The ManicaPost
Friday Lessons With Sir Mwanyisa
GREETINGS learners, parents and guardians!
Welcome to your Visual and Performing Arts weekly lessons brought to you by your favourite newspaper, The Manica Post.
Learners are expected to have an exercise book and a pen to write work given as exercises.
Parents or guardians are encouraged to assist learners with special needs. This week our topic is on Pre-colonial visual arts of Southern Africa. You are expected to be able:
(i) State the media used in constructing the Great Zimbabwe
(ii) Describe the use of the Great Zimbabwe monuments.
This week we look at one of the magnificent sculpture ever produced in pre-colonial Zimbabwe, the Great Zimbabwe.
It is a stone sculpture that still stands today and is a tourist attraction centre too.
Location
Great Zimbabwe is located in Masvingo and was the capital of a prosperous state of more than 50,000 square kilometres.
It was a prominent state, comparable in its success to other states in Africa, Europe and elsewhere.
State was most powerful before the 14th century i.e. 1500.
Architects
The state was built by a group of Karanga later known as Shona people who had much wealth in the form of livestock.
The Karanga built the stone capital commonly called Great Zimbabwe.
They used granite rocks to construct the monuments.
They used the dry — walling technique which means no mortar or cement mixture was used during the construction.
Purpose
The Great Zimbabwe became the centre of social, religious, economic and political life.
Some historians it was used for?
1) Security:
2) Religion
3) Prestige monument,
4) slave labour
5) To show power and coordination and trade.
Today the Great Zimbabwe is a heritage site and a national emblem for the country.
Meaning of designs at Great Zimbabwe
The chevron pattern on the walls are said to represent fertility.
The same patterns are also engraved on the Zimbabwe bird.
Our lesson ends here today.
Next week we focus on the Tonga visual arts.
Research on Tonga Artworks to prepare for next week lesson.
