He’s the executive director and chief curator of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, an incredibly active member of the global art community and one of our favourite creative fundis to chat to on all kinds of culture-related topics. With that in mind, we had to find out what else makes Raphael Chikukwa tick.
What’s the best book you’ve read in the past year? And why?
African Music, Power, and Being in Colonial Zimbabwe by Prof Mhoze Chikowero. This book links me up with my past, as it captures the colonial project through missionary schools. The book is a must read as it brings up so many issues that we constantly overlook, including the criminalisation of African music, tribalisation of African being, the culture of resistance and postcolonial legacies.
How do you keep fit?
Keeping fit is in what you eat, and I try to eat healthily as a vegetarian. I also love swimming and walking.
Weekday, lowkey restaurant go-to? What do you order?
I love traditional food, including pap and porridge made from small grains. If I go exotic, I love Chinese and Indian food.
What is the one artwork you’ll always love, and why?
Whoa, whoa. I work for the National Gallery of Zimbabwe which has more than 6,000 artworks in its permanent collection, and I love them so much.
I must say, when I look at the gallery’s African modernist collection, I feel these works have a purpose here in Africa. The need to keep these works on our continent should be highlighted. They must be valued and protected as they mean a lot to who we are today, and we should not be apologetic in keeping them here. If only our gallery could hunt for more of these pieces and grow our collection – their originality and genius feed my thinking every time I see them.
It’s a sad reality that Western institutions have more works by those that came before us, but I am privileged to work in an institution that collected some of these works from the 1960s and 1970s. Of course, the contemporary works are special too, given that their narratives continue to challenge us.
What do you regret most?
Taking time to finish my Curator’s Black Box Book. I have not allowed myself time to write and I continue to question myself. I need to correct this but having a full-time job is demanding.
The one unusual item you can’t live without?
My African necklaces, clothes and copper bangles. These are what people know me for, and they link me with who I am and the spirit of being.
Who was your high school celeb crush?
I never had one.
Three songs that you’d take to a desert island?
Shauri Yako by Orchestra Super Mazembe, Ndakanga Ndabaiwa by Ambuya Stella Chiweshe and Coal Train (Stimela) by Hugh Masekela.Oh, and “good or bad still home” (I Want to Go Home) by Mambo Remmy Ongala.
Top image: Raphael Chikukwa. Image supplied
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