s t u n n i n g    s t o n e

I, Canaan Musiyiwa Ngandu was born on the 6^th June 1972 in Goromonzi, but my rural home is in Chiweshe Mashonganyika Kraal Musiyiwa Village, 3Km from Nzvimbo growth point.  I am of the Soko Murimirwa (Mukanya) totem.

I grew up in Chitungwiza and did my primary education at Seke ll Primary school from 1979 to 1985 and secondary level at Seke 5 High School from 1986 to 1989.  From school I worked as an assistant upholsterer in Msasa Industrial Area for two years up to 1991.

My career as an artist started early in 1992 when I started working as an assistant to one of the renowned first generation artists – the late Masaya.  I was working on a part time basis for the sake of supplementing the meagre income that I was earning from where I was working in the industries.  It took me two and a half years working with Mr Masaya, by then I was working full time as an artist.

In 1995 I moved on to work with another renowned artist – the late Kennedy Migari for about one year.  In 1996 I produced my first piece, it was a stork bird.  All of these artists I worked with were very courageous and inspirational.  I do not hesitate to say that they moulded and shaped me to be an artist that I am today.  I enjoy carving visionary and creative sculptures combining nature with human feelings and both the modern and ancestral way of living.  That is, I carve abstracts in the human form, birds and heads etc.  My sculptures are displayed in galleries across the world – in Holland, Belgium, U.S.A., United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia and Chapungu in Zimbabwe.

I am happily married to Fenia and we have a son and a daughter – Tashinga and Chido.