Defying the barriers placed by borders, creative fields and different cultures, 4 creatives from Zimbabwe and the UK converged in the city of Bulawayo for 4 days to collaborate on a unique project.
The artists worked under the guidance of a renowned local producer and got the opportunity to share industry knowledge, cultural experiences and bridge the creative divide under what was dubbed as the, Interstellar Intercity-Residency.
About Interstellar
Interstellar is an intercity residency and hub-exchange program among participants in Mutare, Bulawayo , Harare and London where selected participants from the different cities travel and participate in a practical collaborative digital content creation workshop. Interstellar is under Scripts and Bars.
Delivered by Kay Media Africa and UK-based Reprezent (UK), Scripts and Bars is a digital content creation programme that brings together 100 creatives from Zimbabwe and UK to deliver collaborative artwork across the Music and Literature sectors. The project is supported by British Council in partnership with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
The project seeks to enhance the digital content creation capacity and enterprise skills of creatives and arts organisations in Zimbabwe whilst strengthening their livelihoods, supporting job creation and increasing their access to networks.
What Went Down
The Interstellar Residency took place from the 13th to 16th of July in Bulawayo.
The intercity hub- exchange programme saw four creatives including Margaret Chideme (Poet), Tafadzwa Shumba (Comic Book Artist), Novuyo (Musician) and Patrick Denny (Music Producer) converge in Bulawayo to collaborate on a project assigned by renowned music producer, Keith Kuhudzai.
With over a decade of experience in the music industry and having worked with some of Zimbabwe’s most popular artists, Kuhudzai offered his expertise and guidance to these breakthrough creatives and helped them complete their project.
The project, which was to be completed over three days, required the artist, hailing from London, Mutare, Bulawayo and Harare, collaborate to produce a piece that combined poetry, digital art and music.
Working through writer’s block, jet lag and cultural differences, the four artists rose up to the challenge presented and worked tirelessly on their project throughout their stay.
But it wasn’t all work and no play as the creatives also had the opportunity to network with each other, sightsee places of interest within the city as well as sample some local cuisine at popular hotspots in Bulawayo.
The residency culminated in a micro conference where the creatives had the opportunity to showcase their project, a song titled, Ubuntu.
The song, which the artist performed live, included vocals by Novuyo, a spoken-word/rap feature by Margaret Chideme and production by Patrick Denny. Comic Book artist, Tafadzwa Shumba, contributed his skill to the project by designing a cover and visualizer to accompany the song.
During the micro-conference, the artists also gave exclusive insight into their creative process and shared their experience during the residency. For musician, Novuyo the greatest take away from the residency was the power of collaboration and the confidence that each of them will be able to leverage each other’s networks in the future.
“It will be easier to break into London through Patrick [Denny] and Patrick can breakthrough Africa through me,” she noted and vice versa for all the artist involved.
It is clear to see that the residency was successful in widening these artists networks, increasing their industry knowledge and encouraging future collaboration between Zimbabwe and the UK.
About Comexposed
Comexposed is the organisation behind the Zimbabwean Digital Arts, Technology and Innovation Convention, Converge.
Comexposed is the collective effort of digital artists and creators in Zimbabwe showcasing their work, progress, and dreams and aims to bring together Zimbabwean digital creators under one banner to foster collaboration, knowledge sharing and growth in skills. To this end, Comexposed has built a community of digital creators breaking the boundaries in Zimbabwe, Africa and the World.
About the British Council
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. British Council build’s connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and other countries through arts and culture, education and the English language.
About Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is the agency for international cooperation of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA).
The SDC is responsible for the overall coordination with other federal authorities of development and cooperation with Eastern Europe as well as for humanitarian aid delivered by the Swiss Confederation.
About Khura Agency
Khura Agency is an A2B AGENCY – ARTIST TO BUSINESS agency helping artists do business creatively &efficiently. Khura provides the final connection with their audience, the smarter approach in the creative hustle.
About Reprezent
Broadcasting since 2011, and now from 3 shipping containers in Brixton, Reprezent Radio prides itself on its forward-thinking underground music. Reprezent’s DJ’s and presenters all work in the music industry; produce their own music, run their own labels and club nights- meaning the station’s sound is always on the cutting edge of music- across every single genre imaginable.
About Page Poetry Alive
Page Poetry Alive (PPA) is a poetry collective that nurtures storytellers from page poets to Spoken Word artists with a focus on Youth Development and explorative work.
Founded in March 2017, PPA has become a hub for the growth of brands within the arts and culture sectors. It started as a hub serving a community of creatives from in and around Harare, but it has now spread to areas outside Zimbabwe and beyond: working with artists from Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, UK, Barbados, Malawi, USA, Mauritius and Zambia. The main aim being to practice art coexistence and encourage experimental work while facilitating exchange across art forms.