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ZCM receive artworks from gallery

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NATIONAL Gallery of Zimbabwe deputy director and curator, Raphael Chikukwa, last week urged students at the Zimbabwe College of Music (ZCM) to be cultural ambassadors through their works.

NATIONAL Gallery of Zimbabwe deputy director and curator, Raphael Chikukwa, last week urged students at the Zimbabwe College of Music (ZCM) to be cultural ambassadors through their works.

BY WINSTONE ANTONIO

NGZ deputy director and curator, Raphael Chikukwa handing over a portrait to ZCM executive director, Rachel Jera-Chigwanda
NGZ deputy director and curator, Raphael Chikukwa handing over a portrait to ZCM executive director, Rachel Jera-Chigwanda

Chikukwa made the remarks as he bestowed two portraits of female music legends, Dorothy Masuka and Stella Rambisai Chiweshe, to the institution as part of its 60th anniversary commemorations.

He said although in the past art was regarded as a pursuit of people who would have failed in other professions, that perception has since changed.

“Today we have seen a lot of artists, among them Dominic Benhura and Nicholas Mukomberanwa, through the art gallery. Their careers, today, speak volumes and they have flown the Zimbabwe flag high,” he said.

He hailed the college for helping to uphold and preserve the Zimbabwean culture for which the students were ambassadors.

Chikukwa said artists must be celebrated and popularised while they were still alive.

The donated portraits were part of the NGZ’s permanent collection showcased at the Portraits of Prominent Personality of Zimbabwe exhibition.

“This is a new beginning of a relationship which was already there [between NGZ and ZMC], but we had not been able to harness it. It is this collaboration that brings us together as institutions to continue to work together so that we uplift this country’s flag,” he said.

ZCM executive director, Rachel Jera-Chigwanda, hailed the NGZ for the gesture and described it as the first of its kind, adding that the college had an important role to play in the development of the music industry.

“This kind of a gesture is the beginning of a strong relationship with the gallery. As the college we remain committed and focused as pace-setters in offering embracive programs that are intended to satisfy the demands of musicians in Zimbabwe particular and other countries as well as empowering the girl child,” she said.