The Sunday News
Mbongeni Msimanga Sunday Leisure Correspondent
BROKEN window-panes, flaking paint, cracked walls pasted with pieces of newspapers, rubbish and decay are an ordinary sight in Makokoba high-density suburb. Although the atmosphere in Makokoba tells a story of age and how repressive the colonial regime was, some of the things said of the suburb such as the most famous one that when bathing you have to bite the soap so that it does not get stolen are fibs and just stereotypes.
And unlike most post-independence suburbs, Makokoba houses still give a picture of what was in the colonial era – a living room and a bedroom, with ablution facilities outside the living quarters – something that suggested that women were not allowed to live in the area.
The suburb is somewhat close to being rundown – with no significant improvement made since independence as successive city administrators go without trying anything to modernise the suburb. Maybe they want people to live with the history.
Amid all the stereotypes that have been associated with the suburb, two young artistes Godfrey Makopa and Black Pharl have taken the initiative to spruce up the houses through graffiti and contemporary art.
Coincidently, the initiative comes at a time when the suburb had been declared a heritage site and plans being mooted to rehabilitate the suburb by the Bulawayo City Council.
“We took the initiative to paint graffiti in the suburb on people’s houses. The major stakeholders of the project are the people who live in the community of Makokoba and so far people love the project,” said Makopa.
Although graffiti has often been associated with street gangs, vandalism and crime, Makopa said people had already embraced the initiative and so far nine houses have been painted.
Makopa said they wanted to beautify the place using graffiti since very little development had taken place.
“Our main aim is to beautify the place and the graffiti we have done is nothing close to radicalism. Not much development has been done in the area, so we took it upon ourselves to paint the houses using graffiti.
“So far nine houses have been painted, and people from Mzilikazi want the same done on their houses,” he said.
The project comes at a time when the arts industry in the country lacks funding from the corporate world, but Makopa said they were bankrolling the project themselves.
With art being a way of life for these young artistes rather than a profession, Makopa said it was a way to prove that people in the community could take development initiatives in their own hands.
“We are using money from our own pockets and also from well-wishers who are our family members. Some of the materials we used to kick-start the project were leftovers from previous projects we did.
“We decided to do a project that was for the people by the people with the little we have not to prove something to anyone but to redefine ourselves as artistes who take our art as a way of life rather than a profession,” said Makopa.
Makopa said they hoped to paint 11 houses as they were receiving more requests from residents.
“Our target is to paint 11 houses with one on each street although there are a lot of requests from residents of the community who want their house painted too. Currently we are about to start painting the ninth house with two more houses to go,” he said.
Historically, Makokoba was the first black African township in Bulawayo. It has been termed the home of arts and culture, with Amakhosi Cultural Centre located just in the vicinity. The suburb was named after the then Native Commissioner a Mr Fallon who used to walk around with the aid of a walking stick with his back bending in an arch position.
The name comes from the word “ukukhokhoba” which in the local Ndebele language means “bending”.
Mr Fallon was referred to as Makhokhoba by the locals – the little old man who walks with a stick.
