As Zimbabwe kicks off this year’s Culture Month, the newly appointed Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture minister Anselem Sanyatwe faces a mammoth task of revitalising a sector long plagued by neglect. Sanyatwe, who took office a few weeks ago following the departure of his predecessor Kirsty Conventry, has begun his tenure with notable energy and purpose.
A sector in need of revival
Sanyatwe’s appointment comes at a critical juncture for Zimbabwe’s arts and culture landscape. Once a vibrant hub of creativity, the sector has suffered from years of institutional indifference, policy shortcomings and economic constraints. The appointment of his predecessor Coventry in 2018 was met with celebration although she would soon attract criticism following her handling of the portfolio. It is important to note that the appointment of Coventry, a celebrated Olympian, brought international prestige to the ministry, but she would soon face scrutiny from the court of public opinion over her prioritisation of sports over arts and culture.
Sanyatwe has, however, indicated a shift in focus and his recent proactiveness — including a tour of various stadiums including the National Sports Stadium, where he held contractors accountable and a visit to the injured golfers following the road traffic accident that claimed the life of Morton Kombayi demonstrates his hands on approach and reflects the spirit of ubuntu, which is central to the Zimbabwean culture.
Launching the Culture Month with purpose
In a recent media interview announcing the launch of national culture month, Sanyatwe implored Zimbabweans to take pride in their culture which shapes their identity.
“Culture is the soul of our identity. It is the thread that weaves together our past, present and future. This month, we honour the artists, storytellers, musicians, dancers and custodians of heritage who keep our traditions alive and inspire new expressions of who we are as Africans and Zimbabweans in particular”, he stated.
Sanyatwe also acknowledged that this year’s theme Celebrating Indigenous Voices sought to recognise, honour and promote the linguistic diversity and cultural heritage of indigenous communities as well as to promote self-expression through different forms of art.
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Systemic challenges and the dusty road ahead
As I have indicated above, Zimbabwe’s once vibrant cultural landscape has suffered decades of institutional neglect, reduced to a mere shadow of its former glory owing to political indifferrences,policy failures and economic challenges affecting a sector which I believe has great potential to drive tourism, national identity and create employment opportunities for the creative sector.
As he settles in his new role, the minister will need to equally prioritise the arts and culture to avoid the mistakes of his predecessor who many feel may have neglected arts and culture whilst prioritising sports and recreation, in particular olympics.
Sanyatwe will firstly need to look into the operations of the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) and allocate essential resources needed to make the organisation a vibrant institution which will restore some sanity to the Arts and Culture sector.
Still on NACZ, it is important to acknowledge my good brother and arts and culture champion Napoleon Nyanhi, whose sterling leadership role and energy has been one I admire over the years and more so, since he assumed the role exactly a year ago.
I am glad that he has used and is using his broadcasting and media experience to consult and engage stakeholders within the arts sector which is an inclusive and much needed leadership approach to take the sector forward.
Regarding the handling of the National Arts Merit Awards by NACZ, there is huge improvement which again must be applauded although they are a lot of grey areas, which still needs to be attended to.
Back to the new minister, it is my hope that he will also look into the revival of our abandoned and collapsed cultural infrastructure with the National Arts Gallery, the Harare International Festival of Arts, once Africa’s premier arts festival, which collapsed in 2019 owing to funding constraints as one his top priority areas.
The Zimbabwe Music Awards, which were last held in 2018 owing to funding constraints are desperately crying and yearning for a Lazarus moment.
Regarding Cultural Heritage Emergency, the minister may need to prioritise the Great Zimbabwe Monuments which lost Unesco status due to neglect with the Khami Ruins witnessing a massive drop of visitors from approximately 60 000 visitors annually to less than 5000 the last time I checked.
Lined up activities
The launch of the Culture Month is set to be presided over by his Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa at the homestead of Chief Tshovani in Masvingo province — one of Zimbabwe’s symbolic cultural regions.
According to a recent Cabinet briefing statement, the Culture Month’s objectives are to “celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Zimbabwe, promote cultural diversity, and foster national unity, to showcase cultural practices through various forms that include dance, food, attire, visual arts, literary arts, film, television and promote intellectual dialogue for cross cultural understanding and exchange.”
Week one will focus on reviving and sharing historical recipes and cooking techniques while week two will take a spotlight on Indigenous Fashion Week.
Week three will witness the official launch of culture month, marking a peak of festivities with traditional performance and keynote speeches.
Week four will focus on Indigenous languages and cultural dialogue.
The Culture Month coincides with the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development whose commemorations are marked by UNESCO on May 21 each year.
While the road ahead is long, with focused leadership and collective efforts, Zimbabwe’s cultural sector can reclaim its rightful place as a beacon of African heritage.
- Fungayi Antony Sox is a brand consultant, literary arts champion, communications and publishing specialist from Harare. For feedback email him on [email protected] or contact him on +263 776 030 949.
