 In order to increase contact between the artist and the guest, we regularly invite the artists to meet and mingle with guests. In addition, we have established the Gallery Foundation that promotes local artists and heritage and supports foreign artists in the following ways:
Assisting local artists and craftsmen
The Gallery Foundation assists local artists – from all over Mozambique but especially from Catembe and the nearby capital city of Maputo – in various ways including grants to purchase materials and by helping them to exhibit and sell their work.
Exchange of ideas among artisans and artists
The Gallery Foundation supports a special programme whereby not-so-wealthy artists from abroad are invited to stay for free at the hotel in exchange for an art piece or performance. They are requested to organize at least one workshop with local artists to exchange experiences. A number of internationally renowned musicians have visited Catembe Gallery Hotel and there is always the chance that one may be lucky enough to experience an impromptu concert in our amphitheatre.
Preserving heritage in Mozambique
In order to make the local culture and history accessible to guests and visitors, Catembe Gallery Hotel took the initiative to incorporate a small museum that documents the history of the region and the hotel – most notably the life of the first Mozambican President, Samora Machel, who lived and worked in the Catembe district before Independence and took refuge in the hotel on several occasions during the Liberation War. The museum is now registered with the Ministry of Education and Culture and the entire hotel building has been recently classified as a historical and cultural heritage of Mozambique. The Gallery Foundation supports documentation for the museum, focusing particularly on oral history, local traditions, belief systems, ceremonies and traditional skills.
|
Art is both creation and recreation. (