By Panashe Karidzagundi
AT just 16 years old, emerging young artist Pride Gara is turning heads with his exceptional drawing talent, a gift he believes will one day make him one of Africa’s greatest.
Gara says his passion for drawing began while he was still in primary school after being inspired by one of his schoolmates in Grade 6.
However, at the time, he could not fully focus on art because he was concentrating on his Grade 7 examinations.
“My drawing journey really started when I was in Form One,” said Pride. “I remember my friend Liberty Zulu drawing a cartoon and I challenged him to a drawing competition. I won, and that gave me confidence because by then I loved drawing and had no one to compete with.”
His confidence grew further in 2022 when he participated in a drawing competition organised by the, District Annual Science, Sports, and Arts Festivals (DASSAF), while still in Form One.
Out of 16 contestants, Gara finished in fourth position, an experience he said became a turning point in his life.
“That competition gave strength to my skills,” he said. “The person who won was in Form Six, and I felt I could have done better if I had prepared properly, I didn’t have proper materials or enough ideas at the time. After losing, I cried a lot.”
Instead of giving up, Gara used the disappointment as motivation to improve his craft.
He began researching ways to sharpen his drawing skills and later discovered a WhatsApp channel that taught him how to draw realistic human portraits.
“Before that, I only drew cartoons and animals,” he said. “The lessons helped me improve a lot.”
Gara said he finds inspiration in silence and solitude.
“I like drawing when I’m in a quiet place,” he said. “Sometimes when I’m seated alone, I start seeing visions, then I pick up my pencil or pen and start drawing. Back then people used to laugh at me because I drew things they could not see.”
His passion for art often got him into trouble at school.
“Sometimes I would bunk lessons and use my exercise books for drawing, just by looking in the sky, I could draw a flying Bird,” said Gara.
Despite his remarkable talent, Pride faces major challenges, chief among them being a lack of proper drawing materials.
“I don’t have enough materials to use, but if I get enough resources, I can produce quality work,” he said.
Currently, the young artist does not have fixed prices for his artwork, Instead, clients usually buy materials and pay him according to mutual agreement.
“I wish to have all the materials and equipment needed for drawing,” he said. “I believe in the next few years I will become one of the best artists in Africa. I also want to be able to support my family and my two siblings aged 17 and 8.”
Gara told the media that he eventually dropped out of school in Form Four after fully discovering his talent and deciding to focus on building his future through art.
Speaking about Gara’s journey, his grandmother and current guardian, Annah Bingepinge, said she initially did not understand his passion.
“Tinashe used to draw on his clothes and even his siblings’ clothes,” she said. “He would take a shirt with a printed picture and try to copy it onto another shirt. Back then I used to beat him because I thought he was wasting time instead of focusing on school.”
Bingepinge said, she now appreciates the talent Gara possesses.
“Now I fully understand him and his gift,” she said. “I wish him all the best and I hope his skills continue to improve as I nurture him in the right way.”
With determination, raw talent and growing community support, Pride Gara’s story is proving that sometimes greatness begins with a simple pencil and a dream.