Stone sculpture beckons the connoisseur as Zimbabwe’s tourism returns

Zimbabwe is globally renowned for its stone sculpture art. As the easing of the lockdown restrictions continues with the opening of borders and air travel, there is a palpable feeling that tourists will not only return in huge numbers but most importantly reconnect with the much sought after original art of stone sculpture. Collected by celebrities such as African-American filmmaking legend Danny Glover, the stone sculpture has been practiced since the 1960s. At the forefront of the stone sculpting, genre and movement were master sculptors like Henry Munyaradzi, Nicholas Mukomberanwa, and Joseph Ndandarika among others. And one sector of the economy that Zimbabwe has the confidence of seeing it bouncing back from the effect of Covid 19 is its tourism industry. Leisure tourists mainly from overseas have a strong history of supporting Zimbabwean stone sculpture. The stone sculpture movement is still vibrant in the southern African nation, and travelers are advised to always put Zimbabwe on their bucket list only to view the masterpieces in permanent exhibitions or home studios. There is also roadside stone sculpture gardens and communities engaging in the beautiful and highly collectible stone artworks. The opportunities that Zimbabwe can leverage on such as the internationally acclaimed art of stone sculpture, has the potential to attract tourists and boost the country’s economy heavily plundered by the global lockdown. But which galleries can visitors from outside Zimbabwe diarize on their trip to the southern African country during this festive season of the new normal? Playing a leading and…

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