Nhaka Gallery, one of Zimbabwe’s foremost cultural centers, will commemorate Africa Day 2025 with a group exhibition called “The African Wedding – A Cultural Reflection on Children’s Rights”
The exhibition launches on 23 May at Nhaka Gallery, offering a critical and creative exploration of traditional African marriage practices and their impact on children’s rights. This thought-provoking exhibition aims to celebrate African cultural heritage while bringing urgent attention to the often-overlooked challenges facing children, especially girls, within traditional marriage settings.
Through compelling artworks, multimedia installations, storytelling, and community engagement, the exhibition will touch on five critical themes: Child Marriages, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), Child Labour and Exploitation, Children Living with Disabilities, and African Hair as a Human Rights Issue.
Speaking to Mcheno and More, director at Nhaka Gallery Hellen Matsvisi broke down the main thrust behind the exhibition to avoid any misconceptions.
“We want to create a space where cultural pride and human rights advocacy can coexist. This exhibition isn’t about condemning culture—it’s about protecting children and ensuring our traditions evolve with compassion and consciousness,” she explained.
The African Wedding’ will be more than just a showcasing of artworks. There will also be personal testimonies from survivors of child marriage and FGM and interactive installations including storytelling corners, role-playing experiences, and educational displays. Attendees can also expect workshops and panel discussions featuring legal experts, human rights activists, educators, and community leaders.
The exhibition will showcase the works of over 20 renowned and emerging African artists including Matheus Nyaungwa, Webster Mubaireni, Julius Nyamubaya, Eugene Mugocha, Richard Witikani, Batsirai Muskwe, Evans Mutenga, Sean Mpetiwa, Freddy Tauro, Ken Maruta, Anusa Salanje, Albert Wachi, James Jali, Kimberly Gakanje, Blessed Munyaradze and Yananiso Kunaka. Their diverse artistic voices span photography, painting, sculpture, and multimedia, unified by a commitment to addressing gender, identity, and justice.
Chrispen Matekenya and Mercy Moyo will be the guest artists for the day, while Dr Solomon Guramatunhu will be guest of honour.
There will also be live performances of traditional African storytelling, music, and theatre that will depict the lived experiences of children. As an icing on the cake, Afrojazz songstress Vera will also be there to serenade guests with a not-to-miss performance.
‘The African Wedding’ exhibition seeks to ask the question – how do we honour our traditions while safeguarding the rights of our most vulnerable — our children? Through the moving artworks on display, Nhaka Gallery hopes the exhibition will raise awareness about harmful cultural practices affecting children and inspire community-led dialogue on reform and protection.
Be there for the opening of The African Wedding, today 1730hrs — 110 Livingstone Avenue (next to David Livingstone Primary School).
