Staff Writer
The National Gallery of Zimbabwe is pleased to present the acclaimed artist duo Masimba Hwati and Michael Gould, aka the Zebra Collective, present Nyami-Nyami, an urgent multimedia installation and performance series that explores the cultural and ecological trauma of the building of the Kariba Dam.
The Zambezi, Africa’s fourth longest river, was forever changed in 1955 when British colonialvauthorities ordered the construction of the Kariba Dam.
The project displaced 57,000 Tonga people, caused 86 deaths, and radically altered the region’s ecosystem.
Today, the dam controls 90% of the river’s runoff, disrupting downstream life and now threatening 3.5 million people as its bedrock erodes from within.
At the heart of the artists’; project is Nyami-Nyami, a revered river deity of the Tonga people depicted as a fish-headed, snake-bodied spirit believed to protect communities in times of crisis.
During the dam’s construction, the Tonga people believed they had angered the god, and hoped its power would destroy the dam and restore their homelands.
In this work, Zebra Collective poetically re-imagine Nyami-Nyami not just as myth but as a symbol of resistance and ecological memory.
Blending sculpture, sound, and digital technology, Hwati and Gould’s installation and performances traverse ancient Shona stargazing traditions and contemporary sound engineering, including modified guitars spears that perform as sonic sentinels.
First performed at TanzTangente Berlin in 2022, Nyami-Nyami was also performed at Ogrosen Kulturland farm in Lausitz, at the Global Water Dances Festival, and most recently at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor.
This iteration in Johannesburg invites audiences to reimagine planetary futures and ancestral wisdom, bridging timescapes through sonic and sculptural portals.
Commenting on the show, the Executive Director of the NGZ, Raphael Chikukwa said “Hwati has consistently had a fascination with our nation’s collective past, I am pleased that he is bringing this installation home to engage with its home audience.” Chikukwa added “It is important for Zimbabweans to come and experience Hwati’s performance at the Gallery, and I urge all to attend this momentous homecoming.
Nyami-Nyami will commence with a performance at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Harare on Wednesday the 9 th of July 2025, at 17:30hrs. The Zimbabwe iteration of Nyami-Nyami is curated by Fadzai V. Muchemwa.
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