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also had the opportunity to spend Christmas with the
Mucharambeyi family and friends in a rural area Southwest
of Rusape. Compared to all of my life experiences, the
visit with this family and their friends has been the
most satisfying. The way I was accepted into their
culture and lifestyle will forever be remembered as one
which begins to breech racial and cultural barriers that
so often keep people apart and prohibit the 'true kindred
spirit' of humankind. I thank the Mucharambeyi family and
their friends for their openness and kindness that made
me feel a sense of 'brethren' with world humanity. And
through their connection, I offer this photographic
exhibition as a thank you to them and their friends and
as a tribute to Traditional African culture. The photographs combine a documentary portrait style with the utilization of an environmental backdrop to convey the lifestyle in a Traditional African rural setting. The youth and the elderly are interspersed within the coverage to convey the 'generational inheritance' of culture. The 'family unit' is emphasized through various groupings and to convey its prevalence within Traditional African culture. The photographs were exhibited as 'Southwest Of Rusape: The Mucharambeyi Connection' at the Corridor Gallery, United States Information Service (USIS), Harare, Zimbabwe, Africa (grant - United States Government ; and accepted as a part of the USIS Archives Permanent Collection), 1995. Four samples follow: |
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conclusion, the arts are thriving in Zimbabwe, but in an
interesting and polarized manner, with the Black
Zimbabwean artists moving in their own direction, but
under the control and influence of White Zimbabweans; and
the White Zimbabwean artists moving within Western
concepts. What's also interesting, I believe, is the fact
that the Black Zimbabwean sculptors who are generating
the stone sculpture seem to keep their Traditional
African thoughts and concepts ... spiritual, as some
indicated to me ... but others (the younger generation)
can't keep from introducing Western concepts, because of
influence from and competition amongst the White
Zimbabwean artists. And this artist will never forget the
opportunity that he had to participate and project his
own thoughts and concepts. [email protected] http://members.tripod.com/~chamberst/ 2015 South Bentley Avenue #11 Los Angeles, CA 90025 310-914-4551
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