RECURRENT strains in the inclusive government have spilled to the arts sector amid revelations that a sculpture celebrating the tri-party coalition was on Tuesday struck off an exhibition at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe on political grounds.

The piece titled Hope of Resolutions, which was done by Eddie Masaya shows a man raising his hands with a fist on one side and an open palm on the other, which are Zanu PF and MDC symbols respectively, connotatively celebrating the parties’ alliance.

Zanu PF and the two MDC formations formed a unity government in February last year after years of political rivalry.
But the coalition continues to be weighed down by disputes that keep cropping up, the latest being the disagreements over jingles being played on national radio and television proclaiming President Robert Mugabe as the supreme leader. 

The problems seem to have spilled to fine arts with the harassment of Masaya and the National Gallery staff.
Unidentified men suspected to be state security agents visited the gallery on Tuesday and questioned officials over the piece before ordering its removal from the showcase.

The sculpture had been “standing” by the gallery’s entrance for the past three weeks as part of the Live and Direct exhibition which ended yesterday.
Sources say panic reigned at the gallery on Tuesday afternoon when the men descended on the arts auditorium and sought audience with gallery acting director, Tapfuma Gutsa, before interrogating Masaya.

The men are said to have demanded to be enlightened on the meaning of the piece and how it was chosen to be part of the exhibition.
A gallery official confirmed that the piece had been withdrawn from the exhibition but could not disclose details surrounding the incident.
“The piece is no longer on exhibition but I am not at liberty to comment on circumstances surrounding its removal.
“It is best that you keep away from this issue.”

Even the maker of the piece, Masaya, was not comfortable talking about the issue saying he was not qualified to comment on such “high profile” issues.
Pressed further, the artist admitted that he had been called to the gallery and met men that said they had been sent from a “high office” to demand an explanation on the sculpture.

“They asked me the meaning of the piece and I told them,” said Masaya.
“The piece is about unity in our current government and that is what I plainly told them.

“I do not know what happened later because I was not at the gallery when the piece was taken off the showcase.”
It is the first time for the 50-year-old sculptor to be involved in “political controversy”.

The artist has a lucrative sculpture profile that has seen him exhibiting and selling pieces internationally for more than two decades.

BY GODWIN MUZARI

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