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Saudi Arabia Reaffirms Commitment to Global Cultural Collaboration

Saudi Arabia reiterated its dedication to promoting cultural diversity. SPA
Saudi Arabia reiterated its dedication to promoting cultural diversity. SPA
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Saudi Arabia Reaffirms Commitment to Global Cultural Collaboration

Saudi Arabia reiterated its dedication to promoting cultural diversity. SPA
Saudi Arabia reiterated its dedication to promoting cultural diversity. SPA

Saudi Arabia’s commitment to cultural collaboration and sustainable development was highlighted at the 5th G20 Culture Ministers’ Meeting, where Deputy Minister of Culture for International Cultural Relations Eng. Fahad Abdulrahman Alkanaan delivered the Kingdom’s speech.

The ministerial meeting, held in Salvador, Brazil, under the theme “Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet,” provided Saudi Arabia an opportunity to reaffirm its dedication to advancing the global cultural agenda.

In his speech on behalf of Minister of Culture Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Farhan, Deputy Minister Eng. Fahad Abdulrahman Alkanaan expressed gratitude to the Brazilian Presidency, specifically acknowledging Minister of Culture Margareth Menezes, for their dedication to supporting the cultural track within the G20 framework.

“Saudi Arabia is honored to have initiated the first-ever G20 Culture Ministers’ Meeting in 2020 during the Saudi Presidency, themed ‘The Rise of the Cultural Economy: A New Paradigm.’ This initiative underscores our belief in culture as a global public good, connecting our past, enriching our present, and shaping our future,” he said.

The G20 Culture Track was introduced in 2020 under Saudi Arabia’s Presidency, marking a transformative milestone in recognizing culture’s role in influencing economic growth, making it an essential part of the G20 agenda. Since then, Saudi Arabia has established a strong legacy within the G20 framework, and successive presidencies—Italy, Indonesia, India, and now Brazil—have expanded upon this foundation, broadening the cultural agenda’s scope and impact.

Aligning with this year’s G20 theme to foster social inclusion, environmental sustainability, and economic resilience, Saudi Arabia reiterated its dedication to promoting cultural diversity, leveraging digital advancements, fostering a creative economy, and preserving cultural heritage.

Saudi Arabia emphasized the importance of preserving and protecting heritage sites worldwide. To support this mission, the Kingdom has launched several initiatives, including the establishment of a world-class center dedicated to the restoration and protection of underwater cultural heritage in the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf, demonstrating Saudi Arabia’s commitment to safeguarding cultural heritage locally and internationally.
Through these continued efforts, Saudi Arabia remains dedicated to the priorities of the G20 Culture Track, viewing culture as a vital contributor to sustainable growth. Prince Bader remarked, “We are confident that the collaborative efforts among G20 members will continue to elevate culture as a vital force for sustainable development, inspiring future generations to build a better world.”

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The Women behind Zimbabwe’s Striking Hut Painting Art

A general view of a mud painted house seen through a window of a house under construction in Matobo, Matabeleland on September 29, 2024. (AFP)
A general view of a mud painted house seen through a window of a house under construction in Matobo, Matabeleland on September 29, 2024. (AFP)
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The Women behind Zimbabwe’s Striking Hut Painting Art

A general view of a mud painted house seen through a window of a house under construction in Matobo, Matabeleland on September 29, 2024. (AFP)
A general view of a mud painted house seen through a window of a house under construction in Matobo, Matabeleland on September 29, 2024. (AFP)

The golden rays of the afternoon sun enhance the bold, hand-painted patterns on the mud walls of a round, thatched hut in Peggy Masuku's village of Matobo in southwestern Zimbabwe.

Outside, at a small table with two curved seats -- all fashioned out of mud -- Masuku shows visitors how she mixes soil pigments, charcoal and ash to create the earth tones that make the striking motifs.

The 54-year-old is admired as one of the best among hundreds of women who practice the traditional art of hut painting in the picturesque granite hills of Matobo, where the rocks hold spiritual value.

The art is gaining recognition beyond this part of rural Zimbabwe, with the bold patterns incorporated into fashion and designs that are finding a small market as far away as Europe and bringing income to its village artists.

For the self-effacing Masuku, it all started when her stepmother assigned her, as the youngest girl in the family, the duty of smearing a cow-dung paste onto the walls and floors of the family huts, a traditional technique to maintain the structures.

"My stepmother would oversee this chore and make sure I did it to perfection. Initially, I thought this was abuse but I later realized it was good training," Masuku told AFP.

"I graduated to doing the hut painting, which elderly women did, and over time became quite good at it."

- International interest -

Masuku's talent first found recognition through a competition called My Beautiful Home, in which she has featured among the winners several times since its launch in 2014.

The annual event is the brainchild of Veronique Attala, a French woman who stumbled on "a beautifully decorated hut" when lost while hiking in the Matobo Hills, a UNESCO heritage site that has one of the highest concentrations of rock paintings in Africa.

Attala, who has lived in Zimbabwe for more than 30 years, was inspired to nurture the tradition and support the women artists and their farming communities.

A new project headed by the German Embassy has also started testing out the commercial promise of these designs.

In collaboration with Zimbabwe's National Gallery and Fashion Council, it has launched the Matobo Collection featuring the work of selected artists reproduced on saleable items such as textiles, flowerpots and lampshades.

The project is helping to find markets in other parts of Zimbabwe and also abroad, mainly in Germany, with the artists receiving a license fee for their designs and royalties for every sale.

To help the women navigate issues of copyright and compensation, the embassy has also brought in intellectual property lawyers.

"The aim is to further promote the artistry of the ladies of Matobo and, subsequently, create greater awareness of this unique cultural heritage, nationally as well as internationally," the embassy's cultural attache Katrin Simon told AFP.

One of those selected for the Matobo Collection is Elgar Maphosa, who is impressed that the traditions of her community have "come this far".

"It is something that we do as routine," the 58-year-old villager said. "I never at any time imagined that I would one day get an income out of it while also learning new things."

- Younger generation -

Hut painting is an ancient Ndebele tradition in which the motifs were originally imbued with meaning.

It was a "mode of communicating the worldview or beliefs, as well as ideals and values of communities that lived long ago," said cultural historian Pathisa Nyathi.

"Over time the meanings got lost and, owing to the interaction with other cultures including Western, emphasis is now on aesthetics," Nyathi told AFP.

Emboldened by her success at My Beautiful Home, Masuku has been commissioned to paint buildings at Zimbabwe's top tourist resort town of Victoria Falls, which she hopes will lead to more projects.

Younger women are also learning the craft, including 26-year-old Nozipho, a development studies graduate and civil servant who is currently learning the art from her mother, and hopes to follow the steps of the older women in her community.