Larry Norton: A resilient, ethical, personal brand & environmental steward

Internationally celebrated Zimbabwean artist Larry Norton is a patriotic compatriot who places environmental sustainability at the heart of his work. Larry is an amazing human being who is generous with his time and talent.

The road to Larry Norton’s Victoria Falls home winds through the heart of one of Africa’s most spectacular natural wonders, near the thundering mists that have inspired countless artists, poets, and dreamers. But for Larry, this isn’t just a place of beauty; it’s a battleground where art meets activism, where creativity confronts commerce, and where one man’s vision stands firmly against the forces threatening to commercialise one of the world’s most precious heritage sites.

My visit to Larry’s humble abode a few weeks ago revealed a man whose passion burns as fiercely as the Zambezi River plunges into the gorge below. His home, unpretentious yet purposeful, serves as both sanctuary and command centre for his dual mission as artist and environmental warrior. The modest structure belies the intensity of purpose within, where Larry’s very busy studio hums with the energy of creative passion.

Walking through his workspace, one immediately senses the convergence of artistic vision and environmental conscience. Canvases line the walls, each one a testament to Zimbabwe’s natural splendour, but they carry deeper messages, urgent calls for preservation, pleas for sanity in the face of unchecked development, and celebrations of the wild spaces that define our national identity. It was here, surrounded by this artistic manifestation of environmental stewardship, that Larry presented me with a beautiful and precious art print of Victoria Falls.

This generous gift marked the second such presentation Larry has made to me, each accompanied by touching messages expressing his gratitude for my work as a publisher and journalist. In a country where press freedom remains under constant threat, where journalists face intimidation for reporting the truth, and publishers must navigate treacherous waters to maintain editorial independence, Larry’s acknowledgement carries profound weight.

The art print itself captures the raw power and ethereal beauty of Victoria Falls, but like all of Larry’s work, it transcends mere representation. Each brushstroke seems to whisper warnings about the fragility of this natural wonder, and each colour choice reflects the urgency of preservation. When the Kololo/Tonga tribe named these falls “Mosi-oa-Tunya”, the smoke that thunders, they could never have imagined that the greatest threat would come not from drought or geological shift, but from human greed masquerading as progress.

Larry’s love for the environment and Victoria Falls in particular has transformed him from an artist into a legal combatant, taking on the rich and mighty to fight for ecological sustainability at this world heritage site. His courtroom battles against the mushrooming commercial projects threatening the ecologically sensitive Victoria Falls area represent more than environmental activism; they embody the soul of a nation grappling with the tension between development and preservation.

The out-of-control commercial development Larry fights threatens to disrupt ancient animal migration routes that have existed for millennia. These pathways, carved by generations of elephants, buffalo, and countless other species, represent natural highways essential to the ecosystem’s survival. When developers bulldoze these routes, they sever connections that took thousands of years to establish, potentially collapsing entire ecological networks.

The irony isn’t lost on Larry or any thinking Zimbabwean: the very commercialisation meant to boost tourism threatens to destroy what tourists come to see. Victoria Falls attracts visitors precisely because of its pristine wilderness, its sense of untamed Africa, and its ability to transport people into a world where nature still reigns supreme. Strip away that authenticity with garish commercial development, and Zimbabwe risks killing the goose that lays the golden egg.

What strikes me most about Larry Norton is how seamlessly he weaves together artistic expression and environmental advocacy. His studio isn’t just where he creates art; it’s where he strategises legal challenges, where he plans awareness campaigns, and where he transforms creative vision into practical action. In a nation where artists often feel marginalised, Larry has carved out a unique space where creativity serves conservation.

Through his brush and palette, Larry serves as a visual historian, capturing for future generations our rich heritage of beautiful landscapes, plants, and animals. His canvases preserve moments in time that might otherwise be lost to development’s relentless march. Future Zimbabweans will look at Larry’s work to understand what their country once was, what it could be again, and what must be protected at all costs.

Larry’s global reach has amplified his voice but also increased the risks he faces. Like journalists in Zimbabwe who are routinely intimidated and imprisoned without charge for reporting uncomfortable truths, Larry has been threatened by the politically powerful, whose commercial interests and his activism challenge. Yet Larry, like the most courageous journalists, refuses to be silenced. 

The connection between environmental destruction and democratic erosion isn’t coincidental. The same forces that would silence journalists are often those that would sacrifice Zimbabwe’s natural heritage for short-term profit. The same lack of transparency that enables press persecution also facilitates environmental destruction. When decision-making occurs in shadows, when public input is discouraged, when criticism is criminalised, both democratic institutions and natural ecosystems suffer.

As I reflected on Larry’s gift, safely delivered to my hotel through his thoughtful arrangement, I understood its deeper significance. That art print represents continuity in the face of threat, beauty persisting despite ugliness, hope enduring through darkness. It captures not just Victoria Falls’ physical magnificence but the spiritual resilience required to protect it. 

Larry Norton reminds us that artists can be warriors, that beauty can be resistance, and that sometimes the most important battles are fought not just in courtrooms or newsrooms, but in studios where vision meets purpose, where creativity serves conservation, and where one person’s unwavering commitment can inspire a nation to protect its most precious treasures. Larry has built a personal brand that is rooted in courage, ethics, generosity, humility and environmental consciousness. 

Larry has been a guest on In Conversation With Trevor