Mbari Institute for Contemporary African Art
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Roselyne Marikasi

Harare, The Sunshine City, 1998
mixed media on canvas,
dimensions: 42" x 36 1/2 "

""Harare" (the one who does not sleep), capital of Zimbabwe, is known as the "Sunshine City" for its clean streets, tall buildings and bright lights. The City is also the hub of business, and the cosmopolitan center of the country. In Harare you meet the old and new fused together, the village woman and the career woman, the poor and the rich. You will meet those out to flaunt a new style. The competition to out do one another is very much alive. This is also the city where the abandoned, orphaned and abused children, "street kids " seek refuge on the streets, the home for the outcast, and the destitute. Some migrated to the city in search of jobs, and, failing to find them, couldn't stand to go back home empty handed. The once clean streets have become infested, with waste . .The once organized business centers have become a place for trade for anyone wishing to make the quick dollar. Flea markets have sprouted everywhere, everyone in search of the dollar. Prices of basic commodities have soared exorbitantly, and no one can afford them except the rich. Still if you are in the groove and you want to flaunt your style, Harare is the place to be ....Harare, the sunshine city."

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