In the community
‘Everyone is an artist. We just need to learn how to see’: Zimbabwe’s My Beautiful Home contest
BY JONNY COHEN
A crescent moon hung high in the starry sky above Matopos village in Zimbabwe, while an eagle owl was hooting on the thatch roof as Peggy Masuku crept out of her clay-brick home.
It was 4am, the hour before daybreak, and two weeks before the competition she had put every fibre of her being into.
My Beautiful Home is a project that seeks to rekindle the ancient art of decorating and beautifying rural homesteads using materials, colours and pigments gathered from the earth.
Prizes are practical and useful: shovels, rainwater tanks, three-legged iron pots, day-old chicks, and even a hive and beekeeping course for regional winners.
But as judging day was nearing, Masuku had spent a sleepless night worrying about what to wear, whether her personal presentation could match the creative effort she had put into her home.
Then, she says, a message from amadlozi, the ancestors, had arrived with clarity: “Peggy, go to the forest.”
“Everyone is an artist,” says Masuku. “We just need to learn how to see.”
Every autumn, as the morning air gets colder and the final harvest of corn and sorghum is stashed in the rafters of the round clay houses, called rondavels, hundreds of women from across this region begin decorating.
With pigments mixed from different muds, and a watery clay solution applied to the walls, it takes about two to three months to complete a small home inside and out.
The process has deep ancestral roots that go back thousands of years.
Many art historians believe the foundations of the cubism movement drew on the geometric shapes, motifs and textures used in everyday rituals across Africa.
Here in the Matobo Hills in southern Zimbabwe, the connections are clear to see.
At the village prizegiving, the singing, cheers and ululating when every single participant collects a prize reflects the huge love for this annual art tradition, a living testimony of the African philosophy of Ubuntu: “I am because we are.”
Patience Sarif, a local coordinator, says: “The art aside, this competition is all about community spirit – each woman inspires and supports the next.
You can see it in their daily lives – . Life is hard. They clean and cook, gather water, plough fields, and yet they still find time to work on beautifying their homes and encouraging one another.
It is inspiring to see the joy it creates.
It’s also really exciting to see how many more young women are involved. Culture is becoming cool again.”
And it is nature that provides the denouement as well as the inspiration for this art movement.
When the summer rains arrive in early November, the beautiful motifs and designs, testimony to hard work and pride, are washed away in a matter of days.
“When that happens I sometimes stand in the rain watching my creation wash away, and I feel sad,” says Masuku.
And then she looks up and smiles. “But then we start dreaming about what to do next year.” – The Guardian
BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI
For Obert Dube, a renowned African poet, the stage is no longer just a place for performance; it has become a platform for a massive humanitarian effort aimed at Zimbabwe’s most vulnerable children. Since November, Dube has traversed the rugged terrains of Matabeleland North and South, visiting over 100 schools to provide essential supplies to students who, much like his younger self, are struggling to stay in the classroom.
Obert Dube
Dube, who describes himself as an “African poet… born and bred in Zimbabwe,” has dedicated his career to what he calls a “mission of mercy.” His work focuses on children who are often forced to drop out due to a lack of school fees or basic stationery. “I’m an African poet… a philanthropist engaged in a special mission,” Dube said in a recent interview. “I help vulnerable children… who sometimes fail due to school fees. Some approach me for help with registering for examinations.”
The poet’s motivation is deeply rooted in his own childhood trauma. Raised by a widowed mother who passed away before his final exams, Dube became a “child parent” at a young age. He recalls the humiliation of attending school in borrowed uniforms and the struggle of trying to learn without the most basic tools. “I remember some raised by elderly grandparents… their parents are passed on,” Dube explained, noting that many guardians cannot afford books. “They will spend the rest of the time at school without writing, and that is what is contributing to low pass rates.”
To fund this initiative, Dube allocates 30 percent of his earnings from every performance to purchase stationery and pay school fees. His reach has expanded to districts including Nkayi, Binga, Lupane, and Hwange. While he started alone, his social media presence has attracted global support, including a Zimbabwean-born UK citizen who recently donated football kits for the schools. “This is a different thing collectively that builds helping our own communities,” Dube said.
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