Shona Chief

Chemedu Jemali was born on March 3, 1971 in Harare, where he did his primary education. He and his family then moved to the Shamva township where he completed high school. His family is originally from Malawi and their totem is of the Miranzi (mouse). Chemedu's work focuses on stylized and abstracted figuration, ranging from spirit birds to stylized busts. Chemedu took an interest in carving in the early 1990s, inspired by the success of his older brother, Chituwa, and became an established carver. Initially, he worked as an apprentice to Chituwa who introduced him to carving the local hard stone such as verdite, springstone, cobalt and lemon opal. He has three brothers and one sister; his brother, Salim, is also a full time sculptor. He has become a well known artist not only in the Shona Art Movement, but also in The Netherlands and in Germany: In 2002, he held four exhibition workshops in Germany (Rhauderfern, Steinfurt, Stadhuishal Hengelo and Techlenburg). He likewise held an exhibition in the Chiefs and Spirit Gallery in Den Haag, Netherlands, in which all his works were sold. Chemedu is one of the members of Matopos Association.