MUKUVISI River has been turned into an artists’ paradise.
AS the rains continue to generously quench the country`s thirst, most people have started avoiding wet areas especially those prone to flooding. With the continued rains, most water bodies are saturated and banks bursting and inhabitable.
Mukuvisi river banks, which are a hive of activity in drier times, have refused to bow to the rains as various activities continue in the unfavourable conditions.
Despite the low traffic in the area, one man has defied the weather and remained resolute, going about his business with little concern as he strives to feed his family.
In a classic case of “one man`s meat is another man`s poison”, 49-year-old Petros Ndlovu has literally found a way to turn dust into gold.
Stationed on the banks of the famous Mukuvisi River, he has mastered the art of making life-sized sculptures from unwanted plastic matter.
The Bulawayo raised artist said curiosity led him to discover his peculiar art form a few years back.
“I have been a painter and illustrator for all my life. However, in 2010 we were experimenting with my friends and we discovered that plastic can be used to create life-like sculptures,” he said.
Over the years, the father of three has been honing his craft and now solely survives on selling his work.
“I used to work with Ngozmine Arts Association in Bulawayo, where we used to create various pieces for sale. We were a collective of like-minded artists,” Ndlovu said.
His unique way of recycling has earned him recognition. In 2016 he was honoured by the Environmental Management Agency as one of the green innovators in the country.
Asked on why a fine artist of his nature decided to set base on the unfancied Mukuvisi river banks, Ndlovu offered an interesting explanation.
“When I was looking for a bigger market I decided to come to Harare. However, I needed to find a place where I could draw inspiration from nature hence I settled for Mukuvisi River,” Ndlovu said.
He added that the availability of plastic at his current base, a recycling site, also influenced his decision.
“When I got here I used to come and work here (Mukuvisi river banks), until I met Mrs Edna Tsarwe, who leads the Tisunungureiwo Plastic and Bottles for ecycling cooperative,” he said.
The two struck a partnership which saw Ndlovu getting a shack to stay in at the recycling site which houses most of the cooperative members.
“It has been a year since I started staying here and I would say that business has been on a steady rise. I have since invited my eldest son over to assist me,” Ndlovu said, describing the intricacies of his work process.
Ndlovu said to come up with a lifesized sculpture, about 3 tonnes of plastic is burnt and compacted.
The clay he uses in the shaping of his sculptures is also drawn from Mukuvisi River.
“What happens in the creation process is that we set up frames of clay, modelled on the shape we want to create. When the clay hardens, I then cover it with two layers of burnt plastic to give it texture and astute shape,” he said.
Pieces of recycled steel are used to ensure that the creations maintain their shape and do not collapse.
Ndlovu said on a good day he can sell a piece for $3 500.
“Although business is not coming up as fast as it is supposed to, I have received a sizeable amount of business. I manage to send money to my family and currently I am working on a lifesize sculpture of a prominent prophet,” he said.
However, being stationed along Mukuvisi has not come without its own challenges for the talented artist.
“When it rains it is difficult to work as the collected plastic is wet, emitting an unbearable stench,” he said.
He says when it is raining, prospective clients avoid the area, inhibiting their access to his handiwork.
For a man who creates his artefacts using his hands, Ndlovu bemoans the lack of protective clothing in his work.
Despite the absence enabling equipment in some instances, the lanky artist says the purity of his environs allows him to create anything upon demand.
“I also hope to get students to teach along the way. Art has a way of occupying someone`s mind, leaving little or no room for thoughts to engage in drug abuse,” Ndlovu said.
It seems Mukuvisi is becoming a hub for wily artisans, inspired by the call of nature and the cheap operating costs.
In similar fashion, Danny Kaukeka capitalises on waste tin material found on the banks of the Mukuvisi.
He manufactures toys using old paint tins and opaque beer containers.
“I collect paint tins, open them up and then manipulate them to come up with the required car shape.
I then use plastic containers from Chibuku Super to make the windows for the cars,” he said.
However, due to the popularity of trucks with children and his clients, his niche is in model trucks.
“I learnt the craft from a friend around 2008 but I did not take it seriously then since I had other things to do,” he said.
Tough times crept in and as he tried every trick in the book to earn a living, only to find solace in a skill he had shelved.
“Things got hard and I decided to start making toys from old tins since it did not require much capital,” Kaukeka said.
He said proximity to the waste he uses made him favour Mukuvisi river banks over other areas.
“This place is cheap as we stay in a shack here and I do not have to travel to seek my raw materials. They are delivered here by trucks from the paint companies which works to my advantage,” said Kaukeka.
Apart from the low cost of operation, the family environment among the people in the area also makes it easy for him to work.
“There are a lot of people who work and are involved in different things. We are more like a community of people who create,” he said.
Like his sculptor counterpart, Kaukeka bemoans the rains as they deter customers who make efforts to visit their work area to see their craft.
“If the rains continue we would need a shed to sell our wares somewhere in town because our main selling points are here at the workshop and in Mbare.
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People avoid these places during rains,” said Kaukeka.
They have people who drive to hoard their work for resale.
They may not have discovered alluvial gold along the Mukuvisi stream but in true resemblance to Chiadzwa (the Marange diamond fields), artists from the width and breath of the country converge to ply their trade in its comfort.
Madzibaba Tinashe Mupotarutsva travelled from Mutoko to set up his reed weaving practice along Mukuvisi.
“I was tired of travelling with the baskets and chairs from Mutoko risking them as I used buses to travel,” he said.
Conversations with friends led him to the streambank.
“Someone told me that the reeds I used could be found along Mukuvisi and there are other people who work and stay there. The move offered reduction in transport costs and drew me closer to the market and raw materials,” said Mupotarutsva.
He said he has no immediate intentions to relocate from his current base and they have made makeshift shades to keep the rains at bay.
Makeshift kitchens have been set up in the area to cater for the growing population.
Not to be outdone, some enterprising fellows have reportedly been capitalising on the high water levels in the stream, charging people to cross Mukuvisi River.
For an area that has housed ex-prisoners, to creatives who have found home along the Mukuvisi, one would be forgiven for referring to it as the river of limitless opportunities.