Sepp Blatter was presented with Bryn Taurai Mteki's sculpture

World-renowned sculptor/musician Bryn Taurai Mteki was introduced to FIFA president Sepp Blatter when Zimbabwe Football Association commissioned him to craft a special memento of the country when the latter visited Zimbabwe during his recent historic visit on July 4.

Mr Cuthbert Dube, President of Zifa, presented Blatter with a sculpture of the ‘Zimbabwe Bird’, the iconic figure that appears on the national flag, Coat of Arms and bank notes of the country.

The origin of the ‘Zimbabwe Bird’ emblem is the soapstone carvings found at the Great Zimbabwe Ruins. The Ruins are an Iron Age site 27-kilometres south-east of the town of Masvingo in the centre of the country and are the remains of village built between 1200 AD and 1450 AD. The word 'Zimbabwe' is derived from the Shona words dzimba dza mabwe, which mean "house of stone".

The gift was extremely well received by the FIFA president, who would have come across Mteki’s work before, as the sculptor produced the ‘Calabash Women’ sculptures that adorned Johannesburg’s Sandton Square during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

The 35-year-old Mteki, who also goes by the name Sekurutau, has exhibited his work all over the world, including the USA, UK, Germany, France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Russia, Japan and Singapore, and is one of the leading figures in the art from the African continent.

He comes from a long line of renowned sculptors, first learning the trade from the age of 11. His father, Richard, is a leading figure who also exhibited around the world and taught his son using hands-on experience. His uncle, Boira Mteki, was also revered for his word and was one of the first African sculptors to be recognised globally.

Unlike his father, Bryn has generally explored much more contemporary subjects of conversation, relationships, love and society, without ignoring his spiritual beliefs that also play a big part in his work.

Away from sculpture, Mteki is also a renowned musician. Taking advice from his friend, American recording artist R Kelly, he released his first album, Kurauone, in 2000 and it sold Platinum. He has released seven more albums, the last in 2007. 

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