ZIMBABWE’S once-thriving stone sculpture industry is under siege — and the warning bells are getting louder. National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) chief executive, Napoleon Nyanhi, has issued a passionate rallying call to sculptors across the country. He is urging them to “break isolation” and embrace collaboration or risk being left behind.
His remarks come as the iconic Tengenenge Arts Community — once the heartbeat of Zimbabwean stone sculpture — continues to crumble. Once a magnet for tourists and international collectors, Tengenenge is now a shadow of its former self. The decline intensified after the death of its founder Tom Blomefield in 2020, leaving a vacuum that has proved difficult to fill.
Some sculptors have abandoned their chisels for gold panning, while others have turned to carving tombstones just to survive — a painful shift for artists once celebrated on the global stage. Even acclaimed sculptor, Dominic Benhura, who was the leading light, has stepped back, leaving operations in the hands of the local community and the National Gallery of Zimbabwe. In a bold and emotional message, he described the current hardships as a temporary setback rather than a permanent collapse.
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“My advice to sculptors facing hardship is to view this moment as a pause and reflection phase in a much longer creative journey,” he said. “Break isolation — it often comes with financial difficulty. “Reach out to your fellow artists; we are seeing a powerful resurgence of collaboration through artist collectives and village workshops where resources, tools, and commissions are being shared.” For many artists, who have been working in silos, the message is clear — adapt or perish. Nyanhi also challenged sculptors to rethink their creative strategies, warning that sticking to old models does not work.
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