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The Gecko
Now and again, a
wind of change will blow through a nation and with it will come
change, a change which many will hope brings good tidings.
This change, if
it be so drastic or forceful whether realistic, abstract or
otherwise may be termed to be a revolution.
In Art,
revolution is not a strange word, for it is to it that the present
state of artistry is owed.
There is no doubt
that art is one long historic revolution, presented at variance by
the many artists who have helped shape its course.
It is in this
contest that the recently launched Kachere Art Village and Studio
must be seen - an artist revolution in Zambia.
The Gecko was
privileged to observe the momentum leading up to the launch and the
actual launch of the Kachere and to the Gecko, the people who made
it happen must have had the vision and the insight of the old
masters.
There is
everything new in what Kachere is trying to do because in this
vision will be born a new direction for art to take in Zambia.
Kachere takes its
strength from the very root of Africanism - a tree.
Trees have always
played an important role, because they are symbolic of many things,
though their grounding is strength.
For example the
cedar tree of Lebanon signifies stately beauty, while the Cypress
symbolizes death because once cut it never springs up again.
But for the
Kachere this tree, wherever it stood, there was always life around
it.
Under it, men and
women worked their crafts to perfection, while guiding young boys
and girls on the road to adulthood.
Visitors too were
welcomed under the sprawling welcoming branches that provided the
warmth of which strangers were treated to.
In essence,
Kachere studio will stand for this, to embrace all the artists and
offer them what the inscription on the statue of liberty stands for:
“Give me your
tired, you huddled masses yearning to breath free, the wretched
refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless,
tempest-tossed to me; I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
Kachere is open
to all artists and is a project that will grow big and strong like
the tree itself, with a little help and understanding from art
enthusiasts.
It will be a
meeting place for artists, a learning ground for children who will
be exposed to art during field trips to the studio. The studio will
be open to everyone who has a care for art. It will also work
towards interesting Zambians in the arts. There is generally a lack
of interest in the arts in Zambia. For some, they perceive art as a
past time for the rich and educated. These are some of the notions
that Kachere studio will try to change.
Kachere is a
revolution that aims to change the way the majority of Zambians
perceive art by creating new dimensions and opening doors, for
people to look at art, afresh.
It is also a
revolution that will change the thinking among artists themselves.
The Gecko has
observed that artists in Zambia are too much into themselves. There
is besides the petty jealousy, a reluctance to work with others.
Abroad, the
artists think differently. They are more together and work as a team
and family.
This is what
Kachere wants to bring to Zambia, a revolution that will change this
introvert attitude and make the Zambian artists an extrovert.
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December
2006