A call for unity.
A sculpture that heals collective pain.
By Nyadzombe Nyampenza
Horns have traditionally been employed for domestic purposes. They could be used to carry oil. When a horn serves as a container it is called gonan’ombe. Takunda Regis Billiat uses the horn to carry a message of faith and hope.
Billiat’s work is titled Ukama — Spirit of Togetherness. It is made up of seven horns fixed to fabricated steel. A fibrous rope is wound around the steel, creating a texture similar to animal fur. The horns stretch cross the oblong sculpture in resemblance of DNA. Their sharp ends barely avoid goring into each other. They swerve delicately around one another in a ballet of coexistence. The symbolic gesture of togetherness appears dangerously inextricable.
In a popular song Oliver Mtukudzi sings ‘‘…haritonge matare gonan’ombe.’’ It means, a horn cannot solve disputes. The lyric dissuades people from using the horn to fight each other. Takunda uses the horn to reconcile people.
