BY DR TONY MONDA
Part of my empirical research on contemporary post–colonial African heritage studies questioned, hypothesized and computated the value of memorial monuments and public civic art on the national fiscus.
This year in anticipation of celebrating 44 years of independence, it is appropriate for us to give thought to the notion of preserving our memories for posterity. What nobody has accounted for however is the destruction of the social fabric of the nation which resulted from the Liberation War.
The men, women, and children; the fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers that went to war and left behind a domino effect of widows, single mothers and broken homes that has resulted from the War of Liberation.
How natural patterns of human population growth were disturbed, distorted and the fabric of the family dismantled, resulting in increased widows, orphans and the now notoriously infamous term ‘single mothers. These are grave social issues which have made absurd situations like “single mothers“ seem normal.
What was more intriguing to me was how many Western nations have created wealth from the memory of their conquests in the form of public monuments and art; whether the causes were political, civic or otherwise.
But be their causes legitimate or grossly oppressive, exemplary in distressing historical events such as the Vietnam war, the Holocaust, or the colonisation of Africa, India, Canada – the list goes on, Western civic designers, engineers and artists have made permanent features out of such events and preserved the memories of history for human contemplation and reflection and at times for indoctrination!
All of these historic injustices were, and are still commemorated, contemplated and illuminated via war monuments and museums and have become huge tourist attractions beyond and despite the gravitas of human injustice perpetrated on the victims of these human errors in history.
This brings me to the issue of Chibondo, Chimoio, Nyadzonia and other sites of where horrendous massacres occurred during the struggle for Zimbabwe’s liberation. Zimbabwe and many post-colonies have yet to take serious stock of the cost of the war – be it in humanitarian, financial or spiritual terms, so that value can be applied to that aspect of our heritage.
What was the pecuniary cost of the Liberation from 1965-1979, that our economy bears today? What is the compound interest of grief or loss of a limb or the premature death of a loved one? What is the cost of self-sacrifice?
Who and how many economists can answer these questions?
What lessons can post-colonial memorial monuments and museums teach us about the follies and inanity of war and human destruction? Should they not be stored and recorded before they are lost?
Public art, such as memorials, historical monuments, wall of remembrance, installations, murals, obelisks, sculptures, mosaics, decorative features, and functional elements, is an important element in peace making. Unlike art in private spaces, public art is ideally site-specific and attuned to its social, economic and environmental context. Public art can contribute to urban design and the revitalization of civic infrastructure; enhance and personalize public spaces; comment on environmental and social conditions, and activate civic dialogue and understanding.
In Western countries, more and more communities are developing and adopting public art master plans for the purpose of demonstrating a long-term commitment to the central importance of public art in the planning, design, and creation of public space.
In the US, through public art, it addresses the need to catalyze economic development activity while celebrating the story of African-American entrepreneurship, empowerment, and economic innovation on Parrish Street, which in the early 20th Century was known locally as “Black Wall Street.”
The plan -establishes a bold direction in which many types of art form the epicenter of downtown while their execution honors successful public art processes, urban land use planning structures, and landscape design strategies for artistic consideration.” In Zimbabwe, African memories and achievements are being lost in the throes of more immediate and personal struggles for human survival in the oppressive urban environment in which we live in today.
But it is never too late to recoup our memories because they cannot be erased quite yet. Justifying the creation of heritage sites and monuments is a national responsibility which adds to our identity, history and understanding of self.
The West has managed to turn some of the world’s greatest human disasters into contemplative spaces, historic monuments and public art that function on a secondary level to generate income and revenue for the nation.
Like culture, art and monuments are a heritage that should be created for the betterment of man. but it should also generate revenue which impacts on the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Rhetorically speaking African memory is priceless!
The power of the image lies as much in its presence as it does in its future. Preserving/conserve /SAFEGUARDING someone’s portrait is preserving their memory. The loss of a loved one is remembered in words and images as well as on stones and bronze plaques that are erected in memory of the fallen in war
The importance of war memorials creates awareness of man’s errors and for society to learn from its follies so that man does not make the same mistakes again, but creates a better future.
Dr. Tony Monda holds a PhD in Post-Modern Art Theory and Philosophy and a DBA in Post-Colonial Art and Heritage Studies. E-mail: tonym.MONDA@gmail.com
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