TAKUDZWA HILLARY CHIWANZA
HARARE – The craft of stone masonry, rooted in thousands of years of perfection, seems to have been a lost art in the contemporary, notwithstanding all its magnificent wonder. And speaking of this wonder—such was the grandeur of this craft, across all civilizations in the world, to the point that white settlers refused to acknowledge that the Great Zimbabwe was constructed by Africans (but we know such mendacious narratives to be egregiously frivolous and hollow).
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| Joby Wheatley [Image: Supplied] |
Yet, this is what draws Joby Wheatley to this grandiose art of stone masonry to create monuments that inspire posterity—a craft demanding the highest levels of creativity and hard work. His is a relentless passion, fuelled by remarkable gusto, to ensconce himself in this rich cultural history and create these wonders that seem to be rendered antiquated.
Inspired by the work of ancient stone masons both from his country England and from Zimbabwe, where he currently resides, Wheatley is embarking on what some may think to be a wildly ambitious project—returning back to the lost art of unparalleled stone masonry with one million stones from Zimbabwe, a country with a rich history and heritage safely engraved in his heart. And he is very serious about it. In his own words: “I don't play games.” In all fairness, Joby Wheatley is a name to remember, and this what this piece will bring to the fore. For his project, termed #1MillionZimStones, is one that should be talked about often, and receive all the requisite support for it to come to fruition as envisaged.
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| Inside some of the builds by Joby Wheatley |
But, a bit about Wheatley's background first, for there is every reason to believe in his honourable initiative; because he is such a dedicated specialist in his craft.
About Joby Wheatley - A visionary stone mason
His journey starts with an early career in brickwork – as he commenced with a four-year bricklaying apprenticeship from 15 years of age to 19 with Wimpy Taylor, qualifying with a distinction in advanced brickwork (the highest qualification you can get in England for brickwork).
But driven by a burning desire to achieve more, he soon started to feel exasperated with brickwork, considering it "easy" and lacking in creative and technical sophistication. This marked the beginning of his gradual way towards the path of stone masonry—in which he has become a masterful professional as of today.
After leaving brickwork, spending five years in the profession, he began another apprenticeship in stonework under the guidance and aegis of 5th generation master mason Geriant Davies. And his genuine passion for stonework did not take long to manifest.
"As soon I started the apprenticeship with Geriant Davies, I knew 'This is it, this is what I'm meant to do.' Once I found my passion, I didn't care about bricks or building houses. Since then I have never looked back," Wheatley said in a conversation with this author for ZimSphere.
In the space of two years after he commenced the apprenticeship with Davies, he let his creative freedom work the magic for him—he became a foreman several builds including modern day longbarrows, last built thousands of years ago. He was featured on televised national news, and he was mentioned in a number of magazines and newspapers. With the creative freedom spurring him to forge quality work, he soon started to work with many clients, taking charge of large commercial and private builds which included numerous different styles of stonework. His path as a deft stone mason was now certain.
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| A longbarrow built by Joby Wheatley |
He prides himself with having resurrected the building of longbarrows in the United Kingdom, becoming a leading authority in their construction as he intimated us. Justified, because longbarrows are no longer being built—just as in Zimbabwe no one is building another Nalatale or Great Zimbabwe. "So in the UK they didn't build a longbarrow. A longbarrow is an ancient tomb, and they stopped building them when Christianity came to England. So there wasn't one built for five thousand years," he said. "Geriant Davies and I built the first one in five thousand years, and since then I've built six in the UK. I'm the UK's number one longbarrow builder" he remarked, with an air of excellence in his tone.
This auspicious start with building longbarrows marked the genesis of his fervent belief in the themes of resurrection, restoration, regeneration, and reputation as the chief pillars undergirding his current works. With such stonework brilliance now safely stored in his creative armoury, family events conspired to bring Wheatley to Zimbabwe; sparking the flames of the #1MillionZimStones scheme. His Zimbabwean wife, with whom he has two children, insisted that she needed to return to Zimbabwe so that she could spend time with her parents here. Not even once did Wheatley protest this decision—a decision that would see him become greatly endeared to the enduring stonework Zimbabwe is blessed with. "I love it here; it's beautiful," Wheatley beamed, adding a little note about Zimbabwe's near-perfect weather as opposed to the UK's.
About the #1MillionZimStones project
Now, circling back to the #1MillionZimStones initiative. For Wheatley, what matters most with supreme importance is incorporating the original designs of the "elder masons" of Zimbabwe, paying respect to their iconoclastic ways of architecture. "To me, they are my elders. I cannot come and say I want to change how we do things. I have to pay respect to their heritage...I don't play games." he said.
This is what informs the #1MillionZimStones project: building several stone monuments across Zimbabwe, to be used for different purposes by people; while training other highly qualified builders (who will become excellent stone masons) from Zimbabwe in the process; so that ultimately these specialized masons can embark on projects of restoring several ruins across the country. It will take a million stones to achieve. And he wants Zimbabweans involved in this process, which he acknowledges will take a very long time. "You are the house of stone, you should have the quality here. The houses of stone should be built in-house," Wheatley said.
In essence the plan revolves around his designs and the monuments he will build that can be used as showpieces that will train young Zimbabwean builders—in the broader context of what can be achieved, i.e., resurrecting Zimbabwe's ruins. He is in the process of building a church made with stones, where people can come to pray. He stresses that the monuments he builds should serve a function. In this, he wants to inspire more reputation for stone masonry.
Hence, resurrection, restoration, regeneration, and reputation. The resurrection stage is concerned with the building of various monuments made of stone (resurrecting the art of masonry); and then when people (the trained by Wheatley) are now highly qualified, the restoration phase begins, where the already-existing monuments – with their rich historical heritage – are fixed.
"That [stone masonry] skillset will regenerate, and then by default, it would boost the reputation of Zimbabwe as world-leading stone masons," Wheatley emphasised. "It's long term. It will probably take the rest of my life. So it's the resurrection, restoration, regeneration, and reputation."
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| Some of the showpieces by Joby Wheatley |
To this effect, he told us that he is not keen on training huge numbers of builders; he will take a few, guiding and nurturing them into becoming elite members of the stonework profession. His is an undying belief that the #1MillionStonesZim project can only make sense if it involves Zimbabweans themselves. "I train ten people, and when they are elite, they train another ten, and in many generations to come you've got many elite masons. Now we're talking ... It's about planting the seeds," he said.
Wheatley highlighted that he is still in the process of engaging the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe (NMMZ) so that it can approve the issuance of certificates to builders he will be training. He also said he is approaching many other stakeholders, including property developers and other government departments, to see how the #1MillionZimStones scheme can get a stamp of approval and the requisite support. "I'm not here to build houses, I've been doing that since I was 15-years-old. I'm here to build monuments and teach," he quipped, as a person who eschews "shoddy jobs". Joby Wheatley is definitely playing a critical role in the restoration of true Zimbabwean builds.
The Great Zimbabwe inspiration
Of course, the ageless nature and structure of the Great Zimbabwe greatly captivates him. "If you look at the stonework of Great Zimbabwe, you can tell they were very intelligent people. I do designs; you can't just say 'I'm now laying a rock,' it shows Great Zimbabwe was clearly thought out. The geometry, the maths involved; these were highly intelligent, very skilled masons," he said. "The quality of the stones; it's almost like they had machinery! It was a thousand people working on it to get that perfect stone. If you knew how long it takes to work one stones...they had a technique which has been lost."
Wheatley believes the passage of time has led to the disappearance of stone masonry in the contemporary, as it is expensive to build with stones when contrasted with bricks. Modernity has massively changed things; where construction should be rushed and money must be made by all involved. This should not be the case with the stonework project he is embarking on, he said.
For him, the brilliance of Great Zimbabwe should be replicated in modern-day stonework builds, and creative freedom should not be stifled. Where others assert that Great Zimbabwe was not the work of Zimbabweans, Wheatley counters by drawing immense inspiration from such a wonder in order to convey meaning in today's society.
He radiates profound respect for ancient African architecture, and advocates for a return to the circle designs in our modern buildings—because the "circle is the strongest shape, the more natural way of doing things in ancient times, it's the strongest way; look to the circles for identity – my designs are circles".
Conclusion
Joby Wheatley told us he still has a lot more to learn ever since he came back to Zimbabwe. He still has many more ruins to visit, as his dream is visiting all of them in the country. For seeing is believing.
And to conclude: Wheatley's grand vision is achievable with the right and enough support. His extensive catalogue of work, from many years of solid work experience, mirrors a deep commitment to excellence, showcasing designs that, if commissioned, are poised to inspire awe among the people of Zimbabwe.
The #1MillionZimStones project strives to instill pride in the nation’s "houses of stone," transforming them into dynamic spaces for communal celebration, whether religious, social, or private. Rather than merely visiting ruins, citizens will have the opportunity to engage with these functional monuments, which play an indispensable role in honouring and building a Greater Zimbabwe.
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