BERNARD MATEMERA 1946-2002

Bernard Matemera was one of the most important sculptors of the First Generation of sculptures in Zimbabwe.

Matemera was the artistic and inspirational leader at Tengenenge. There was a deep and warm relationship with the owner and founder of Tengenenge Tom Blomefield.

Matemera was the son of a village headman, living near the town of Guruve, Mashonaland in the far north of what was, in 1946, Southern Rhodesia.

He spoke Zezuru, one of the Shona dialects, and had four years of formal primary schooling: like other boys, he herded cattle, made clay pots and carved wood. In 1963 Bernard was working as a contract tractor driver for tobacco farmers in Tengenenge and met Tom Blomefield, whose farm had extensive deposits of serpentine stone suitable for carving. By 1966, Blomefield wanted to diversify the use of his land and welcomed new sculptors onto it to form a community of working artists. This was in part because at that time there were international sanctions against Rhodesia’s white government led by Ian Smith, who had declared Unilateral Declaration of Independence in 1965, and tobacco was no longer able to generate sufficient income.

Matemara was one of the first artists to take up sculpting full-time, joining others including

Henry Munyaradzi, Josia Josia Manzi, Fanizani Akuda, Sylvester Mubayi Manzi, Fanizani Akuda, Sylvester Mubayi and Lemon Moses who formed part of what is now called the First Generation of Zimbabwean sculptors in hard stones.

(wikipedia)

If we visited Tengenenge than there was always a special diner.

Bernard offered us a goose for diner that day and if we like to drink some beer or not, it was common to drink one!