Hills echo to clattering and rattling as metal sculptors hammer scrap metal to life-size replicas of wild animals somewhere deep in the woods in Mazowe.
More than 10 artists busy themselves with the strenuous task of giving “life” to the rusty and deformed pieces of metal in an art that has become their sole source of livelihood.
Daily they grapple to meet mounting orders as demand for their pieces continues to rise due to increasing numbers of tourists that appreciate this relatively new form of art in the country.
Among the busy artists is a schoolboy from Rusape who has come to spend the holiday with his brother at this site known as “Bird Wood Gallery”.
The excitement of mingling with tourists and the lure of pocketing a few dollars back to school tempt the young boy to try his hand with a hammer and file. That was in 1995 when Odious Makoma, who was 16 years old, fell in love with metal sculpture. Since then Makoma began a steady journey in the art, rising to be one of the best metal sculptors in the country today.
Now based in Willowvale Industrial Site (behind High Glen Shopping Mall), Makoma employs more than 10 young artists that assist him produce exceptional pieces for the local and international market. Trading as Makoma Art, the group of artists has managed to attract buyers from countries like Canada, France, Belgium, United Kingdom, Australia and the United States.
Makoma said the little training that he got as a schoolboy in Mazowe was enough to prepare him for a career that he has pursued since completing secondary education.
“My brother Elton is very experienced in this art and when I went to see him working on his pieces at Bird Wood, I was tempted to emulate him,” said Makoma. “I observed him as he did his work until I asked to be taught the basics of the art. It did not take me much time to become his assistant. I was initially responsible for the primary processes of making the pieces until I mastered the critical areas of the art.”
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Makoma worked at Bird Wood for two years after completing his secondary education before joining hands with his brother and a few other artists to start their own workshop in Southerton, Harare, in 2000. They met a French buyer named Allan Grant who helped them find various overseas markets. As the country’s economic environment got unfavourable in the early 2000s, business took a nosedive for the metal sculptors and Makoma admits they had to temporarily turn to other sources of income to complement their meagre earnings from art.
Makoma parted ways with his brother in 2003 to pursue a solo metal sculpting career that has now grown to Makoma Art.
However, the brothers still work together closely in various assignments. Makoma makes replicas of birds of various species that include herons, guinea fowl, African hoopoes and swallows. He has also done life-size pieces of animals like giraffes, zebras, rhinos and elephants.
Makoma said he aimed to make a breakthrough into more international markets and encouraged locals to begin appreciating and supporting different creative talent in the country.
