TAKUNDA D. NDUMIYANA
NEWS of being allocated to a new home after losing resources and life to a natural phenomenon brought a sigh of relief to most survivors of Tropical Cyclone Idai in Chimanimani, Zimbabwe.
Tropical Cyclone Idai of March 2019 is on record of destroying lives and livelihoods in Chipinge and Chimanimani districts. More than 250 died and thousands others were left injured after the devastating disaster.
The Government of Zimbabwe intervened by building new homes at Chayamiti for survivors. Most survivors have since been relocated to the new homes.
The joy of owning a new home is fading for the beneficiaries who are involved in arts and craft industry. Chayamiti has no market for them.
Oncemore Ndumiyana (52), who lost a son and a home to Tropical Cyclone Idai and survives on crafts, revealed that business is hard to come by at Chayamiti.
Oncemore is a great craftsman who can make different types of beautiful artifacts designed according to the taste of customers.
“I design different kinds of crafts depending on customers’ taste and so far this is my source of income.
“The challenge is that the number of clients have drastically fallen due to the our new location. The area is off-road and had less traffic.
“Arts industry depend on tourism and Chayamiti is no tourist area. As a result, we are finding it difficult to make meaningful business,” he said.
Asked about a possible way forward, Oncemore said that the artists can make business if they recapitalise and network.
“Most of us lost resources and are failing to makes reasonable volumes of artifacts that we can transport them in bulk to far markets. If we could find financial support to recapitalise, we can do better.
“Also, we need networks with established markets. On our own here, the situation shall remain in a sorrowful state. We plead with well-wishers to finance and/or network us,” he added.