THE ART OF AGEING COMPETITION
(Zimbabwe &The Gambia)
The Art of Ageing ran two national competitions for 60+ year olds in Zimbabwe and The Gambia to gain insight into their ageing experiences. It asked eligible participants to answer the following questions:
As an older person, what has been your health experience as you have grown older?
How have you accepted, enjoyed, celebrated ageing and managed any challenges?
Hundreds of entries were received in the music, drama and art categories.
TOP ENTRIES
ZIMBABWE
ART & MIXED MEDIA
Loveness Kamwendo (65)
Loveness Kamwendo (65)
Loveness's two clay pots served as a visual narrative of her life's different stages. The vibrant, smaller yellow pot symbolizes her youth—radiant and full of color—while the larger, weathered pot represents her older self, resilient and wise. Her entry captured the essence of inner strength and the beauty of ageing.
Francis Pidza (69)
In his piece, "The Wonders of Ageing," Francis contrasts the attention given to the majestic Mosi-oa-Tunya (Victoria Falls) with the often-overlooked Great Zimbabwe ruins. Through this comparative art piece, he conveys a powerful message about the treatment of the old and young. Francis advocates for the appreciation and rightful attention that the elderly deserve, drawing parallels between the greatness of aging and the rich historical and cultural significance of the Great Zimbabwe ruins.
Francis Pidza (69)
Pauline’s beautiful patched blanket is not just a product of her skill but a symbol of the warmth she receives from those around her. In a heartwarming gesture, Pauline invited her neighbours and friends to inscribe inspiring messages on the blanket, expressing their appreciation for her presence in their lives at her age. This blanket stands as a testament to the love and admiration she has cultivated within her community.
Pauline Chisvo (68)
Lovemore seeks to convey the profound message of love as a cornerstone of aging gracefully through his sculpture. He passionately believes that reaching old age is made more meaningful and enduring when shared with a strong and loving partner. "Love one another," he emphasizes, as he beautifully illustrates how love conquers all through his sculpture.
Lovemore Mandiopera(70)
Florence Nyakapini (73)
Florence’s project consists of two contrasting pairs of shoes, each representing a profound message. The first pair, made from rexine with shiny patterns, serves as a metaphor for the allure of superficial beauty, emphasizing that "all that glitters is not gold." Florence points out that while these shoes may look nice, they lack strength—commenting on the tendency of young people to prioritize style over substance. In contrast, her second pair of shoes, crafted from twine, may not be as flashy but symbolizes resilience and endurance.
Jescar Makavi (73)
Jescar's creation consists of two handbags that symbolize the contrasting experiences of her youth and her later years. The first bag, plain and simple, represents her younger years, free from the burdens of aging. The second bag, adorned with bandages, pills, and other items, serves as a visual metaphor for the additional challenges and health-related burdens that come with aging. Despite this, Jescar's creation also features a powerful quote and image that boldly declare, "Aging is not dying." She indicates how regardless of these burdens she is growing and remains stronger and filled with hope.
PROSE
Thandiwe Muzenda (68)
Thandiwe's poem portrays the physical and emotional toll of ageing, describing the loss of beauty, strength, and health. She expresses the challenges she faces, including chronic diseases and physical discomfort. Despite these hardships, she finds solace in the support of her family, the joy of her grandchildren, and the wisdom and understanding that come with age. Her poem ultimately conveys a message of resilience, faith, and the importance of finding comfort and celebration in the later stages of life.
Dorothy Manjerere (68)
Dorothy’s piece sheds light on the mistreatment and neglect experienced by the elderly. She expresses deep sorrow over the loss of her loved ones and the lack of care and respect she receives in her old age. Her plea for the younger generation to stop abusing and neglecting the elderly serves as a powerful call for compassion and empathy towards the elderly.
Rose Hanyane (63)
Rose's story to her grandchildren reflects on the challenges and pain she has endured as she has grown older. She describes the physical changes she has experienced, from being a young, beautiful woman to facing unexpected health issues that have left her dependent on her grandchildren for support and care.
Ahani Dube (60)
Ahani Dube's poem reflects on the physical and emotional changes that come with aging. She shares her experiences of losing her youthful beauty and strength, and the challenges she faces, such as diminished vision and hearing. Despite these changes, she finds solace in her faith, family, and the respect she receives as an elder. She expresses gratitude for reaching old age and acknowledges the wisdom that comes with it, despite the physical hardships.
Rosebud Ndlovu(62)
Rosebud's poem celebrates the art of ageing, emphasizing the need to embrace and enjoy this stage of life. She reflects on the changes in her physical abilities and senses, acknowledging the wisdom and rewards that come with old age.
Despite the challenges, she has learned to accept ageing and finds joy in various activities, such as spending time with her grandchildren and engageing in hobbies.
Winter Kadhawu (73)
Winter's poem reflects on the inevitability of death and its impact on the elderly. The poem portrays death as an indiscriminate force that affects everyone, regardless of their feelings or circumstances.The poem also emphasizes the importance of embracing the journey of healthy ageing, finding joy, and living with grace. It encourages cherishing each moment and finding resilience in the face of mortality.
MUSIC & DANCE
Senior Citizens Group (Hopely)
The Senior Citizens Group is made up of 5 artists, with Noah Langa being the lead guitarist and composer.As a group of community friends, they wrote their fun and captivating song to reflect on the changes that come with ageing.
They reminisce about their youthful activities and the transformation of their identities as they grew older.
Vhuramai Dancers
Eddyson and Margret have been dance partners since their youthful years. Using dance as a means for storytelling they decided to use the Art of Ageing competition as an opportunity to bring out an important narrative through their dance piece, which involves the Dos and Don’ts of ageing well.
Dancing Sisters Duo
Enetika and Chipo have a long-lasting sisterhood bond that they express through dancing.For them the Art of Ageing Competition allowed them to use their dancing skills as a powerful statement of vitality and strength. In their dance piece they challenge the younger generation to a dance-off, showcasing their energy and health while challenging stereotypes around ageing
Benjamin Mupavaenda (69)
Benjamin's song reflects on the challenges and triumphs of ageing. He acknowledges the physical and mental toll that comes with growing old, including the onset of various illnesses
Benjamin Mupavaenda (69)
TOP ENTRIES
THE GAMBIA
Amie T Sarr Jobe (66)
In my mid-twenties to forties, I was a very active person. I had a shop at the craft market where I sell African batik, there were days that I can travel for about 150km back and forth without any difficulty. As time went by, I could no longer do my activities and I stopped working at the craft market due to the long distance involved. I now have a small shop at my house where I sell stationery and sweets to the school children. This keeps me active since it requires me to get up from my chair and sell to the kids. My health challenges growing up is high blood pressure and pain In my legs and knees. Due to the high blood pressure, my vision is not very clear and because of this I was prescribed eyeglasses, but I later lost them and never went back to get another at the hospital. Whenever my blood pressure is high, I experience some sort of blockage in my ear and when this happens, someone has to talk very loud for me to be able to hear. Because of my knee pain, I find it difficult to work for a distance without getting tired and I believe this is because I am overweight. This is the reason I have a bed at my shop so that I can lie down on it and relax for some time.
Landing Camara (80)
My eyesight is not letting me but my love for it is something that is keeping me going. I was a great farmer, and this required a lot of physical ability. This is something which is no longer with me, but I cannot let it be just like that. This at a very slow speed I still produce this ‘‘kumba’’ beekeeper’s basket as it help me to keep bees to produce honey which is a very important medicine. It is also a source of income for me. I would have allowed old age to ground me completely, but this is my way out of it.
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Kaddy Ceesay
To be an elderly person is not easy, but I am grateful to Allah. I was very agile with my daily activities but now my experience with old age is that this ability is no longer with me. I used to do a lot of domestic work with less body pain but now I experience a lot of pain even without doing any domestic work. At times I even think I will not wake up from bed again due to the pain. I manage my pains by applying body cream every night. Below is a song that interprets more of my view as far as my ageing health experience is concerned.
Saikuna L Faye (78)
To be in a state of youth it goes with ableness, power but growing old, you are always powerless, you even lack the ability to plan right. I used to be a fisherman before joining the police force where I served as a truck driver. I used to drive for a very long distance and that too at high speed but nowadays due to old age, I cannot even drive small cars. I must take my time and be very gentle when entering a car. I used to also work on a bus as well, I remember the good old days when I can jump outside or inside the bus without it completely stopping but I can no longer do this. I now get support from my walking stick. I also use a chair to sit on when am praying even at that always getting up from the chair is very difficult for me and this too comes with a lot of joint pain.
Manifa Njie (71)
As I am ageing, I experience a lot of back pain and headache. But this piece of artwork keeps me engaged and I enjoy it. I can no longer go to the rice field and garden or do domestic work which I was actively involved in. But artwork locally called “boo” thus the quality is low, now I do process them use to be more than now due to my health and age. But I enjoy doing this as it also serves as a source of income for me. I also make a lot of designs as displaced on the picture.
Debo Camara (62)
I have been baking bread since I was at the age of 10 because my father was a baker back then. Since baking was a family business, I was trained at an early age. It involves a lot of physical work from mixing of the flour to baking of the bread. Collecting firewood was very difficult but as I grew older, my ageing is not allowing me to perform the physical aspect of the job. I therefore delegate my younger brother to carry out the physical labor. This art of baking is part of my ageing journey, it is my passion and motivation. It keeps me going even when I can no longer carry out some of the tasks required.
Njundu Sanyang (95)
My fishing net locally called “jarfoo” is something I enjoy making because it reminds me of my past. I was a very active farmer during which I learned how to do this piece of artwork which is a locally made fishing net. As I am ageing, it takes a long time to make a fishing net as compared to before due to my old age. I can no longer sit for a very long time. My eyesight has deteriorated, and I cannot see clearly like before. I have enjoyed ageing because I am still doing what I love to do, and this reminds me of yesterday
Saikou Ali Ceesay
Firstly, I would like to introduce myself, my name is Sainey Singhateh, I was born in Fuladu Boraba Village in the year 1953, I located to Bakau in the year 1973 as a young man and joined the tourism industry sector till date.
I started my career my making small leather bags, wallets and bracelets for few years but now due to old age I started investing in buying different collection goods such as paintings, canvas and more and resell them to be able to feed my family.
These are some of the paintings
COUNCIL OF ELDERS
Council of elders’ portraits the way elders at the village gather to discuss issues about the village and development of the village in other to have a peaceful community. Each member in the council has a role to play to village development.