Govt urged to support art

HARARE-BASED urban cultural and heritage organisation JAHWERX International says government and corporates must support the youths in arts and tourism sectors who are using their talents to earn a living under a difficult environment.

In an interview with NewsDay Life & Style, founder Newton “Chuckie” Nkiwane said they were trying to promote all forms of art, including music, theatre, drama, mini-series, and culinary arts.

“We are a group of local youth with a vision to empower our community through art and township tourism. We want to create entrepreneurs not workers and the society needs to see and appreciate the importance of art and township tourism as well as environmental protection,” he said.

“As JAHWERX International we seek to achieve better standards for the arts industry where artistes are not exploited. Through our crafts, we want to fight the stigma associated with art and music.”

Chuckie said they were working voluntarily because they felt compelled to maintain clean surroundings so that the youths have clear minds.

“JAHWERX was founded on a brotherly principle where we help one another in different forms of art that we create.

“As we go along, we gain skill in many ways and we want to instil that to the next generation through offering guidance and advice concerning the protocols for music,” he said.

“We started off as a team of about 15 guys, but many changed their minds. Our theme is Music and Colour while our motto is Art is Everything, Everything is Art.

“That is why we are versatile as our art ranges from graffiti and murals to engravings, leather works, engineering and leadership skills to boost our ambitions.”