Jason Ziyaphapha Moyo High School is using art, sculpture, carving, pottery and other practical activities to teach learners about Zimbabwean culture and heritage.
The school showcased a range of artworks at the Tshitaudze Heritage Festival on Saturday, depicting aspects of traditional life and activities practised by communities across Zimbabwe.
Speaking at the festival, teacher Clarah Moyo said the school had been invited because Chief Tshitaudze is a former pupil.
She said while the school’s artworks mainly represented Ndebele culture, some of the activities and artefacts reflected traditions shared by different communities in Zimbabwe.
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“Our artworks are not only representing Venda culture. The Ndebele culture is also represented too. Yes, we do have Venda artworks but there are not as many as there are here. The main culture that we are representing through our work is Ndebele culture, but some of the activities shown through the artefacts are common across different cultures in Zimbabwe,” she said.
Moyo said the artefacts were intended to demonstrate activities that form part of Zimbabwean life and culture.
“Our artefacts represent the activities that are done by all cultures in Zimbabwe. We’ve got metal sculptors, we’ve got people who do sculptures at school. We also do carving. We do paintings. These are activities that are not limited to one particular culture because people from different communities practise them in their daily lives,” Moyo said.
Some of the sculptures depicted traditional village life and how people interacted within their communities.
“If you look at some of our artwork, they come from our village life set-up in Zimbabwe. They show the way people lived in the villages, where people may be in the evenings and those who even sit down around the fire. It’s an activity that is done by all cultures throughout. We are showing activities that can be found in different communities, because our intention is to show the richness and diversity of Zimbabwean culture,” Moyo added.
She also highlighted basketry as another traditional skill represented in the school’s work.
“We’ve got basketry artwork which is an artwork that can be found in almost all cultures. Basketry is part of our traditional skills, and through teaching learners these skills, they are able to understand and appreciate the work that was done by previous generations,” Moyo said.
The school’s drawings also focus on agricultural activities and everyday life in rural communities.
“The drawings and things that we do show different activities. We brought our drawings, actually, showing agricultural activities. It is showing people cooking outside their huts, with some coming from farming. These are activities that form part of everyday life in many Zimbabwean communities,” she said.
Moyo said animals also featured prominently in the learners’ cultural artwork, with some carrying symbolic meanings.
“Our animals, they are part of the culture. The other significance is the crocodiles, portraying power and masculinity. The elephants portray power. The lions there also form part of the different animals that are important in our culture. Through these animals, the learners are also able to understand the meanings and significance attached to them,” she said.
She said involving learners in cultural drawings and practical activities was intended to help them understand their history and heritage and pass the knowledge on to future generations.
“By actually making them do these drawings, they gain knowledge about their history and their heritage, to pass on to the next generation. We teach them carving, we teach them pottery, we teach them all these activities. Even when they are schooling, they are learning these practical skills. So, that knowledge and their heritage can continue to be passed on,” Moyo said.
Moyo said exposure to art could also help learners view it not only as part of their education but as a practical skill that could create opportunities for them in the future.
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