Why Local Artists Must Embrace Arts as a Tool for Social Change

Owen Maseko's art exhibition which boldly critiqued the 1980s massacres in 2010 was banned. Image by AP

BY THABANI H. MOYO | @The_CBNews | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | APR 15, 2021

Local artists must produce works that spotlight important local issues and draw the attention of those in power, writes Thabani H. Moyo.

MATABELELAND (The Citizen Bulletin) — The world over, arts has shown its social relevance and proven to be an effective tool for activism.

In Zimbabwe, 41 years after independence, the Matabeleland region is regarded by many as being less developed compared to other provinces in Zimbabwe. And many have grievances that remain unresolved.

To most locals it’s like Matabeleland has been kept apart when it comes to developmental projects and sharing of the national cake. There is a growing belief that Matabeleland natives are reluctant to get involved in any government projects aimed at uplifting its people. Skepticism about any project that they perceive as coined and launched from Harare abound.

This makes people from Matabeleland to be passive participants when it comes to issues that will have a direct effect on them in the future.

In such a situation, artists always have a role to play.

It is for this reason that one might feel that artists from Matabeleland need to play an active role in motivating locals to be actively involved in issues that affect them.

The unresolved Gukurahundi issue comes to mind.   

Across the three provinces, there is a feeling that those in authority are not willing to take responsibility for what happened.

In the past, an array of artists have come up with productions to interrogate the unresolved Gukurahundi issue.

Some of the productions have been banned. These include plays like ‘The Good President’ by Amakhosi, ‘1983’ by Jahunda Community Arts and recently there was ‘Bhalagwe is Burning’ by Desire Moyo.

Owen Maseko also put up an art exhibition in Bulawayo dubbed ‘Siyabathonthisela’ which was banned and saw him spending most of his time in court corridors fighting to clear his name.

Many believe Maseko had done nothing wrong but his act was that of trying to make people aware that Gukurahundi was an act of injustice and remains a pending issue.

These are some of the works that are aimed at pushing authorities to look into the dark period with a view of finding lasting solutions to the problem. We believe it is the duty of artists to come up with products that interrogate the status quo so that the region can heal from the scars of that period of madness.

There is also the issue of land rights. Access, use and ownership of land in Matabeleland is shrouded in controversy.

After the land redistribution exercise most people in Matabeleland are of the view that the land redistribution exercise was carried out indecorously.

First, they feel the exercise was done using violence as a method to disempower and take away land and other properties from the whites. What then followed was a redistribution exercise that was done on partisan lines and nepotism.

In Matabeleland, this resulted in most land being occupied by people coming outside of the region. There is a need to address this imbalance in land redistribution.

Artists are therefore challenged to step out from their comfort zone and be the voice of the voiceless under these circumstances.

ALSO READ: Why Networking, Collaboration Is Important For Local Artists

Renowned playwright, Raisedon Baya, through his play ‘The Taking’ tackles the land issue at a national scale and reveals the disturbing nature in which the exercise was carried, exposing its glaring faults.

The region needs more products along the same objective so that those in authority can hear people’s voices and act.

Umkhathi Theatre works recently did video skits that looked at land rights concerning women. The skits are aimed at empowering women from Matabeleland to know their land rights.

Godfree Muyambo’s ‘Mbalisi Balisa, Ungabalisi’ script play highlights the plight of the education sector and should be performed live in our theatres so that powers can see the reflection of the truth.

The arts are a powerful tool. Artists in the region must use the arts to contribute to the fight for betterment of lives and accountability by those in the echelons of power.  They need to produce products that shake the system and force those in power to act.