Online ReporterLangalihle Mhiti
CREATIVE sector expert, Rhoda Mandaza, has challenged Zimbabwe’s creative industry to move beyond workshops, conferences and policy formulation.
She made the remarks while discussing Zimbabwe’s music and film policies and strategies under the #CreativeConversations platform.
She called for stronger structures to ensure that resolutions reached during industry engagements are not forgotten once meetings end.
“We participate, put everything together and walk away and there is no follow-up,” Mandaza said.
According to Mandaza, the absence of effective monitoring mechanisms remains one of the major challenges affecting the growth of Zimbabwe’s creative sector.
She said there was a need for co-ordinated structures that would continuously engage the Government, relevant institutions and creative organisations to ensure that agreed strategies are implemented.
Mandaza argued that developing policies alone was not enough to address the challenges facing musicians, filmmakers and other creatives.
She said policies needed to be accompanied by clear implementation plans, timelines and responsible institutions that could be held accountable for delivering on agreed commitments.
“The industry needs coordinated structures responsible for monitoring implementation, engaging the Government and holding relevant institutions accountable,” she said.
Her concerns come at a time when Zimbabwe’s creative industry continues to call for greater recognition, investment and practical support from both the public and private sectors.
For many creatives, workshops and consultations provide important platforms for sharing experiences and identifying challenges.
However, Mandaza believes these engagements risk becoming repetitive if there is no mechanism for translating recommendations into tangible action.
She further urged creatives and their representative organisations to take ownership of the process rather than leaving implementation entirely in the hands of Government institutions.
Mandaza said industry players should track progress made after consultations and continue engaging relevant authorities until agreed programmes are implemented.
She also stressed the importance of ensuring that music and film strategies include meaningful capacity-building programmes that equip creatives with practical skills needed to sustain their careers.
Capacity building, she noted, should go beyond occasional workshops and instead form part of long-term programmes designed to strengthen the creative ecosystem.
Her comments highlight a wider concern within Zimbabwe’s creative sector, where artists often face challenges ranging from limited funding and infrastructure to inadequate business skills and market access.
Mandaza warned that without consistent follow-up, even well-designed policies could remain documents on paper while creatives continued struggling with the same challenges.
