Maseko: Exposing the crime of crimes

As a visual artist his work is immediately accessible to the restless povo. It speaks a universal language. It is therefore unsurprising that the response of the authorities in cracking down on it has been so heavy-handed.

In a discussion on Gukurahundi, Professor Gregory Stanton, Chairperson of Genocide Watch, said: Genocide is the crime of crimes. It is the worst of all crimes against humanity. He went on to say, Denial is the final stage of genocide. And that is what Maseko has been up against denial, not only by the coalition government but by his fellow artists. Why? There may be a number of reasons but fear prevails, fear that lingers in the streets of Bulawayo like the stench of putrid urine.

(Pictured: Maseko’s banned art)

I qualified Masekos courage with recklessness because he actually is answerable to some of the charges against him, thanks to the Zanu-friendly legal system. Among others, he is charged with violating section 33 of the Criminal Law and Codification Act, which punishes anyone who Insults or undermines the authority of the President.

We all know that the rule of law is selectively applied in Zimbabwe. People who dont fit in with Zanus patriotic ideology, like Roy Bennett, Jenni Williams, and Jestina Mukoko are all familiar with the insides of our unspeakable prisons. On the other hand, not a single perpetrator of the 2008 atrocities against MDC supporters has been brought to book. Not a single killing in the newly discovered diamond fields has been investigated. What hope is there of those who presided over the butchery that took place in Matabeleland and Midlands 30 years ago, of ever coming before an impartial court of law?

Masekos exhibition is made up of installations, cartoons, and graffiti. One installation depicts the 1987 peace deal, which led to the so-called Unity Accord, and which totally emasculated the founder of Zimbabwes Liberation Movement, Joshua Nkomo. It depicts Nkomo slumped over a table with blood pouring out of his back; next to him, ramrod straight, stands Mugabe, and behind the dictator, shadowy figures in dark glasses the ubiquitous CIO. The cartoons are no less angry.

There is one of eight singing faces with agonized expressions, and the words: They made us sing their songs while they tortured and killed our brothers and sisters. The walls of the gallery are painted red, with chalk left around for people to respond to the exhibition. Among the graffiti, Emmerson Mnangagwass infamous parody of the scriptures stands out: Blessed are they who will follow the path of the government laws, for their days on earth shall be increased. But woe unto those who will choose the path of collaboration with dissidents for we will certainly shorten their stay on earth.

Maseko is a brilliant visual artist whose work is immediately accessible to all Zimbabweans. His exhibition, courageously supported by the curator, Voti Thebe, was arranged so that people in the street, people he affectionately depicts in his paintings, could see some of the displays without having to go into the gallery.

That is why, when the exhibition was banned, the police papered the windows over with copies of the governments mouthpiece in Bulawayo, the Chronicle. One of the reasons the Board of Censors gave for banning Owen Masekos exhibition was that it portrays the Gukurahundi era as a tribal based event. Well, wasnt it?