda, Mozambique, Mauritius, Ethiopia, Guinea, Ghana, Gabon, Mali, Comoros, Congo Brazzaville and Angola.
Contemporary singer Andy Muridzo, who performed at the Zimbabwe stand applauded the First Lady for the huge strides she has made in promoting artistic innovation and sustainability, celebrating the nation’s rich cultural heritage through her numerous initiatives.
“We want to thank the First Lady for making us recognised as we were performing. People were coming in and joining in and we thank Amai for her programmes which are promoting and empowering youths. We showed guests what Zimbabwe is made of through traditional songs, dances and instruments. People like our culture, we are proud of who we are. Our music and food were popular and so was our art and we thank the First Lady for putting in the hard work,” he said.
Michelle Chikosa from the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services traditional outfit punched the air with excitement and hailed the First Lady for her efforts.
“We thank the First Lady for affording us this opportunity to come here and showcase our culture. We have come out tops through our dressing and dances. We thank our mother for encouraging us so that our culture does not die down and now we are touring other countries because of our mother and of course our culture,” she said.
Visitors who thronged the Zimbabwe stand scrambled to taste the food and view the displays.
Mr Admire Rustik was spellbound.
“This stand is a masterpiece. They have put together solid exhibits accompanied by their sweet music which is sweet to the ear and compels one to the dance floor. I also tasted the wholesome food on display which is not processed and has high nutritional value.”
Mrs Sheila Bilk shared similar sentiments.
“The displays on this stand show that the Zimbabweans are serious and know what they are doing. Their displays resonate well with the event and we thank the First Lady of Zimbabwe for the progress and educative speech she shared with the gathering. It was well-researched and pregnant with meaning. She is indeed Africa’s pride,” she said.
Online Reporter