ART and cinema converged in a compelling cultural showcase in Harare this week as diplomats, artists and film lovers gathered at Alliance Française de Harare for a special Francophone Week programme featuring a powerful anti-war film screening and a thought-provoking art exhibition.
The event, held on Monday, combined the screening of the Serbian film The Erl-King — also known as Bauk — with a visual art exhibition titled Three Perspectives by Zimbabwe-based Greek artist Nikolaos Petras.
Petras’ exhibition reflects more than two decades of artistic exploration. An architect by profession, the artist presents a collection of more than fifteen works created through experimentation with different mediums, styles and subject matter as he searches for his distinctive visual language.
The pieces range from a conventional pencil portraiture that borders on realism to surrealist dreamscapes rendered on canvas.
One of the standout works, From Cape to Cairo, touches on several themes, including the mystique of the Egyptian pyramids, symbolism associated with UFO activity and inspiration drawn from Hollywood portrayals of Cleopatra — famously played by Elizabeth Taylor.
Another striking painting explores themes of exploitation through the image of a chimpanzee sliding down the edge of a giant pyramid while clutching a satellite.
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The piece references the real story of Ham the Astrochimp, a chimpanzee captured in a rainforest in Cameroon and trained for spaceflight.
Ham was launched into space in 1961 as part of Mercury‑Redstone 2 mission under the National Aeronautics and Space Administration programme. The chimpanzee returned safely to Earth and later lived at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, DC, before being transferred to the North Carolina Zoo, where he eventually died in captivity.
Speaking during the unveiling of Three Perspectives, Greek Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Anna Farrou, highlighted the unifying and transformative role of art.
“It fits our soul,” she said. “It is a shared human experience that transcends words. It gives us language for our feelings and connects us to others in ways that nothing else can.”
The evening also featured the screening of The Erl-King, one of six films being showcased during Francophone Week until March 18, with entries from seven countries including Switzerland, Canada and Belgium.
Directed by Goran Radovanović and released two years ago, the one-hour-37-minute drama follows Maria, played by Sara Klimoska, and her young son Sava, portrayed by Jakša Prpić, as they struggle to survive in war-torn Belgrade during the Nato bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999.
As the city comes under relentless bombardment, Maria and eight-year-old Sava navigate fear, separation and uncertainty while the boy’s father remains abroad in the Americas, communicating only through a crackling answering machine.
The trauma of war soon reshapes the child’s world. In one harrowing scene, Sava becomes separated from his mother after an argument and runs after a bus, only for a bomb to explode nearby.
Set against the backdrop of the Kosovo War (February 1998–June 1999), the film offers a haunting reflection on the devastating human cost of conflict, particularly on children. Serbian ambassador to Zimbabwe Radiša Grujić said the film’s artistic quality and message make it a powerful viewing experience.
“The artistic value of the film’s composition, production, actors’ performances, the music and the atmosphere will certainly refresh the minds of all who will watch it,” he said.
“Our children and future generations are the greatest treasure that we have. Whatever we do or intend to undertake, we must first reflect on how it would affect them.”
Members of the diplomatic community, artists and cultural practitioners attended the evening.