The prodigiously talented and renowned award-winning graphic designer Kudzai Chikomo recently wed his varsity sweetheart Resta Nyamwanza, also an award-winning photographer, and current Newsday employee.
Chikomo is the founder of Bulawayo-based Multi-Media Box, a graphic design company whose work has touched all corners of the cultural sector in the City of Kings.
The wedding took place at one of Bulawayo’s leading wedding venues, Mystique, in a glitzy ceremony that drew out the cream of Bulawayo’s newsmakers and celebrities on October 7, 2012.
Imagine a wedding that drew folks the ilk of celebrated playwright and Intwasa Arts Festival director Raisedon Baya, iconic playwright, poet, historian and biographer ubab’ Pathisa Nyathi, accomplished visual artist and Regional director of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe ubab’ Voti Thebe, National Arts Council’s William Nyandoro and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture Reverend Damasane as marriage officer.
There were so many notable people from the cultural industries at the wedding that the entertainment almost became a unity gala as performances flowed from IYASA, Umdumo weSizwe, Simunye Simunye, Umkhathi Arts, Accapella Exponents, Conquerors and Jeys Marabini who graciously shared the platform with one of Zimbabwe’s leading axe men Hudson Simba on guitar. I could’ve sworn I was listening to B.B. King riffing on his Delta Blues.
On Facebook, writer Chritsopher Mlalazi, who is out of the country and could not be there, wrote on Kudzai’s wall; “Wishing you a happy wedding Kudzai and Resta Nyamwanza.”
To top it all, well known MC Babongile Sikhonjwa, backed up by DJ Sound Kulcha (Freeman Mugadza) on the turn tables and PA system, ran a tight shift. He showed why he is perhaps Zimbabwe’s isikhokho when it comes to compeering at gatherings. Sikhonjwa has many aces up his sleeves and one of them is that he is multi-lingual and boy was he on song! He regaled the audience with his witty jokes and had the guests laughing at their own literal expense whilst poking fun at their tribal idiosyncrasies and hang ups.
Media hacks and paparazzi amongst others such as B-Metro’s Lenin Ndebele and Sunday Leisure’s Delta Ndou were also in tow (evidently enjoying themselves begidha blind).
One of the other interesting things about the wedding was that many of the notable guests there have used Kudzai’s design services or have been Resta’s photography clients. In the words of ubab’ Pathisa Nyathi, who gave the main speech, they had all been; “serviced at one or another time by Kudzai Chikomo and Resta Nyamwanza.”
The wedding reception produced such a potent show of unity by Bulawayo artists and gave me a glimpse of the ability of artists to build bridges across tribal lines.
I have known Kudzai and Resta (both Chinhoyi University of Technology alumni) for a while and I can tell you unreservedly, as would many in the Southern region’s cultural industries, that they are two of this country’s brightest hopes in terms of social and cultural impact.
Incidentally, Kudzai Chikomo is also the founder of Zeem.me, a new social network that is fast becoming popular in Bulawayo.
On a lighter note, I was yet to attend a wedding where you had the programme stuck to a green apple as part of the decor and hilariously, some of the guests succumbed to temptation to eat the apples, much to the exasperation of the MC who kept remonstrating with the guilty not to eat the décor!
The drinks were quirkily branded with the faces of the bride and groom. The food was sumptuous and the ambience was one of glamour.
A.M. Kudita