Zimbabwe: Gukurahundi Graffiti Causes Storm in Bulawayo
A GUKURAHUNDI graffiti emblazoned on the walls of Bulawayo City Hall public toilet has touched a storm.
Unidentified people Monday evening inscribed the graffiti written in black with a red background with the words “Gukurahundi… We Will Never Forget”.
The graffiti follows another controversial mural showing King Lobengula intimately holding spirit medium Mbuya Nehanda, which was also painted at the same place over the weekend.
The mural, which was removed by Bulawayo City council workers Monday afternoon was inscribed with the words, “Love is greater than Shona and Ndebele, Africans let’s unite”.
In the mural, King Lobengula is seen holding a red balloon which has been interpreted by some to be a symbol of love.
A vendor who sells her curios near the public toilet observed that the paintings are a manifestation that the country has not fully healed following the Gukurahundi atrocities which saw more than 20 000 civilians being killed and injured in the Midlands and Matebeleland provinces by the North Korean trained soldiers soon after independence.
“People are now resorting to clandestinely drawing these paintings because they are not free to talk about Gukuraundi. Past dark history like Gukurahundi can only be closed if people are free to talk about it, especially artists who should be allowed to mount exhibitions on the subject,” the vendor said.
While President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration has opened dialogue on the Gukurahundi subject, the attempts have been described as insincere and deceiving.
By New Zimbabwe.
