Norbert Shamuyarira, one of the best artists of the post-independence generation once said, up to now, I still dont know what happiness is and one feels the prevailing sense of sadness and insecurity in his work. The characters he carves always move with self-protecting gestures, and appear haunted by fear or despair. The softness of their facial features and his great mastery in handling the stone, often moderate the tragic nature of his work. His art focuses on the absence of women.

Born in Chinhoyi in 1962, Norbert Shamuyarira lost his mother when he was nine, and very soon after her death, was deserted by his father. His brother later committed suicide. He started sculpting in 1979 with Bernard Takawira and worked with him for four years in Chitungwiza.