RESILIART Accelerator Zimbabwe mentees have spoken highly of the project and what they intend to do with the skills that they have acquired during the cohort.
ResiliArt Accelerator is a pilot project which mentors five female creatives in Zimbabwe to equip them with entrepreneurial skills with a desire to formalise creative businesses.
The project, funded by Unesco and the embassy of Japan also addresses the persisting gender parity in the creative industry, further exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Five females were selected to the pilot project, which saw mentorship starting in June up to December.
The mentees are Nothando Chiwanga, a performing artiste and photographer, Nasibo, a musician, Thandokuhle Sibanda- a Bulawayo-based poet, Yolanda Ngwenya, a Bulawayo-based fashion designer and Prudence Nyahangare who is into visual art.
Chiwanga (25), the photographer and performing artiste whose goals for her creative business are to hold workshops in schools and opening an art school for young kids said photography brings back lost memories.
“It brings back lost memories, new and old, also documenting our feelings, moods and ideas into something palpable no matter what passions and professional backgrounds we have,” she said.
Musician Nasibo (32) wishes to travel the world and win the Grammy Award.
- ResiliArt Accelerator cohort dreams big
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“I believe in a world where we live together in harmony sharing my personal experience and how we can build ourselves to a place where there is Ubuntu, equality, peace and harmony. With my talent I believe it’s my purpose to make the world feel the same as I feel and make it their own purpose too,” she said.
The 22-year-old poet Thandokuhle Sibanda a poet, aspires to grow her brand beyond the Zimbabwean borders said poetry heals and educates communities.
“Poetry is a form of art that heals and educates, it brings together very simple words to form a language that cuts across a lot of barriers and allows people to tap into spheres they otherwise wouldn’t be able to, “she said.
Yolanda Ngwenya (27), the founder of Bakhar, a fashion Design Company said she wants to extend the brand across Africa.
“Fashion designing best defines who I am because it incorporates all of my passions in one, those passions being art, music, literature and history," she said.
“I want to have Bakhar factories, studios and stores across the continent with African artisans working in them to further establish our African identity. My goal is to be recognised as a key player in the creative industry worldwide.”
Visual artiste Prudence Nyahangare (25) said her area of speciality gives her an open platform to express herself.
“I am passionate about visual art as it gives me an open platform to express myself, tell stories about women in my country and as well as educate people from my day-to-day experiences and give a sense of healing as art is also therapeutic.
The ResiliArt five will have coaching sessions by Zimbabwean experts, covering practical topics such as pitch, communications, marketing, financial planning, and legal affairs; and will be paired with regional women expert mentors for mentorship sessions," she said.
The beneficiaries will share their learnings with girls and young women in their communities through an outreach component, creating a positive cascading effect that promotes creative entrepreneurship among the target groups.
