Zim art ‘plundered’

He said once when he had been invited to Germany and he was waiting for a car on the hotel mall, he saw a distinctive piece of art on display in a shop. He went to the shop window to get a closer look.
The sculpture had these distinctive features that he got curious to find out where it was from. He said he discovered the piece was by a Zimbabwean sculptor. On further checking, he discovered that the piece was going for an incredible 30 000 deutsche marks. Yes, that was the price tag.
“That is a lot of money even in euro terms and what if the sculptures here are being bought at the right price?” he queried.
He then recalled that during the economic meltdown in the country, some foreign diplomats would buy Zimbabwean sculptures in bulk at places such as Newlands in Harare. The artistes would be paid a measly US$1 000 for the artefacts which would then be resold at very high prices in Europe.
Masunda was speaking during the provincial launch of the Culture Week in Harare on Monday.
The Culture Week, which was running since last Saturday, will end again on Saturday though some events will extend till the end of the month in some provinces. This year’s theme is “Towards professionalising the arts”.
Culture Week was borne from the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity by UNESCO of 2001 which proclaimed May 21 as the World Day of Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.
The National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ), therefore, each year co-ordinates the week-long commemorative events around this date of each year to mark this day.
According to a statement from the NACZ, these celebrations enable us as Zimbabweans to reflect on our culture and remind ourselves of the need to preserve our rich cultural heritage as part of our intangible heritage.
“The week is also an opportune time to promote the uniqueness of our different cultures. Arts and culture practitioners and consumers alike should come together to celebrate and harness our cultural diversities for economic development.
“A nation’s identity is seen through the identity of its people expressed through their culture which distinguishes it from the rest of other nations.
“It is through our music, dance, praises, food, attire, crafts – indeed our entire way of living as a people that we shape our identity and enjoy our ubuntu/hunhu. Arts are therefore an expression of a people’s culture, being a conscious creation done with tact and pride,” said the statement. 
Culture Week was inaugurated in 2002 after it was discovered that one day, that is, World Day of Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, was too short a period to leave an impact on the people.
In addition, artistes found the one day not adequate to allow them to celebrate and display their works to the public.