Flame of Eternity
Medium
PaintingMaterial
Oil PaintDescription
Keith Zenda – Flame of Eternity
In Flame of Eternity, Keith Zenda draws on Shona and Ndebele traditions to explore the sacred covenant of marriage as a bond that transcends time. The candle’s flame becomes the central metaphor—radiating light, life, and ancestral blessing, while its melting wax reflects sacrifice, resilience, and the trials endured in unity. The two figures, partially illuminated by the glow, symbolize the vow to remain together through hardship and joy, embodying the permanence of kusungirwa (to be bound) in Shona culture. Within Ndebele traditions too, marriage is not just about two individuals but about weaving families and communities together in continuity. By calling this work Flame of Eternity, Zenda affirms that love, once sanctified, carries beyond physical existence, sustained by the eternal fire of spirit and ancestral presence. It is both a tribute to the endurance of vows and a poetic reminder that true union cannot be extinguished, even by death itself.Try it!
