Nkulumane artistes unite to form a creative hub

A group of artistes from Nkulumane, one of the oldest and largest suburbs in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, have come together to form a creative hub called Nkulumane Artists Solidarity Initiative (NASI). The organisation aims to serve as a networking platform for artistes in Nkulumane and beyond, and to foster individual and collective growth in the creative sector.

NASI was founded by Witness Timothy Hadebe, who is also the co-director of the organisation, along with Bryan Awandumusa Mzimkhulu. The other members of the management team are Nokuthaba Neshiri (projects manager), Sanelisiwe Musipa (administrator), Umnikazi Wesitshebo (media liaison officer) and Michael Mudherere (creative events director).

Hadebe said their mission is to bring together artistes and creatives from different backgrounds and genres, and to offer them a hub where they can learn, share and collaborate.

“Our objectives include to make Nkulumane a more competitive hub and to link established artistes with upcoming ones. We want to groom each other’s talents, to create a market for our works, to instill solidarity, unity and support among members. We want to groom each other into quality producing creatives and to help each other refrain from drug abuse through arts activities to collaborate on different artistic works,” he said.

Hadebe said since the inception of NASI, they have been engaging in various discussions using the social media platform WhatsApp group.

“As an initiative, we want to teach each other financial skills and survival skills. The organisation will use several strategies which include but are not limited to mobilisation, fundraisings, talent shows, creative nights, solidarity calls, public marketing and value addition to the creatives work. We have been having discussions in our WhatsApp group which is open to anyone with a mindset to grow the CCI industry,”| he said.

Nkulumane is home to some of the renowned artistes in Zimbabwe, such as Jeys Marabini, Desire ‘Moyoxide’ Moyo, who is also a legislator, among others. NASI hopes to tap into the rich and diverse talent pool in the suburb and to contribute to the development of the creative sector in the country.

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