Of The Stone Whisperer Of Harare David Ngwerume

Meet David Ngwerume the Zimbabwean lawyer and stone whisperer, who teases out exquisite works of art from stone taking advantage of the world’s attention to showcase the beautiful stones of Zimbabwe: The House Of Stone.

The stones David uses such as springstone-chromite, lepidolite and chrysoprase which can be found locally along mineral belts in areas like Chiweshe, Great Dyke, Mutorashanga, Kwekwe and Redcliff. Some of the stones are mineral ores, such black springstone, a hard serpentine rock that is rich in iron which polishes to a beautiful black.

David Ngwerume made the headlines after a COVID jab inspired artwork titled Arms went viral.

The black springstone sculpture depicts a health worker’s disembodied hands poised to inject a vaccine into the arm of a half figure of a woman wearing a surgical mask….

The lines David used prompted me to reach out to an ask if we could use the image as a visual cue in the Afrobloggers Wednesday Poetry Evenings on Twitter.  

BE STILL and know that MY ARM upholds you. You cannot be erased from the palm of MY HAND. I have bought you for a price and loved you with an EVERLASTING LOVE therefore…LIVE fully.

Sculpture: ARMS
Stone : Springstone
ThouArt. David.C.Ngwerume pic.twitter.com/Kw8HAfaVBZ

— David Ngwerume (@DavidNgwerume) April 5, 2021

Tonight's image comes courtesy of artwork by David C. Ngerume

Sculpture: ARMS

"BE STILL and know that MY ARM upholds you."

Check him out on Twitter and Facebook @DavidNgwerume (tag him for credit the world needs to see this)#AbWPE
~B pic.twitter.com/dla7cEa48M

— African Bloggers (@AfroBloggers) April 7, 2021

David Ngwerume in his own way is hammering home a message to curb the spread of the global pandemic, encouraging people to mask up and to get the jab. The renowned sculptor said art is a reflection of perception in every society and has a vital role to play.

Stop for a while,
Let me tell you a tale,
I posed for a nurse,
As would a poet his muse,
Left side or right side
I had to decide,
One tiny jab for me,
And hope for mankind,
Be kind to me
These arms got the jab.#AbWPE
Sculpture by @DavidNgwerume pic.twitter.com/UYS33ywRaD

— ~B 🇿🇼 (@Beatonm5) April 8, 2021

“Good art is the one that reflects the society, looks into the past, present and future, and it’s contemporary and brings all that together to formulate messages that can be dissent and be communicated, and that can also relate with a society towards changing the world into the better,” said David in an interview with Xinhuanet

“The iconic Michael Jackson was the first celebrity to move around wearing a mask and gloves.” Ngwerume explains that now that we have the COVID pandemic. We are now wearing masks.. His sculpture MJ shows a finger pointing to us as a people to say: Mask Up.

“The New Normal” is a piece which draws inspiration from the world’s reality due to the pandemic and showcases a woman, carved in the shape of the African map, wearing a headscarf and a surgical mask.

Ngwerume who is a senior partner at a law firm in Harare, Zimbabwe, begun sculpting as a teenager but it was during the pandemic and the resultant lockdown when their offices shutdown that he had the time to focus on his creative outlet. Since lockdown started last year David has been working on three collections three collections of my pieces which are ‘Taking the reins’, ‘Covid-19’ and ‘Thy Next World’.

Covid-19 Gallery features the Covid themed art, while Taking The Reins is a horse themed collection inspired by David’s love for horses. Pieces such as “Rising Stallion” and “Daring a Mustang”, made from the stone brown chrysoprase, not only brings out these animals’ wildness and beauty but according to the artist, reflects how close to humanity their feelings are…

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The artwork is currently not for sale despite numerous offers he has been offered from across the globe, instead David plans to host an exhibition around July, August and September. David Ngwerume told the Herald he has over 100 sculptures at his home and studio in Greendale and has been working on unveiling a new piece every week.

The 40 year old creative who is not only a lawyer but a visual artist as well a culinary artist plans on starting the biggest sculptor art centre in Zimbabwe to help others as he has been helped to hone craft and not be idle.

Follow David Ngwerume on the following social media platforms

Twitter @DavidNgwerume Facebook David Ngwerume Instagram DavidNgwerume