By Caven Masuku
Godwell Mkandhla who has always functioned in his society as the recorder of mores and experience of his society and as the voice and vision in his own time, scooped this year NAMA Award under “two dimensional” category.
Mkandhla is the only visual artists in the Midlands Province who won the “two dimensional” NAMA Merit award out of three contestants. “ I am happy because this is my first time to enter and win NAMA Award which is the first award in my life”, said Mkandhla
Mkandhla told Caven Masuku in an interview that he is dedicating the award to his mentor Tapfumanei Gutsa for the skills and expertise he imparted to him since 2005, at Suprise Centre 20km away from Gweru along Shurugwi road. “ This award can be nothing to me if I fail to mention specially thanks to National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, Midlands Province team”, he added. He also thanked the “Dark House association'” for their immense and unwavering support.
Mkandhla said that visual art is all about feelings and giving a sight of objects around. Visual artists teach people through artistic works like painting to honour their culture . Painting is one medium and means of communications that was used by the Bushman and the Mesopotamia to communicate to the society.
Visual arts as a genre in arts like oral and written literature cultivate good culture to the community. Visual arts through drawings remind people of their past, their learned ways of living, behaviour and attitudes. “Through my paintings i reflect harmony within the community and preserve the culture of my people', said Mkandhla.
He added that Visual art unlike oral and written literal works of arts uses the voice and words to disseminate information related to social, cultural, economic and political issues within the community. Visual art on the other hand is silence and is loaded with meaning that can be determined by the viewers cultural background that sometimes can be different to the intended intention by the artist.
Mkandhla said that his artifacts won him an award because of the expertise and commitment he applied. “ I used Cubism shapes, the mathematical shapes which comes through innate ability and talent to integrate mathematical knowledge with artifacts skills”, he said
In addition, Mkandla encouraged artist in Midlands as well as across the country to remain focused and to be innovative in crafting their artifacts. He promised the people of Midlands another thriller very soon that will be portraying the plight of a guitar man. He said that in this artifacts he expresses the sad life of musicians , especially the life of guitarists who plays melodious rhythm, but at the end dies as a pauper. “ A guitar man plays music for the band owner who eventually becomes opulent yet the guitar despite his talent , gets little money to sustain himself and his family”, said Mkandla.
In some couples of months to come Mkandhla will be working on another piece of visual artifacts called “ A desperate Woman”. In this artifacts, Mkandhla will expose the evil that men cause to women, who after working hard and becoming affluent the husband then divorce the wife for no apparent reasons. Art is a medium that can be used to emancipate and unite people, providing alternative and dissenting views of social reality. Arts is there to educate, entertain, balm and soothe the wounded spirits.
This visual artifacts by Mkandhla will be used to crystallize people's experience and to give them identity. It will also enlightens the social, economic and cultural problems that affects women and challenge those in power to do something about it. It is that type of artifacts that made the man like Mkandhla who embodies crucially element in the society to scoop the NAMA award.
The Midlands current celebrity in visual arts, told Masuku that he has produced twenty pieces of visual artifacts and is looking forward to assist artists in Midlands in visual arts who wish to express their emotions, beliefs and opinion through the works of arts. To Mkandhla art is culture and portrays the durable template life of the people which can be transmitted from one generation to the other.
The National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, acting Provincial Arts Manager, Cathrine Mthombeni said that Mkandhla as a visual artist in Gweru has a modern tendencies and his work has not been exposed. Sivanda said that, “Mkandhla once visited Bulawayo Arts Gallery for assistance in his artifacts but did not get the help he needed at that time”. She promised that for the next four weeks as the new administration in Gweru, they will organise an exhibition to enable the business community to meet with local artist. She said that as a marketing strategy this will promote Gweru artists and enable them to sell their arts products to the local business people.
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