Online Reporter
Mbulelo Mpofu, Zimpapers Arts and Entertainment Hub
Award-winning poet, writer, playwright, and filmmaker Chioniso Tsikisayi has expanded her filmography with Bureau De Change, a poetic short film inspired by her performance at last year’s Women, Wine, and Words event during the Intwasa Arts Festival KoBulawayo.
Released on March 28 on YouTube, Bureau De Change serves as a companion piece to Chioniso’s 2023 film Queue for a Dream. Like its predecessor, it harnesses the power of poetry to create a dynamic exchange of ideas and human experiences.
Speaking to Zimpapers Arts and Entertainment Hub, Chioniso described poetry as a medium of transformation.
“Poetry is my exchange booth where perspectives are traded and the foreign becomes familiar,” she said.
The short film is an experimental fusion of spoken word and cinema, weaving a Pan-African narrative of a continent searching for a new hairstylist.
“This poignant piece explores poetry as a universal exchange booth, where collective and foreign experiences converge within our shared humanity. The film delves into the conversion of emotion as a universal currency, giving voice to the inexpressible,” she added.
The film stars Chioniso herself, alongside her sister Phyllis Tsikisayi and Lulu Blakk. It was written and co-directed by Chioniso and produced by Clinton Zvoushe and Xolani Mkwananzi, the 2023 winners of the EuroFilmFestZW Bioskop! Short Film Competition’s Best Narrative Award. Zvoushe handled directing duties, while Mkwananzi took charge of cinematography.
Chioniso has long been a vocal force in spoken word, advocating for change and earning international recognition in the process. Her passion for creative arts and conscious storytelling has seen her work published in Brittle Paper, Isele Magazine, and Litro Magazine.
She released her debut music project, Heaven Is Closer Than You Know, in November 2020 in collaboration with award-winning media hub Cottage47. She also has performed at The PiChani, a Pan-African lifestyle and networking event for young creatives, and performed at the EuroFilmFestZW opening ceremony in Bulawayo.
A finalist for Grand Slam Africa 2021 hosted by Kenya Poetry Slam and Cre8ive Spills and placed third for the Intwasa Short Story Competition in 2021, Chioniso was named by the Brittle Paper as their November Spotlight Artist. With accolades such as the Bulawayo Arts Award (BAA) for Outstanding Poet and the prestigious Canopus Award for Interstellar Writing, her portfolio has exponentially grown.
Her debut novel, What It Means to Outlive a Daughter, has already gained international attention, landing on the 2024 Island Prize Longlist. Her debut play, A Woman Has Two Mouths, was shortlisted for the African Women Playwrights Network Festival of Plays in Accra, Ghana.
Additionally, Chioniso is a Creative Writing Alumni of the Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study. Her previous poetic short film, Queue for a Dream, was selected for the NGO International Film Festival in Australia. Fluent in Swahili and French, Chioniso has become one of Zimbabwe’s most sought-after creative exports.
Follow on X: @MbuleloMpofu
