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‘Everyone is an artist. We just need to learn how to see’: Zimbabwe’s My Beautiful Home contest

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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“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

 

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In the community

Avoid nightime movement and stoning elephants, communities told

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI 

Following a recent spate of human-wildlife conflict incidents, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesperson Tinashe Farawo has urged communities to exercise caution when encountering wild animals.

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Farawo emphasized the importance of avoiding confrontations with elephants, particularly when they encroach into community areas. “We would like to urge members of the communities to avoid throwing stones at elephants,” he said. “This action agitates them, leading to attacks on people.”

In addition to avoiding confrontations, Farawo advised community members to minimize movement at night, as this is when wild animals are most active. “We would like to urge communities to avoid moving at night to minimize casualties,” he said.

Farawo’s comments come after a 79-year-old man from Hwange was killed by an elephant yesterday. The incident is still under investigation by rangers. This is the second fatal incident in the area, following the death of another man who was attacked by an elephant while on his way to work in Hwange town several weeks ago.

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Elephant attack claims life of 79-year-old man in Mbizha

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BY STAFF REPORTER 

A 79-year-old man from Mbizha village met a tragic end yesterday when he was killed by a stray elephant, according to the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.

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Zimbabwe Parks spokesperson, Tinashe Farawo, confirmed the incident, saying, “We confirm the sad and unfortunate incident that happened today where a 79-year-old man lost his life.”

The attack occurred four kilometers away from the community, although the exact time of the incident was not disclosed.

This latest incident brings the total number of human deaths caused by wild animals to 40 this year, with over 55 people injured, according to statistics from the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority as of last month.

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Since 2019, over 370 people have been killed and 453 injured in similar incidents, highlighting the ongoing concern of human-wildlife conflict in the country.

 

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ZPC employees appear in court over US$3.8 million theft charges

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BY STAFF REPORTER

Two senior employees of the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) in Hwange, have been charged with the theft of company property valued at US$3 896 000.

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Tawanda Mhaka and Ruth Chiyani were arraigned in court following an extensive investigation into the alleged theft, which reportedly involved an accomplice, Hardlife Zimwenje, who remains at large.

The allegations stem from an incident that occurred on the 22 and 23 of August last month, during which a truck was captured on CCTV at the ZPC’s Turbine Hall loading stolen goods. The footage revealed that the loaded items included 15 electric motors, 48 tonnes of brass pipes, and a metal container. Notably, the loading occurred without proper documentation, raising immediate red flags for investigators.

Ruth Chiyani, who serves as a Loss Control Assistant, is accused of overseeing the illegal loading but failed to provide any invoices to justify the movement of the company’s assets.

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Tawanda Mhaka, acting as the Stores Officer, allegedly instructed a boilermaker to cut an electric motor and a storage container into smaller pieces to facilitate their loading onto the haulage trucks.

The stolen goods were reportedly transported using trucks hired by Zimwenje, further complicating the network of theft. Both Mhaka and Chiyani were arrested last week , following a comprehensive investigation that revealed substantial evidence against them, including CCTV footage and removal authority documents signed by the defendants.

“According to investigators, the evidence against them is substantial, including CCTV footage and removal authority documents signed by the pair. The pair was remanded to the 26th of September.”the National Prosecuting Authority said in a statement.

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