Artist Temba Moyo 

These two separate chameleon works represents the spirit of the magical chameleon. The Shona, frightened of this powerful animal, will never touch it.  According to folklore, one day a curious man saw a chameleon changing colors, and was so fascinated that he picked the little animal 

up—whereupon the startled and angry lizard bit the man's hand and 

stole the color from the palms of the man's hand.  When the Shona 

man saw what had happened, he pleaded with the chameleon to 

please return the color of his hand's palm, but the chameleon 

refused and stated "that will teach people not to pick things up 

without permission!" This good moral is preached by the ambuya or 

grandmother to the grandchildren as a lesson of proper manners in 

life.©