Cities have factories. Rural districts have culture. When you invest in arts, you are actually investing in things that keep the district alive.
A proper arts sector is a local cash economy which tourists do not just come for scenery. They pay for beadwork, mates, crafts and so many. Traditional dance for instance in Mrewa, Tsholotsho, pottery in Vumba. That money does not need Harare banks. A festival stall or craft market puts cash straight into grandmothers’ and youth groups’ hands.
In this world of social vices, youth do not have to leave for greener pastures. Biggest loss for rural districts is talent drain. Arts create work at home: sound techs, musicians, costume makers, MCs, actors, social media managers for local groups. If a young person can sell paintings, teach mbira classes locally, they are less likely to gamble on city migration.
In Nyanga, a district identity which is flag marked by tourism. Every district has mountains/rivers/farms. But only YOUR district has your specific songs, folktales, carving style. Arts make “just another rural area” into “the place with that dance/the baskets/the festival”. That uniqueness is what travel bloggers and tour buses chase.
Arts are a hub to social glue and problem solving. Theatre and D’drama groups in rural wards teach Culture, Heritage, Climate, HIV awareness, farming methods, anti-GBV messages, Drug and Substance Abuse, Child Marriages better than flyers or Posters. Community murals and festivals get elders and youth talking. When people create together, trust goes up. And districts with trust get more done from road repairs to borehole committees.
So arts are not a “nice to have” after development. In rural districts, arts are development: jobs, identity, cohesion, and income all at once.
By Bright Barwe
