Zimbabwe: Mathema counsel artists on need for an education
By Alfred Tembo – Governor for Bulawayo Cain Matema has called artist to respect their profession by attaining formal in their intended areas of interest in the industry.
Matema said an education helps easy the retrogressive burden that rest on art and inflict the dynamics of professionalizing the industry as a whole.
Matena who was called to task to officiate the launch of Kundai Munikwa (24), a Chinhoyi University of Technology student, at the National Arts Gallery last Friday. The Exhibition titled Spectrum: My Evolution show cased at least 19 classical pieces. The combination of her art is a combination of acrylic and oil paint, batik fine art and graphic design, a unique combination and rare among self taught artist across the country.
On Freedom of expression the governor who is also an artist and writer trashed artist’ call to have their right recognized, “some talk of freedom of expression and free art as if an artists’ lives in a world of his or hers alone”
At the same time art has to be considered a industry that can employ people who can go on to feed their fames from their captured thought on paper of canvas, Matema however pulled the substantial pigment for sustenance from the controversial script of Indigenization act in a paraphrased manner when he said, “I am surprised by our colleges who many a times train children to be employees yet they don’t train our children to be business people and employ.
“You train as if there is a job that is already waiting for them somewhere else, where as you should be churning out people who are
going into the business world,” he added.
Despite Matema’s doubt in the authenticity of some of the local artist and their work, he commends Chinhoyi University of Technology for churning professionals.
“Chinhoyi is one of the few universities in the country that trains artists at degree level, which is commendable, as artists we need to go through such formal training for the good of our profession. Many of our artists are now doing graphic designing but also most of us are doing so without the necessary training of theory of art but only the theory of graphics.”
“Even musical wise, many of our musicians play their guitars, play their drums and sing their songs but I am not so sure how many of them have actually gone to the school to study music as a course.” he further commented.
Munikwa is one such a visionary female pursuing a degree in Creative and Design, who also takes her time to document and critique art and interactions with some of the prominent artist at the Gallery.
