Coffee With Joby #1MillionZimStones
If you were having coffee with me, we would be catching up with Joby R J Wheatley, a master stonemason from the UK, with a grand vision of Resurrection, Restoration, Regeneration & Reputation. #1MillionZimStones is a passion project to bring back the lost art of ancient style stone monuments, building stone monuments across Zimbabwe and training an elite team of stonemasons in the ancient craft.
Joby Wheatley built all six of the UK’s modern Long Barrows—the first such structures in 5,000 years. Since setting eyes on the Great Zimbabwe, he envisions building functional, modern monuments that showcase Zimbabwe’s beauty and inspire future generations, laying 1 million stones in Zimbabwe.
Coffee or Tea?
Coffee. Contrary to expectations that the British prefer tea over coffee. I start my day with coffee. Crack of dawn I am up and ready to face the day.
Why Zimbabwe?
The pieces simply fell into place. My wife is Zimbabwean, and I had this profound dream that said go to Zimbabwe. Here I am, Zimbabwe means Houses Of Stone where my craft could resurrect the ancient art of stone monument construction.
I was looking for a new challenge, a legacy. Stonework creates lasting structures, the last long barrows in the UK were built 5 000 years ago and they are still there today. The ones we built will be there thousands years from now.
I want to pass on my knowledge through a stonemason academy were they can learn from level one all the way to the top. If I took on 10 apprentices and trained them to be elite stonemasons, they could each train 10 others who could train others in turn keeping the craft going.
With support from the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe (NMMZ) they can gain hands-on experience restoring national monuments such as the Great Zimbabwe. Successful apprentices would receive formal qualifications, free to undertake their own commissions.
Won’t you become unnecessary?
If we got to a point there were enough qualified stonemasons that you could say, “We don’t need you anymore, thank you we can now do this ourselves”, my work would be done. According to the NMMZ there’s a lack of Zimbabweans qualified or licensed to do full scale restoration work of monuments such as the Great Zimbabwe. I want to train a new generation of stonemasons who can restore the glory of the Houses of Stone.
You are a long barrow expert how will this work here?
The long barrows are burial tombs but the culture here is different. While I wait to get to the part of where I hit the rocks, I am working on my designs to create monuments more suitable for Zimbabwe such as for prayer, meditation and leisure activities.
As a cultural architect how best would we preserve our culture?
In the way we teach the culture, not just asking people to preserve culture, just because but teaching why something is important. Culture is a fusion of many elements and what we should preserve should be the best parts of each.
The are some who insist that stonemasons should not use powertools, but we are no longer in the stone age. Why spend the whole day banging on a piece of granite when you can use powertools? I have learnt that the granite here is a lot tougher than the stone we worked with in the UK so the techniques one would use would have to change but the craft remains the same.
If aliens came here, why would you be the person they should see
For inspiration. And so that they can tell us how these designs look from space.
Thank you Joby …
as the man says, all he wants to do “is be out there hitting rocks“. He is looking for chance to unleash the era of a Greater Zimbabwe and if you have ideas on how to help make this happen, spread the word or simply want to show support, do reach out.
~B
You can connect with Joby R. J. Wheatley and follow #1MillionZimStones on social media:
Becoming The Muse 
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