Zimbabwe’s stone
artists have had
to master logistics
and web marketing
in order to create new
markets following a
dramatic drop in visitor
numbers in 2000 after the
occupation of white-owned
farms by war veterans and
widely reported violence in
the country.
On the plus side, tourists
are returning in their
thousands, with over a
million visitors in 2014,
according to United
Nations World Tourism
Organisation (UNWTO)
estimates.
Zimbabwean tourism
has received a boost
through the award of the
2014 World Best Tourist
Destination title by the
European Union Council
on Tourism and Trade
(ECTT).
The award is in
recognition of the
promotion of eco-tourism
and the successful
convening of the 20th
session of the World
Tourism Organisation
General Assembly
conference in 2013.
The council named
Zimbabwe as the World
Best Tourist Destination
for 2014 and receiver of
the Favourite Cultural
Destination distinction
for 2014, despite economic
challenges facing the
country.
There is, however, little
sign of the tourist revival
in the capital Harare.
The opening of a new
international airport at
the main tourist attraction
of Victoria Falls is seen
to have taken a sizeable
percentage of tourist traffic
away from the capital.
Visitors tend to include
Victoria Falls into a
regional tour, which leaves
little time to explore the
rest of the country.
They spend an average
of three days or less in
Zimbabwe, according to
official statistics.
Ever resourceful, some
artists have taken their art
to the customer rather than
waiting for the customer to
come to them – using the
Internet.
The ready availability
of affordable data in
Zimbabwe has helped
artists like Chenjerai
Chiripanyanga to the
world.
Artists have their own
websites or Facebook pages
which are updated using
smartphones or Internet
cafes.
There are also a number
of galleries that display the
work of the artists on the
Internet.
Africanmastersofstone.
co.uk, for example, states
it is not a “wholesaler of
African sculpture, but
deals directly face to face
with the artists themselves.
“Each sculpture is unique
in its own right, conceived
in the artist’s imagination.
Many of our artists have
exhibited in Canada, the
USA, the Netherlands,
Germany and the United
Kingdom.”
CAPTION
There are weeds growing between the sculptures in the Chapungu
Sculpture Park in Avondale as tourists stay out of the capital, Harare.
