Zimbabwe

Dominic Benhura wins arts personality of the year award

By Martin Chemhere, Harare

_{World acclaimed and leading contemporary Zimbabwean stone sculptor, Dominic Benhura, has won the 2006 Tourism Arts Personality of the Year in yet another milestone in the recognition and development of cultural tourism in Zimbabwe .}

_{Organized by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA), the award was announced on Friday 9 March in Harare and was among a series of other awards given to individuals and corporate entities that have made significant contribution to the development of tourism in Zimbabwe . Other categories included best car hire, best airline, outstanding tourism and hospitality training institutions, best air house training programme, best travel agent, best media publisher, tourism personality of the year and arts personality of the year.}

_{It is important to note that in Zimbabwe (and perhaps many other African countries) cultural tourism is the major determining factor in what tourism is all about in the individual country. Yet overseeing its nurturing, development and international devolution has been left to artists who work entirely on their own only for the authorities to pitch up and bestore honours on them.}

_{This has been the case with Dominic Benhura, a sculptor who has continued to contribute significantly to the greater recognition of cultural tourism in Zimbabwe, a country where the international visitor number has waned drastically, although recent press reports indicated the numbers are on the up.}

_{Benhura, a soft spoken visual artist, known for his gigantic and original sculptures grabbed the accolade after yet another year full of achievements at home and abroad where he has carried the Zimbabwean flag in true fashion of a firm cultural ambassador.}

_{The Tourism Arts Personality of the year is bestowed upon individuals for their contribution to tourism development through arts (visual and performing), culture, sport or any other work that creates destination awareness, positive image of the country as a tourist destination as well as visibility. Year 2006 saw Dominic Benhura travel yet again to international and regional destinations, either promoting stones sculpture or giving lectures on the artform that has made Zimbabwe known in the best art markets of the world such as US, Canada , UK and Germany .}

_{Given his originality, Dominic Benhura is arguably now regarded as the most known visual artist living in Zimbabwe today. The award comes as yet another crown to an individual artist who has amassed accolades at every turn of his career ever since he began to sculpt in the mid 80s.}

_{Since 1987 when he won the first prize in the National Gallery of Zimbabwe hosted annual schools competition, the 39-year-old second generation artist has never looked back, creating some of his preeminent works in stone. Dominic is not new to major awards. In 2003 he also won the same category in a different competition, the National Arts Merit Awards (NAMA).}

_{To date, he has participated in over 50 exhibitions and workshops, done more than 30 one-man shows, won over 15 awards and competitions and has works in over 10 commissions and charities. Among the highlights of his career is the presentation of the peace “Swing Me Mama” sculpture to the New Nelson Mandela Offices in Johannesburg and another sculpture to legendary reggae singer, Jimmy Cliff in New York 2003 to name just two.}