Ziphi’Nkomo?
Catching feelings off a concrete bull.
By Nyadzombe Nyampenza
Owning cattle is an authentic African ideal. They are a symbol of wealth and prestige. Sculptor Johnson Zuze affirms the common sentiment with an intriguing metaphorical equivalent for a prized bull.
Zuzes’ piece is a cow head made from a concrete block. The minimalist sculpture looks like a found object. To see the transformation the viewer has to take a step back. A red tag is plugged through the beast’s ear to mark it as special. Most people would associate Zuzes’ subject with kumusha. In the country, cattle are reared to provide milk, meat, hide, and manure. They are also used for dragging plows, and for transportation.
Folk in the rural areas maintain herds of cattle as a store of value, and a form of social security. Zimbabweans use cattle for lobola, and as restitution. Because of its affinity with the people, Zuze elevates the bovine and its traits to near totemic status.
[ The Prize Bull — Johnson Zuze was at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Harare in the PPC Imaginarium exhibition 2019.]
