Imagine a world without music to comfort, uplift, inspire and give you hope! A world without drama, film, paintings or sculptures to extend your imagination! No poetry to ask the difficult questions! No literature and no craft!
As the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, there is need to spare a thought for the artists. The creative minds behind the art that we enjoy every day. They rely on crowds but with the lockdown restrictions, they cannot pull the crowds at least for now. They showcase and sell their artefacts and paintings in and around tourist areas, but they cannot do it now.
Rudo Tuhwe (25) from Zimbabwe bemoans the impact of COVID-19 on young artists especially as the enforced lockdowns have seen closure of cultural spaces.
Counting the missed opportunities, Rudo, a final year medical student at the University of Zimbabwe and avid visual artist said she had planned to exhibit her artworks at local galleries but it has not been possible due to the lockdown. Despite pursuing the medical profession that may seem lucrative to many across the world, Rudo believes that while art is her passion, it will also supplement her income considering the meagre salaries paid to doctors in Zimbabwe. Health workers in the country are often on strike demanding better wages and end up doing extra jobs to complement their income.
The hopelessness brought about by the lockdowns at first actually drew back my creativity. The UNESCO ResiliArt Illustration contest however opened my eyes and I started thinking of creating an online platform to start exhibiting my artwork.
Rudo was among 200 talented young and emerging illustrators who took part in the ResiliArt Illustration contest conducted by the UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa and the Blazer magazine. Entrants submitted traditional illustrations (pencil, charcoal, pen, ink, etc.) and modern illustration (digital art, vector graphics etc.), with narratives that demonstrated the power of art and creativity in the face of challenges posed by COVID-19.
Rudo’s winning entrant, “Dia-login” was inspired by how the pandemic has erected “what feels like walls of oceans between loved ones”. Using fabric dye, manila, white tape and coloured pencils, Rudo created and integrated a canvas, reflective of the diversity of communication channels that together keep us coupled to our families and friends.
Winning the competition helped me build confidence in myself as an artist and in my work. The competition provided a platform to share my artwork and motivated me to create more
The current health crisis has enormous global ramifications for the creative sector. It has affected the entire creative value chain – creation, production, distribution and access – and considerably weakened the professional, social and economic status of artists and cultural professionals.
UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa in partnership with Blazer Magazine conducted the contest to promote and enhance artistic and creative skills of young people during the time of the COVID-19 crisis. Charmaine Chitate of Blazer Magazine said the ResiliArt Illustration showed that the talent available in the region is stages ahead of national policies, technical infrastructure and training institutions.
The illustration contest was framed within the ResiliArt global movement – a global UNESCO-led initiative to give voice to artists and cultural professionals in the face of the health crisis.