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Angela Sibanda, [email protected]

FORGET about the likes of the late Cont Mhlanga and Raisedon Baya, teachers play a crucial role in shaping the lives of their students and helping them pursue their artistic passions. Many of the artistes we admire today were once students of arts teachers who helped them discover their talents and chart a path to success.

In honour of World Teachers Day, Chronicle Showbiz caught up with four teachers who are also active members of the Bulawayo arts community.

One such teacher is Thabani Moyo, who has been teaching at Eveline High School since 1997. Moyo is known for his Centre for Talent Development (CTD) programme, which has helped high school students across the country better understand and appreciate literature set books. The programme has also produced many talented theatre actors in the city.

Moyo previously taught at St Columba’s High School before joining Eveline High School, where he currently teaches Theatre Arts and Literature in isiNdebele.

In an interview, Moyo expressed his excitement about contributing to the education of so many young people from diverse backgrounds. He sees himself as a mentor to his students, helping them discover their true potential.

“I am proud to have been selected by The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to be one of the new curriculum drafters and syllabus developers. I fought for the inclusion of Visual and Performing Arts in Schools and even contributed in coming up with some teaching materials,” he said.

Over the past two decades, Moyo has positively impacted the lives of countless artistes who passed through his hands in high school and those he met in the industry. Through the CTD programme, Moyo hopes to leave behind a lasting legacy in the arts sector despite facing numerous challenges.

“My greatest challenge as an arts teacher is being understood. As a creative I venture into the informal style of teaching. Most people ask me when do I get into class and my answer to them is always simple, I am always in class out of the four walls of a formal classroom.

“I have found a method that helps me, my team and those I believe in to meet learners from all walks of life and from any corner of Zimbabwe. I hope to leave behind an everlasting mark in the Education Sector and Creative Industry,” said Moyo.

Trevor Mawaka, is a teacher at Charleston Trust Primary School, who has made it his mandate to see the little kids making it to the big stage at a very tender age. Mawaka and the Charleston Trust Primary school made headlines last year as they made a grand entrance into the music industry, doing live performances and making it to both local and regional award nominations.

A professional music teacher, Mawaka has been in the education sector for more than a decade and has taught in Namibia, Nkayi and is currently teaching Visual and Performing Arts.

“I love music and I love working with kids and creating music with kids is amazing. I love it when they share their ideas on how a song should sound, how a play should conclude or how a poem should be worded, it’s lovely.

“Creating works of art and presenting them to the public is the most amazing feeling ever. For me, music and performing arts start in the classroom but they should always end in the market. People should hear and see or watch what we create. So I make sure we push our works into the market”, he said.

Mawaka is also happy to have established musical roots in some of his kids, some of whom have continued to sing after finishing primary school, with one of them preparing to record her debut single at a local studio in Bulawayo.

Teachers who are also art fans, like any other profession, face obstacles that are triggered by both social and professional surroundings.

“Arts and creativity demands space and freedom to create and as teachers sometimes we have deadlines that stifle creative space and time, hence the creative process is affected by the everyday processes of work.

“Also most teachers and administrative authorities of schools want to view arts from the competition angles. They don’t appreciate the fact that arts is about creating and taking your creations to the people. So most schools have choirs that just make music for competitions only and nothing more”, said Mawaka.

Simbarashe Shaka is a teacher who is known in the arts circles for his enthusiasm for books and theatre among other things. He is an active member of the popular Bulawayo Book Club, which was formed last year.

Shaka has taught in several schools including Malole Secondary in Zambia, Loreto High School in Silobela, Sacred Heart High School in Mwenezi and Mwenezi Government High School. He is an English Language and Literature teacher and his currently teaching Bible Studies at Dominican Convent High School.

“I find it exciting to be a part of the process of making a difference in the children by influencing the choices they make in their lives. My present school is a girls only school and being able to contribute to the formation of strong women for the future of this country is a beautiful experience for me.

“I have touched lives of many students, pushing them to aim higher, sometimes providing material support. Today, they are lawyers, teachers and great parents,” he said.