The crescent moon hung high in the starry sky above the Matopos hill village in Zimbabwe , and the only creature fully awake was the Eagle Owl hooting on the thatch roof above Peggy Musuku’s clay brick home.
Masuku lay in bed tossing and turning in a fitful attempt at sleeping. It was 4am in the morning, the hour before daybreak - and just two weeks to the grand competition she had put every fibre of her being into.
‘My Beautiful Home’ is a social art project that seeks to rekindle, inspire and support the ancient art of decorating and beautifying rural homesteads using natural materials, colours and pigments harnessed from the earth. Prizes are practical and useful: shovels, rainwater tanks, three-legged iron pots, day-old chickens, and a hand-crafted hive and beekeeping course for regional winners.
But the competition judging day was nearing, and Peggy needed an outfit if her personal presentation was to match the effort she had put into making her home the creative expression of herself and her heritage that she intended it to be. Just as the frustration became unbearable, a message from Amadlozi, the ancestors, arrived with a clarity she could not deny, “Peggy, go to the forest”.
Mrs. Masuku rose quietly , not waking her husband and children sleeping peacefully beside her on grass mats, and opened the wooden door. She took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh scent of the Mango flowers in bloom. And trudged off into the darkness.
As dawn broke, and the first rays of light started climbing the rugged granite hills protruding from the valleys, Masuku walked alone, eyes to the ground. The object of her attention - seed pods from that grand and hardy shade tree of Africa - the Mopane. And lots of them - necessary to stitch into a regal outfit that will make her the talk of the ward.
“Everyone is an artist” says Masuku, “we just need to learn how to see”.
The actual decoration and painting work extends over two to three months. Commencing every autumn as the final harvest of corn and sorghum is stashed in the rafters of the rondavels, hundreds of women from across the region start mixing natural pigments and colours harvested from the earth, with a watery clay solution that is then applied to the walls of their homes.
The art itself has an innate spontaneity about it, yet with deep ancestral roots that go back thousands of years. Many art historians now assert that the founding visionaries of the cubism art movement, including Picasso, drew heavily on the geometric shapes of African motifs and textures used in everyday rituals across the continent. In the Matopos Hills in southern Zimbabwe, the connection is clear to the eye.
At the village prize giving, the generous singing, cheers and ululating when every single participant collected a prize, reflects a bigger appreciation and sense of purpose that this annual art tradition provides - a living testimony of Ubuntu - ‘I am because we are’.
Perhaps this is the lesson for the world - competition does not have to winners and losers. It is the joy of participation, the collective support, that fosters creativity, dignity and robust communities - even in the face of hardship.
Patience Sarif, a local coordinator, poignantly comments, ‘The art aside, this competition is all about community spirit - each woman inspires and supports the next. You can see it in their daily lives - life is hard, they clean and cook, gather water, plough fields, and yet they still find time to work on beautifying their homes and encouraging one another. It is inspiring to see the joy it creates. It's also really exciting to see how many more young women are involved. Culture is becoming cool again.``
Veronique Attala is the founder and manager of the project, now an official NGO - “It's changed my life” she says. “And to see how happy it makes so many people every year, how can I stop?
The ephemeral nature of the art is allied to the fluctuating seasons, and is perhaps what renders such an enchanting aura to the project. For when the first summer rains arrive in early November, the beautiful motifs and designs, testimony to the hard work, vision, and pride, are soon washed away.
“When that happens I sometimes stand in the rain watching my creation disappear,” says Peggy Masuku forlornly. “But then”, she says with a pause and a smile, “we start dreaming planning about what to do next year”.
For further info visit
www.mybeautifulhomezimbabwe.com
www.jonnycohen.net
