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Mbulelo Mpofu, Showbiz Reporter

The National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo (NGZ) will tomorrow partner with the German Embassy to unveil the sculpture of the “Buddy Bear” to consolidate efforts towards the preservation of cultural heritage and the fostering of bilateral relations between Zimbabwe and Germany.

The Buddy Bear, a two-metre tall bear sculpture made of fibreglass is the symbol of the German capital, Berlin hence its other name Berlin Bear..
“The Buddy Bear campaign was initiated over 20 years ago by the Germany Foreign Ministry and made the Buddy Bears known around the globe as ambassadors of a liberal and cosmopolitan Germany. Bear sculptures have been erected in front of more than 100 Germany embassies and ambassador’s residences,” the embassy said in a statement.

National Gallery of Zimbabwe (NGZ) in Bulawayo

“When the two Buddy Bears for Zimbabwe arrived here in 2021, it was decided where the first one was meant to go – to Bulawayo!”
To participate, local artists were invited to propose designs that would mirror the friendly relations between Germany and the host countries.

Having in mind one of the key objectives of the Federal Foreign Office’s cultural relations and education policy – the preservation of cultural heritage worldwide – the Germany Embassy contacted organisers of My Beautiful Home.
In order to contribute to the preservation and greater visibility of the magnificent Ndebele art form of hut painting, the Germany Embassy invited female artists from Matobo to transfer their designs onto the shape of the bear.

“Various women from Matobo were invited to a workshop at the National Gallery early last year to experiment with brush and acrylic paint after which a number of drafts were submitted. The four designs by Lackina Zulu, Portia Ndlovu, Khumbulani Ncube and Kathazile Mlala were selected to decorate the Buddy Bear.
“They assisted artist Talent Kapadza in using the correct forms and colours and the Buddy Bear design started taking shape over the past few months.”

Outlining the main objectives of the event that is in partnership with My Beautiful Home, the Germany Embassy (Harare) said: “The event aims at celebrating the Ndebele culture in a wider context and will, therefore, also feature musical contributions by Nobuntu, Sound of Joy Chorale, and Asante Mo.”

Nobuntu

Bulawayo is known as the cultural hub of the country and having one of the two Buddy Bears for Zimbabwe being unveiled in the City of Kings and Queens makes perfect sense. For a long time, artistic excellence has been the modus operandi of the NGZ in Bulawayo and the unveiling of the Buddy Bear will be one in a list of artistic achievements.
After being showcased in Bulawayo, the Buddy Bear will be taken to Harare to take its place at the Germany Embassy. It will be an ambassador of the female artists of the Matobo region and the cultural diversity of Zimbabwe.

Asante Mo

Besides introducing the Buddy Bear, a range of clay pots will also be showcased at the event as 20 female artists, on the invitation of the Germany Embassy, were invited to the NGZ last month for a creative workshop where they adorned pots with their colourful designs.
The pots will be sold after the showcase with parts of the proceeds set to go to the purchase of more pots for female artists to help create a sustainable venture. – @eMKlass_49