The Sunday News
Rumbidzai Mbewe, Sunday Life Correspondent
Female artists have always complained of unfair and unequal opportunities that they get in the arts industry. In a bid to champion the issue, Tendai Michelle Mufunda, a fine artist established a festival that will create a platform for female artists and crafters to exhibit and sell their wares with the aim to elevate them in male dominated arts sector in the country.
In an interview, Mufunda said as an African female artists operating in a male dominated sector, she has faced many challenges and had to work hard to achieve what she has so far.
She said the Tendai Arts and Culture Festival was therefore her way of giving back to the community and helping other fellow female artists.
“The team behind the Tendai Arts and Culture Exhibition want this festival to be a hub of information dissemination in regards to Zimbabwean culture as artists will be showcasing crafts relevant to Zimbabwean culture and the entertainment will be based on Zimbabwean traditional music and dance,” she said.
The festival will be held on 10 December at the Heath Streak Cricket Academy in Bulawayo. It will run under the theme
“Women empower women”. Besides showcasing of traditional foods, there will be wine tasting.
“ There will be stands showcasing basket weaving, jewellery making, painting , traditional food preparation and other crafts by women from Mthwakazi Arts and Crafts, Jairos Jiri as well as the National Gallery of Zimbabwe,’ she said.
Tendai said the exhibition will not benefit the exhibitors only but it will help attendees of the festival to appreciate Zimbabwe Culture ranging from cultural practices to artefacts native to Zimbabwe.
“We want people to gain exposure as well as get the platform for information on Zimbabwean culture to be disseminated,” she said.
@rumbie_mbewe
