Zimbabwean Sculpture : A Brief History

Scupture has always been a huge core of Zimbabwean art and history. The small country situated between the Zambezi and the Limpopo owes it’s name to the great house of stone , The Great Zimbabwe Ruins which is a large monument built entirely of stone.

The name contains dzimba, the Shona term for houses and mabwe the Shona term for stones. The etymology of the name is derived from Dzimba-dza-mabwe, translated from the Karanga dialect of Shona as ‘a large houses of stone.

Great Zimbabwe’s most famous works of art are the carved soapstone birds that were found in its ruins. Stone carving therefore runs in Zimbabwean blood.

Carvings, in a variety of different stones, are made people of Zimbabwe. It is now widely recognised as one of the most significant art movements in the country.

The majority of stones used in Zimbabwean sculpture are locally sourced and belong to the geological family of Serpentine. 

Zimbabwean art sculptors talk about the way in which they free a shape from within the stone and the influence of the tribal spirits on their work. They believe that each work of art finds its way to a predestined owner and that in some way makes the owner part of an extended global family.

The sculptures are wonderfully expressive, many of them portray a human message in a figurative or abstract manner and some of them convey emotional values such as family or the maternal bond.

The “Ukama” sculptures are very popular and these are renditions of the family group- couples, dancers, loving families. They symbolise the family bond that is so important to the Shona people. In pieces representing a mother and child the bodies and arms are joined to emphasise the strength and longevity of these relationships.

Ukama sculptures are intended to evoke feelings of harmony and peace that earn the blessings of our ancestors and remind us of our global family