When Art Meets Power: What the Dangote - Zimbabwe Ceremony Reveals About the Value of Art.

by Richard Mudariki

African richest man Aliko Dangote gifts Zimbabwean President a painting by Nigerian artist Akeem Adeleke at a $1 billion investment deal at State House in Harare, 12 Nov 2025 (image: Ministry of Information X (Twitter) post*)

At the landmark signing ceremony between the Government of Zimbabwe and the Dangote Group - led by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote - I was struck by an unexpected cultural gesture that stood out amid the billion-dollar investment announcements. Alongside the formal exchange of documents and the ceremonial handshakes, Nigerian business leaders presented President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa with several symbolic gifts. Among them was a painting by Nigerian artist Akeem Adeleke, renowned for his powerful horse compositions and dynamic figurative style. Watching Adeleke’s painting being handed over at the highest level of state engagement instantly placed art at the centre of one of Zimbabwe’s most significant economic agreements in recent years.

For me, this brief moment carried a profound message. In global political and business culture, the gifting of art remains one of the highest forms of respect. Nations, CEOs, monarchs, and presidents have long exchanged artworks to signal trust, esteem, and long-term partnership. So for Dangote and his delegation to arrive with an artwork demonstrated their understanding of art’s role in soft power. It underscored that art is not merely decorative; it is a vessel of identity, a carrier of value, and a cultural asset. Adeleke’s horse imagery, full of motion, strength, and symbolism, was a perfectly aligned metaphor for a ceremony built on ambition, momentum, and the forging of new pathways.

For Zimbabwe, this moment served as an unspoken yet powerful reminder of the role that art should play in leadership, politics, and economic diplomacy. It reinforced what I, and many others in the creative sector, have argued for years: artworks are assets - intellectual, cultural, and financial. The presence of Adeleke’s painting at a billion-dollar signing showed our leadership and business community that art is part of the global language of influence. When nations and corporations engage at the highest level, they exchange not only contracts but culture.

This should prompt real introspection about how Zimbabwe positions its artistic identity in spaces of power. State House, as the symbolic centre of the nation, ought to hold a curated collection of artworks by leading Zimbabwean artists - painters, sculptors, photographers, and multidisciplinary practitioners whose work reflects our history, complexity, and creative brilliance. Presidential residences across the continent already do this, using art to convey cultural confidence, welcome dignitaries, and preserve national legacy. A strong "State House Art Collection" would elevate Zimbabwe’s cultural stature and demonstrate long-term investment in the creative economy.

What this Dangote ceremony made clear is that even in moments dominated by economic strategy, political negotiation, and billion-dollar commitments, art remains a key indicator of value. It becomes the witness to history, the object that outlives the signing, and the symbol that future generations remember. By gifting a painting, Nigerian leadership showed how art aligns naturally with ambition and nation-building. Zimbabwe now has a chance to respond - not only by appreciating such gestures, but by recognising our own artists as national assets whose works belong in the halls of power.

I am pressed to stress that the presence of Adeleke’s painting was no accident. It was intentional, thoughtful, and deeply symbolic. It showed Zimbabweans that in defining historical moments, leaders turn to art to express what figures and contracts cannot. Art continues to hold value, shape perception, and leave an imprint long after the cameras have turned away.

Richard Mudariki is an artist and cultural producer. He holds a BA Honours in Cultural Heritage Management and Museology from the Midlands State University.

*all image copyrights observed