An area of tourism that is often overlooked is the question of the arts and tourism. One of the reasons for this consistent overlooking may be the fact that it is hard to define the term “the arts”. In popular parlance the term usually means what is technically called the “plastic arts”. That is those forms of the arts that are restricted to paintings, sculpture and other visual concepts. Of course, the term can mean much more, from musical and dance performances to theatre, from architecture to poetry readings all are art forms. In fact, anywhere that we find that the embodiment of the soul in communication with other souls we find art. As such we may also think of both athletics and religious expression as a form of art.
Fortune DC is establishing a gallery as the centrepiece for the advancement of art, traditional dance and culture. Dombo gallery is intended to carry more than one genre of art. The ongoing debate about “What constitutes art?” is not a trivial squabble between desiccated academics. It’s an important cultural issue for many people. For instance, as more activities become accepted as “art”, so these activities find their way into the curricula of our best art schools.
The question as to whether dancing is an art form has been debated by philosophers since ancient times. It’s clear, however, that dancing shares many of the same characteristics with other art forms. It is an art form due to its recreational, cultural and storytelling qualities. Dancing is an art form on its own even without music; it’s all about body movement and choreography. Art is often about a concept as mood and emotion help to trigger responses from the audience and the same can be said of dancing. The emotional side of dancing is what creates mystique. For anyone who is still not convinced yet that dance is a form of both ancient and modern art, look no further than the fact that dancing can be seen as a form of literal storytelling, which is universally considered an art. Storytelling can be found in body language and even in more abstract dance styles like modern or contemporary dance.
Cultural tourism is big business. Some people seek to embark on their travels with the sole intention of having a ‘cultural’ experience, whereas others may experience culture as a byproduct of their trip. We can argue that there is some form of cultural tourism in most holidays (even when taking an all inclusive holiday, you might try to taste local beer, for example).
The vision for the construction of a gallery is to show case what the community is capable of producing through dance and by hand to entice tourists to take a piece of Zimbabwe’s culture and craftsmanship back to their home countries. Secondly, to encourage originality and a continual improvement of skills and artistic expression already available in Honde Valley at large.