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Meet the artist: Chikonzero Chazunguza
Budding Writers Association of Zimbabwe (BWAZ)
Extracted from BWAZ E-Newsletter: Issue No. 4, 2006
July 04, 2006

"I am more of visual person. I realized that I am strong in the arts when I was at school but it never occurred to me that this would be my profession," remarked the prolific, truly Zimbabwean artist, Chikonzero Chazunguza. The desire to draw was so deep in him; sometimes he would draw the President's face, reproducing pictures of well-known people.

Born in Highfield in the late 60's, he grew up in this place and attended Highfield Primary/ High School. As a young boy he loved toys, a desire that prompted him to craft his own toys. After school he did industrial design which involved designing functional objects like…cups, vases, etc He then approached the National Gallery of Zimbabwe to look for a mentor.

He joined the National Gallery Training School to broaden his knowledge in art forms such as painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, weaving and textiles.

He got exposed to international standards of art when he was awarded a Scholarship in 1997 to study art in one of Bulgaria's higher level arts academy. Seven years in Bulgaria exposed him to the thought processes of a different culture.

"But I knew I had to be me, a Zimbabwean. I tried to convert this cultural influence into my own sense of being Zimbabwean," says Chikonzero.

When he came back to Zimbabwe Chikonzero found that there was a limited place at home.

He always wished to give what he had learnt to his own people.

So he began to lecture at the National Arts Gallery Training School, and at Polytechnic in 1995, where he taught drawing, basic design and other arts.

Asked if he thought of himself as one of the successful artists in Zimbabwe, he says, "The act of completing each work is to me success. Success is not static. I have managed to stay long in the field and that's part of my success."

About the arts industry in Zimbabwe he says artists are really struggling partly because his people do not understand and appreciate the value of the arts.

"People are busy talking about football, popular culture, yet literature and the other arts are authentic entertainment. Not a single book has been discussed on local Television.

Whilst local people have not yet understood the value of the arts, foreigners have grown to like the fine arts. They see the value. Their education system and the media do encourage them to appreciate the arts.

Far as Chazunguza understand it, copyright infringement or piracy of artistic works is inevitable. When an artist copies someone's work and reproduce a style of his own, that could not be totally a copyright infringement.

"Real artists do not copy, they produce unique products. The problem is with the artists. They produce products that can be easily copied," said Chazunguza.

Sometimes the artists do not know where they are being shortchanged.

"I saw a photo of my work being used on a certain website without my knowledge. It causes a lot of irregularities in the arts industry when some other people use images of your work to promote their own personal business.'|

Chazunguza still teaches in the Zimbabwe Institute of Vigital Arts [ZIVA], and contributes immensely in some of the workshops conducted in the country for artists and visual artists associations. One thing that visual artists have in common with literary artists is that both want to tell a story through their products. By using one's thought's accent, one creates a unique story out of words or paint or stone. The link also exists with music.

However Chazunguza decries the downplaying of the arts by the politicians, pastors and the media. "Pastors have reduced all books in the world to one book they call the Bible. All other ways of thinking portrayed in other books have become irrelevant and that's the gospel they indirectly teach. Church buildings are looming up in the country but do we have paintings in those buildings?"

On the other hand politicians only dish out unavailing promises to the artists. They do not build cultural centers.

In Harare there are only two contemporary galleries, that is, the National Art Gallery and Delta Gallery which is more of commercial gallery.

In a country like Zimbabwe, artists need loans to open up galleries.

Chitungwiza, for example, was becoming more of a city gallery but the clean up campaign conducted by government sometime ago destroyed them all.

"My biggest wish, irregardless of art form, whether it is music, writing, or painting, is to see an environment where all arts are synchronized. We need a philosophy or guiding ideology to bind artists together, a common spirit that flows through all arts," said Chazunguza.

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