- Title: Zimbabwean artist draws the pain of battling cancer into her work.
- Date: 24th August 2017
- Summary: HARARE, ZIMBABWE (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF KARIKOGA HOLDING A BAG SHE DESIGNED OUTSIDE HER STUDIO (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARTIST, CANCER SURVIVOR, RUTENDO KARIKOGA SAYING: "I thought the best way for me to get people to understand that struggle and what I was going through is to tell that story visually so I thought, ok a fashion film would be appropriate that way people will get an opportunity to be personal with me and understand more than what the bags could articulate, so it was adding another layer to the story." VARIOUS OF KARIKOGA'S BAGS FROM HER 'ART OF CHEMOTHERAPY' COLLECTION (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARTIST, CANCER SURVIVOR, RUTENDO KARIKOGA SAYING: "What made me cope during that time was painting, because I'm into abstract art and that's how I could explain how I was feeling at the time because certain emotions and feelings you can't articulate, the fear, the anxiety, you know? Are you going to beat this? What's going to happen? And I found peace and comfort in painting." VARIOUS OF KARIKOGA SHOWING DESIGN ON A BAG (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARTIST, CANCER SURVIVOR, RUTENDO KARIKOGA SAYING: "I met a lady who was actually battling leukemia and my grandmother had stomach cancer, my uncle prostate cancer and realised that everything that we are going through health wise is to do with blood, is to do with our cells so a lot of the art work that came after I had interviewed people was inspired by the movement of blood and how body cells actually move in our system so that's the inspiration behind the artwork." VARIOUS OF KARIKOGA SHOWING DESIGNS TO A CUSTOMER (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARTIST, CANCER SURVIVOR, RUTENDO KARIKOGA SAYING: "I feel there is need for a lot of collaboration to happen. We need to have a unified voice as Zimbabwean creatives which is something that lacks and unfortunately that lacks because of broken trust and now to rebuild that trust so people can rely on each other is something that is very difficult and will take a while to be earned and I think that's a reflection of what's actually happening in the economy and politically… it's so volatile."
- Embargoed: 7th September 2017 11:07
- Keywords: breast cancer Rutendo Karikoga film bags designer artist Zimbabwe Famba Neni Walk with Me
- Location: UNKNOWN FILM LOCATION
- City: UNKNOWN FILM LOCATION
- Country: Zimbabwe
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Health/Medicine
- Reuters ID: LVA0026VINL1Z
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Twenty eight-year-old Zimbabwean artist, Rutendo Karikoga found out she had Stage 1 breast cancer just as she was launching a career in design.
She had studied law, politics and international relations but then chose to follow her love of the arts.
It is a passion she says helped her deal with the pain and the trauma of battling breast cancer. Karikoga made this film - an abstract tale of her journey from when she was diagnosed last year in October.
She also started a design label called Famba Neni, which means "Walk with Me" in the local Shona language.
"I thought the best way for me to get people to understand that struggle and what I was going through is to tell that story visually so I thought, ok a fashion film would be appropriate that way people will get an opportunity to be personal with me and understand more than what the bags could articulate, so it was adding another layer to the story," she said.
Karikoga recently launched her exhibition of bags, paintings and the short film titled "The Art of Chemotherapy - a Journey with No End".
There were 23 bags in the exhibition each inspired by a story about a person living with cancer or another health issue. Each is made from locally sourced leather and canvas with the detail painted by hand.
"What made me cope during that time was painting, because I'm into abstract art and that's how I could explain how I was feeling at the time because certain emotions and feelings you can't articulate, the fear, the anxiety, you know? Are you going to beat this? What's going to happen? And I found peace and comfort in painting," she said.
"I met a lady who was actually battling leukemia and my grandmother had stomach cancer, my uncle prostate cancer and realised that everything that we are going through health wise is to do with blood, is to do with our cells so a lot of the art work that came after I had interviewed people was inspired by the movement of blood and how body cells actually move in our system so that's the inspiration behind the artwork," added Karikoga.
She says she has already sold most of the bags for between 150 and 240 US dollars. She says she hopes to reproduce the collection due to the high demand.
Karikoga says she feels fortunate to have found a market and a sustainable business in the arts in a country whose economy is in crisis.
Less than 20 percent of Zimbabwe's people are in formal employment, according to independent economists.
The government introduced a surrogate currency to try and solve a chronic shortage of the US dollar introduced in 2009 to tame hyperinflation but analysts say that will not solve the country's economic problems.
"I feel there is need for a lot of collaboration to happen. We need to have a unified voice as Zimbabwean creatives which is something that lacks and unfortunately that lacks because of broken trust and now to rebuild that trust so people can rely on each other is something that is very difficult and will take a while to be earned and I think that's a reflection of what's actually happening in the economy and politically… it's so volatile," said Karikoga.
A 2016 report by Zimbabwean doctors for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) found that the southern African country is yet to implement breast cancer screening programs nationwide and that there is still limited public awareness of the disease.
Karikoga says she is in remission. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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