Bulawayo-based visual artist, Owen Maseko, has been ordered to remove his exhibition depicting the 1980s Matabeleland Gukurahundi genocide.
The exhibition only showcased for about 48 hours in March 2010 at the National Gallery in Bulawayo before it was stopped by police.
Maseko was arrested and charged with undermining the authority of, or insulting the president and causing offence to persons of a particular race or religion. The then acting director of the gallery, Vote Thebe, was arrested together with Maseko, but later freed.
The case was subsequently referred to the Supreme Court in 2013. Since 2010 the whole ground floor exhibition space at the gallery where the exhibition was mounted was cordoned off as some of the images, pictures and graffiti were painted directly on walls.
The exhibition was the first of its kind in the country that depicted the massacre of over 20 000 civilians including pregnant women and children in Matabeleland and Midlands by the 5 Brigade.
In an interview with Radio Dialogue, Maseko confirmed he had received communication from the authorities to take down his controversial exhibition.
“The government has finally issued an order to take the exhibition away from the gallery,” he said.
“We had a few challenges because the censorship board had written a contradictory letter to what they originally said about banning of the exhibition.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
“So it seems the exhibition was only banned to be exhibited at the gallery, not what their letter says that it cannot be exhibited anywhere else in the country after I have taken it out of the gallery.”
He added that he was allowed to take the exhibition to a private space or gallery. – Radio Dialogue
