Spirit of the Arts Blog

Shona Traditional Religion Explored

February 14, 2014
Shona Traditional Religion or Chivanhu is part of what is understood as African Traditional Religion (ATR) that is practiced all over Africa. It is a belief in God or Mwari or Musikavanhu. However, there is no direct communication between the living and Musikavanhu but through ancestors. The religion is based ...

Pastor Charamba’s advice to Bulawayo: It’s not about the place where one is based but about the confidence

June 8, 2013 by Nyasha Chingono
Veteran gospel musician Charles Charamba believes Bulawayo music industry — that is experiencing hardships — shall one day rise. That’s if the people in Southern Zimbabwe take his advice. Over the years Bulawayo-based gospel music has failed to rise above the shores due to various reasons. Chief among them: lack of resources and ...

American novel explores the role of the Central Methodist Church in Johannesburg in aiding Zimbabwean immigrants

May 1, 2013
After a career shift from the development sector to journalism and other writing, Lexington [Massachusetts, USA] native Christa Kuljian decided to focus an investigation on one of the main centers of South Africa’s immigrant population. Her novel, Sanctuary, explores the role of the Central Methodist Church in Johannesburg, South Africa, in ...

Christian visual artiste tackles Africa’s poverty through art

April 9, 2013 by Nyasha Chingono
Through his art, NAMA award-winner Israel Israel is critiquing socio-political issues such as Africa’s poverty and its perpetual begging from Western countries. Israel’s art speaks volumes. The devoted Christian of the Assemblies of God has dedicated his life to expressing himself through art, which he believes is a calling from ...

Overview of gospel hip-hop in Zimbabwe

February 27, 2013 by Nyasha Chingono
For a genre associated with gangsters, thugs and lewdness, music lovers are always skeptical when hip-hop turns to gospel, while tongues are left wagging as to how venerate the genre is. But the dawn of Mudiwa Mutandwa a.k.a Mudiwa of the ‘Ndaita Mari’ fame and Flame B, onto the music ...

Gospel music listeners should not only be entertained but ministered through music

February 15, 2013
Up-and-coming gospel artist Painos Jaravaza says gospel music is a calling not a hobby. The musician and youth leader with the Apostolic Faith Mission has been riding high with the success of his latest album “Nyasha DzaMwari.” Jaravaza believes one does not decide to sing gospel simply because he or ...

Olivia Charamba bemoans piracy

January 3, 2013 by Kudakwashe Mavundutse
Zimbabwe’s prominent gospel personality Olivia Charamba has described music piracy as the demon threatening to destroy the once vibrant music industry in Zimbabwe. Speaking to Relzim.org at the recently completed show at Mining Museum in Kwekwe (central Zimbabwe), Olivia Charamba called on the government to step up the fight against piracy. ...

Stephen Chigorimbo: We need more preachers on radio, we need more preachers on television

December 18, 2012 by Moses Chibaya
Earlier this month, I went to see prominent Zimbabwean director and producer Stephen Tayengwa Chigorimbo (62). Some of you might not know that Chigorimbo is also an elder with a Pentecostal church. He goes to Apostolic Faith Mission in Harare’s Avonlea suburb. We talked about faith, inter-religious dialogue and developing media skills to communicate ...

I hope gospel stars use God-given talent to put food on fellow Zimbabweans’ tables

December 7, 2012 by Giovanni del Autore
This week, Religion in Zimbabwe talked a lot about various gospel music performances around the country: Kwekwe, Harare, Bulawayo. Gospel is clearly faring well. Gospel artists in Zimbabwe seem to be in the positive mood as well. Let’s talk about their responsibility before Zimbabweans in need, both spiritual and material. “Their ...

The rise of local Christian literature in Zimbabwe

September 26, 2012
In Zimbabwe, Bible-reading culture keeps advancing ahead of that of general books. And not only have people embraced the Bible as a source of divine inspiration but they have also gone beyond reading to writing from the Holy Book’s inspiration. Widely self-published, informative, interpretive and motivational Christian literature has emerged.Two ...