By Dr Tony Monda

STONE sculptor, John Takawira’s art stands as a record of the ways of the Shona.
His sculptures were created vehicles for both personal and national expression.
He is one notable figure in the history of Zimbabwean stone sculpture.
His subjects were drawn mainly from traditional folklore and the legendary characteristics attached to many animals and birds in Shona lore.
His work provided important inspiration for his peers, and the second generation of Zimbabwean sculptors working in stone.
Born in 1938, at Marshall, (Hartley) Chegutu in the Mashonaland West Province, John Takawira was the son of an ex-policeman.
His mother was an exceptional woman who combined pottery, story-telling and subsistence farming with raising a family.
Amai Takawira had a profound influence on the family of three brothers; John, Bernard and Lazarus, who all became accomplished world famous sculptors.
She singlehandedly raised the family in the Nyatate Village, north of Nyanga.
Lazarus Takawira is the last surviving sibling of the Takawira brothers sculpture legacy.
Takawira completed his basic education at Mellory Mission School.
On leaving school he was taught to sculpt by his uncle, Joram Mariga in the 1960s. In 1962, when he was 24 years old, Takawira’s work was first shown in a group exhibition at the National Gallery of Rhodesia (Zimbabwe).
Although this earned him his first critical acknowledgment, it was not until three years later that he was singled out by Frank McEwen, the first director of the National Gallery, and became involved in the National Gallery Workshop School.
Between 1969 and 1976 he worked with a group of artists at the Vukutu Sculpture Community in open bush land in the Nyanga Mountains which was informally linked to the National Gallery.
Situated close to a stone quarry, Vukutu provided a creative haven for Takawira and his peers.
These included Paul Gwichiri, Sylvester Mubayi, Joram Mariga, Chrispen Chakanyuka and Bernard Manyandure.
At the age of 32, his work was represented in the 13th Annual Exhibition, held at the National Gallery.
His work had been shown at an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art MoMa in 1969 in New York: ‘New African Talent’.
The exhibition toured many American cities, with a high level of interest shown in the art and culture of Africa, and his work was celebrated in an exhibition at the Musee d’Arte Modern in Paris, in 1972.
In the late 1970s he introduced surfaces with a rough texture in his sculpture, an approach which won him the First Prize in the National Gallery of Zimbabwe’s 1981 Nedlaw Exhibition.
The authority and influence of Amai Takawira, his mother, in his work is evidenced in the theme of matriarchy and the celebration of ‘womanhood’ in his work.
The facial features in some of ‘Woman of the Tribe’ (©1986), and ‘Proud Woman’ (© 1987) bore an uncanny resemblance to his mother.
Takawira’s contemporary interpretation of mature women in regal upright positions with elaborate hairstyles incorporated the same sensibilities.
His portrayal of women as intellectual, spiritual and practical leaders of the community is best seen in his sculptures entitled, ‘Shona Queen’ and ‘Wise Woman’.
Takawira was a natural storyteller.
A fellow sculptor, Paul Gwichiri, comments: “He could sculpt the same subject four times and yet each piece would have a different story to tell.”
This was evident in the artist’s numerous renditions of the ‘Chapungu’ (Eagle) in which he used the subject as vehicle for the expression of a variety of statements.
He is an artist who searched for universal truths in Shona life and mythology.
A recurrence of his more ‘rugged’ style always coincided with personal grief or a crisis in his life.
This was especially notable in his artwork ‘Spirit of the Sculptor’ which he produced after serving an 18-month jail sentence with other political detainees in a prison camp.
The work was in protest of his untried arrest at the beginning of the Liberation War for Zimbabwe when the artist was imprisoned — literally for the sake of his art — for carrying stones to sculpt.
During the days of the war of liberation which were marked by urban industrial strikes and suburban riots, the artist was apprehended for ferrying stone from Nyanga to Highfield (Harare), where he lived and worked.
This was perceived by the authorities as “possessing dangerous weapons with intent to carry out subversive activities” under the Emergency Powers Act and the Law and Order Maintenance Act issued in July 1960, by the Whitehead Government and the Material Law Act of the UDI Rhodesian regime in 1965.
The years that followed his
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discharge from prison were no less untroubled. Despite the artist’s international exposure, the Rhodesian authorities of the time, viewed sculpture communities as ‘potentially subversive’ groups.
In their eyes, works of art were seen as a means of passing encoded messages to the liberation fighters, which in reality some artists today confess to be true.
For John Takawira, the politically unstable decade of the 1970s inspired a change in style and subject matter.
Symbols of death and spiritual escape became dominant in his work.
Graphic and haggard images of eagles, owls and skeletons appeared.
These can be seen as both symbols of Shona mythology as well as a reaction to social instability.
This was also a time when the formally buoyant art market was disrupted by the decrease in the number of overseas art patrons and tourists.
The number of visitors to the country fell from over 500 000 in 1972, to less than 64 000 in 1978
John Takawira was diagnosed as having diabetes in 1987 and during his last years his work became more introspective and his style unpredictable.
A typical example of his last period is ‘Old John in his Blanket’ © (1986).
Here, the style is restrained and form-free.
‘Old John in his Blanket’ is perhaps an expression of the artist’s physical state at the time before his passing.
There are still many other appreciations of John Takawira’s works to be made.
Says a long time art connoisseur, collector, author, renowned Zimbabwean state functions designer, and family friend to the Takawira’s – Dr. Michelina Andreucci, “John Takawira’s art is historically, culturally and socially relevant, to the nation …his mannerist rugged style expresses distinct Shona gesture and eloquence.”
She further comments: “John was a very special person with tremendous command of his medium.
“He almost made the stone talk.
“Even after 100 years, his works will still tell a tale.”
John Takawira died in November 1989, but his works remain with us.
He left a rich legacy for future generations to view with pride.
Many of his sculptures will always be appreciated at Vukutu Gallery, Springstone Art Gallery and Foundation in Avondale, Chapungu Sculpture Park and a few at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe.
It is sad to note that it has taken us over two decades to honour this notable Zimbabwean icon.
Art Consultant, Artist and lecturer Dr Tony Monda holds a PhD. in Art Theory and Philosophy and a DBA (Doctorate of Business Administration) in Post-Colonial Heritage Studies. He is a writer, art critic, practicing artist and Corporate Image Consultant.