10/06/2026
Press Release
Voices of Peace_ Exhibition
At Delta Nhaka Gallery, Executive Director Hellen Matsvisi delivered a defining speech against xenophobia and war during the launch of _Voices of Peace_, a major exhibition featuring 60+ artists.Selected by Evans Mutenga, Mercy Moyo and Nothando Chiwanga and Curated by the Director,which is currently running and open for viewing at 110 Livingstone avenue, the show confronts the global surge in armed conflict and social unrest, with artworks that speak directly to peace, human security, and coexistence.
Voices of Peace Exhibition — Director’s Address
Delta Nhaka Gallery
Good evening, distinguished guests, artists, friends, and fellow believers in peace.
I stand before you tonight at Delta Nhaka Gallery, established by the late visionaries Helen Lieros and Derek Huggins. For decades, this gallery has been more than walls and canvas. It has been a home. A launching ground. A place where young artists find their voice — and learn to make it fly.
That is our first mission: to nurture the next generation. Every child who picks up a brush in a township, every teenager sketching by candlelight, carries a world inside them. But without space, without mentorship, without someone saying “I see you,” that world stays hidden. Delta Nhaka exists so those worlds can be seen. So young artists get exhibitions, not excuses. So they don’t just dream of flying — we give them the sky.
And tonight, we use that sky to speak of peace.
Because in 2026, peace is under attack on every level. Not as an abstract idea, but in real ways:
International peace is strained by threats of invasion and broken diplomacy.
National peace is torn by civil wars and de facto partitions inside nations.
Regional peace fractures as violence spills across borders and blocs split apart.
Human security collapses when children are killed, families displaced, and water systems shattered.
Economic peace bleeds when trade routes are blocked and resources fund war instead of bread.
Political peace erodes as democracy backslides and repression sparks unrest.
Social peace breaks when xenophobia rises, when neighbor turns on foreigner, when tribe fears tribe.
Environmental peace burns as climate shocks drive hunger and displacement.
Children’s peace the right to safety, school, and life — is violated daily.
Multilateral peace weakens when the institutions meant to stop war are paralyzed, and humanitarian appeals go unfunded.
This is 2026: the highest number of armed conflicts since WWII. Nearly 100 nations caught in external conflicts. This is not far away. When one child dies in war, every mother on earth feels it. When xenophobia wins in one street, it poisons the next.
So we gather under _Voices of Peace_ to say: Art is not a luxury in times of war. It is a weapon against it.
We raise awareness because silence is agreement. We hang these works so you cannot look away. Each piece asks you: What are you doing for peace in your street? Peace in your organization? Peace in Africa? Peace in your own heart?
Because peace is not just the absence of missiles. Peace is a father who comes home sober. Peace is a boardroom that listens. Peace is a continent that feeds its own. Peace is a community that welcomes the stranger instead of fearing them. Peace is an individual who forgives. If we don’t practice peace in the small rooms, we will never have it in the nations.
Delta Nhaka Gallery was built on the belief that art shapes culture, and culture shapes peace. The next generation is watching. If we give them paint, not guns… if we give them exhibitions, not exile… if we give them hope, not headlines of horror — they will build the Africa we pray for.
So tonight, buy the art. But more than that, carry the message. Speak of peace at your dinner table. Teach it in your company. Fund it in your community. Stand against xenophobia in your street. And let these young artists know: your voice matters, and peace begins with you.
This gallery was started to make sure beauty outlives brutality. In their memory, and for our children’s future, let us choose peace — in everything, for everyone.
Thank you. May peace begin with us.
