Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. MULTIDISCIPLINARY creative Munyaradzi Fombe has shown his passion for music, in particular the mbira instrument, through carving Musical Performances at the Kings House.
Central to Fombe’s carvings is the statue of the king’s head, in this case President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s, enjoying every moment of musical performances, from an African jazz ensemble at a State function.
This is Fombe’s second attempt to portray Zimbabwe’s cultural richness and bridge the gap between royalty and the common man through stone art.
Besides showing the power of music to unite and uplift, Fombe pays great attention to detail and posture to represent his deep connection to cultural heritage.
His first attempt to charm the attention of government officials and turn them into art lovers was when he carved the late former President Robert Mugabe marching into an arena while waving to the masses.
“This artwork shows Musical Performances at the Kings House and the king, who is dressed in majestic regalia, sits entranced, his eyes closed and his face uplifted,” Fombe said.
“He is engrossed in the soulful melodies of African traditional music and the rhythmic beats weaving a spell of serenity and joy.
“The highly energetic and melodious mbira music fused with guitars do not only provoke spiritual connections, but also inspire progression and sentimentality, especially when dreaming of tackling difficult times.”
Fombe believes the only way to easily connect to the people is through an unlimited freedom of expression and seeing that civilians can engage in conversation without fear of the unknown.
His carvings — Parliament, The Roya Queen, The African Wagon, among others, reflect his unbeaten desire for peace and tranquility.
His diverse statuettes done on spring stone, opal, verdite, red jaspar and fruit stone are synonymous with his desire to portray the need to recognise each and every tribe and its dialect or language and use it as a basis for stimulating development.
Through Fombe, one can conceptualise the serious need for installing and/or constructing relevant infrastructures which support the arts or work as creative spaces.
He plays proficiently on the mbira and his lunch hour breaks almost always see him surrounded by fellow creatives as they perform as an ensemble.
Musical Performances at the Kings House shows the mbira groups’ long-term ambition to record as well as perform at the king’s court.
He works closely with the youth and has been inspirational in so many ways, which include sculpting, storytelling and advice.
Being one of the longest serving members at the Chitungwiza Arts Centre, Fombe has stood the test of time with his original pieces of art, which sometimes speak to addressing environmental and social issues.
“Visual art and music in particular should help us to be custodians of our own cultural heritage. There is abundant wealth in them and each and every youth should sharpen his mindset to fully utilise the opportunities enshrined in cultural diversity of Zimbabwe,” he said.
“The visual artists have for years been in search of a perfect solution to their challenges, which include financial instability and limited access to funding, among others.
“Competition and saturation on the market, including limited exposure and networking opportunities, are also major challenges which can be corrected by luring committed investors to the arts industry.”
Fombe’s approach to stone carving is evidence that there is need for artists to diversify income streams through activities like teaching, launching or commissioning artworks, licensing and leveraging on online platforms as well as enhanced social media expos.
For More News And Analysis About Zimbabwe Follow Africa-Press
