‘Rural arts and culture cornerstone of communities’

AMAGUGU International Heritage Centre in Matobo is conducting a study on the status of arts and culture in rural areas to explore the viability of creating a cultural advocacy for rural communities.

The study seeks to encourage rural communities to look forward and develop not only new sources of wealth, but a new sense of self in line with arts and culture.

In an interview, Director of Amagugu, Pathisa Nyathi said arts and culture can play a key role in community sustainability and are a foundation upon which the future of these rural communities rests.

Nyathi said Amaugugu International Heritage Centre had received some funding from the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy, UNESCO towards the cause.

“We are looking at policy in rural areas the status of arts and culture in rural areas so that when we have the situation and empirical evidence we can suggest from empirical point of view something which is backed by research,” he pointed out.

The cultural enthusiast said the arts centre had already embarked on tours to gather data.

“This is a big project which we have started on and we are concentrating on rural areas. We have visited Matobo District, Umzingwane and completed them. We are now moving on to Beitbridge and we will end with Mangwe,” he noted.

Nyathi emphasised it was crucial to showing emphasis on traditional and show rural dimension because it provided a rural perspective so people could learn.

“If you miss that rural dimension, you will miss the existence of Amagugu and everything we seek to give dignity to,” he highlighted.

The director said Amagugu, as a rural based institution had a big vision to strengthen rural arts and culture but was limited by funds.

“We have plans to expand our centre. We are known beyond just the small confinement of Matobo district, our lists of tourists come from the United States, Czech Republic and England showing we are spreading our wings. We are going to have more festivals and a craft show is on the pipeline.

“We are going for the niche, we don’t want to follow in the footsteps of others, Amagugu wants to be original. There is no alternative to hard thinking, we are probably going to put a structure and call it the thinking space site where people go there just imagine and be innovate.

This space will encourage creative thinking. Let’s come with things original whether they are festivals, it should not be a replication of the same it should be something different,” he said