Raising awareness of recent changes to the electoral Act of Zimbabwe. It removed the requirement that voters must display their marked ballots to an elections officer before casting. This was to be in effect for the 2013 election.
With only one day to respond designers and artist in Zimbabwe and the daispora were asked to air their views in regards to doing spec work. Based on their context. World wide the debate rages on whether or not to do spec work and its effect on the industry and the changing dynamics in the world of business.
If ZANU PF approached you and asked you to come up with a creative campaign to win the youth, would you consider it? This survey came about during the period running up to the elections and with the knowledge that progressive parties would by now working on their campaigns and would need professionals to provide creative service. Of the 56 people approached, which included designers, fine artists, musicians, journalists, only 14 responded with some siting fear as the reason not to participate. 57% of respondents said they would be willing to work with the party.
(We picked up this rant from mUnetsi on twitter in regards to the supposed Beef going on in the Zimbabwe Hip Hop industry)
In my experiences sometimes beef is fanned by folk who have nothing to do with the music, cats around the artists. Sometimes people target people because it's easier to fight someone than a system. Sit down and let me school you. This is real talk, unbiased. Don't catch feelings youngins.
Art like any other business is subject to the market. Usually, the market determines what is made. So, there are trends in the art world. The kind of art or the type of art that is selling in the UK. We are responding to a market and as we respond to a market, sometimes we get compromised; sometimes we compromise ourselves. But the question is; to what extent can we respond to the market, as to maintain integrity.
There have been so many highlights in the Zimbabwean art world. The biggest which has been the Venice Biennale. Once again, Zimbabwe managed to send artist to represent the nation in the Venice Biennale and that was a big highlight there are a lot of lessons to be learnt from this highlight.
Every time an artist makes something, he wants that piece to communicate and the question is who this person that the artist wants to communicate with.
With our economy; there is a middle class that has emerged. If you go around Zimbabwe, Harare is expanding, there are amazing buildings that are being erected. People are building mansions and you wonder; where is the economy going. People are making money. And you may ask what are they hanging in the walls of their homes.
The Inaugural magazine for sports in schools in Zimbabwe. Initially free for download on their website!
Zimbabwe Legit were one of the pioneering groups of Hip Hop in Zimbabwe.
Masimba Hwati is a fine artist from Zimbabwe, talks about the business of art in Zimbabwe and the compromises artists make to sustain themselves.
