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Upcycling giants face off in Nama23

Takadiwa said his work was nominated through sector monitors, which is an improvement from all the other Nama editions.

UPCYCLING giant Moffat Takadiwa, who is also director of the Mbare Art Space, said it was an honour to be nominated for the National Arts Merit Awards (Nama) 23rd edition scheduled for March 1.

The artist has been working round the clock to gain global recognition and was for years desperate for a supportive environment.

“I would have appreciated the nomination if it had been received at a time when it was needed most and when it would have made a significant difference to my practice, but these are like flowers that are perhaps too late to be considered. I appreciate the efforts and all the renewed enthusiasm I am seeing in this year’s edition. Zimbabwe is my first community,” Takadiwa said.

Similarly, Chitungwiza Arts Centre chairperson Tendai Gwarazava observed with mixed feelings that this year’s Visual Artists Category did not feature any stone sculptures in the background of many of them gaining extensive recognition on the global market. Despite this “shortcoming,” he said he was happy that the broad scope of visual arts was getting clearer. Giants like Moffat Takadisa, Ishmael Hajee Mposa and Gareth Nyandoro tightly contest the Male Visual Artists category. The Female Visual Artist category has Portia Zvavahera, Shamila Aasha and Sinqobile Shamiso Dube. The Outstanding Up-and-coming Visual Artist Category has Fungai Marima, Kundai Nathan and Nonthando Chiwanga.

Takadiwa said his work was nominated through sector monitors, which is an improvement from all the other Nama editions.

“This makes it an award based on merit, not on applications. I have done several exhibitions with many works which I think could have attracted this attention and the most outstanding is my work Dudu Muduri, being shown at the Venice Biennale in Italy and Zipit,” he said.

The two works highlight the colonial residue and legacies of colonisation, ancestry and cultural erasure. The works bring to the fore the human crime on the environment, land use, and the crime against each other based on greed, superiority and racial injustices, which created classism and divisions.

“As a visual artist, this has never been about competition but about pushing a more important agenda and telling our unique stories. I look forward to more refined Nama awards and in this edition, I also feel a bit relieved that I have stepped down from the NACZ [National Arts Council of Zimbabwe] board and it gives me a moment to reflect and observe and also share my thoughts with the amazing board members of NACZ and their director,” Takadiwa said.

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