Limukani Ncube, Intake Editor
NINE artists from across the region have joined forces to transform indigenous stories into animation, music and theatre for young generations.
The artistes are in Bulawayo to kick start a cross-border cultural collaboration bringing together some of Southern Africa’s creative talents, with internationally acclaimed Zimbabwean born guitarist, composer and producer Louis Mhlanga, now based in South Africa, among the leading artists driving the project.
Mhlanga, regarded as one of the region’s outstanding jazz guitarists, is joining eight other interdisciplinary artists in a week-long Co-Production and Cultural Immersion Retreat which started on Sunday and ends on Saturday.
The initiative seeks to transform documented oral histories and indigenous knowledge into contemporary creative productions targeting children and young people.
The project brings together musicians, scriptwriters, storytellers, choreographers, cultural practitioners and animation visualisers from Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia and the Netherlands to develop three interconnected productions: a 13-episode animated heritage series, a traditional music album and a theatre performance.
Funded by the European Union under the Europe-Africa Partnerships for Culture programme and implemented by the Goethe-Institut, the retreat was designed to create a platform for regional artistic exchange while safeguarding indigenous knowledge and cultural heritage.
For Mhlanga, whose career has spanned decades and taken him onto international stages, the project provides an opportunity to bring his extensive musical experience into a collaboration that connects African heritage with contemporary storytelling.
“I am happy to be at home and to be part of this project. We have to make sure that we preserve our heritage and one way of doing that is through music and theatre and film. Families no longer sit around the fire at night to listen to elders telling stories, so we have to package that into what these young people consume now,” he said.
In the Bulawayo project, Mhlanga will lead the musical direction of the traditional music album, while helping integrate indigenous sounds into the animation and theatre productions.
The other participating artists include Zimbabwean veteran scriptwriter Nicholas Mkaronda and South African script writer Valencia Joshua, who will develop the narratives for the productions.
South Africa’s Lerato Moloi and Netherlands-based Wouter Dijkstra will work on storyboarding and animation visualisation, translating the developing stories into characters, environments and visual sequences.
Zimbabwean artists Dr Praise Mutsando and Charles “Mahlaba” Banda from Bulawayo will contribute their expertise in traditional music, vocal performance and cultural practice.
Mutsando, an applied ethnomusicologist, focuses on the preservation and sustainability of indigenous musical traditions. His contribution will help ensure that the music incorporated into the productions retains its cultural context and authenticity.
Banda, artistic director of Sunduza Dance Theatre, brings experience in composition, vocal coaching, music and dance theatre. His work encompasses Imbube, traditional folk music, Afro-jazz and Afro-pop.
Also participating is Zimbabwean performance poet, actor and storyteller Linda Gabriel, who has presented her work across Southern Africa and Europe. Her expertise in oral performance, poetry and social commentary will help translate community narratives into theatre, storytelling and character voices for animation.
Namibian choreographer Shashitwako Muteka completes the regional creative team, bringing experience in African performing arts, traditional dance and contemporary movement.
Creative lead Decent Ngwenya said the retreat was intended to provide a structured process through which community stories could be developed into different artistic formats without losing their cultural significance.
“This retreat is a structured co-production process through which stories gathered from communities will begin their journey into animation, music and live performance. Our responsibility is to keep those stories culturally grounded while presenting them in forms that speak meaningfully to today’s children,” he said.
Activities in the programme included heritage source material analysis, cultural responsibility, story mapping, interdisciplinary experimentation, animation development, music composition, theatre devising and planning for post-retreat production.
Artists explored their ideas through readings, sketches, music, storytelling, movement and visual sequences, with the aim of establishing a shared creative vision for the three productions. The collaboration also placed Bulawayo’s cultural institutions and heritage sites at the centre of the artistic exchange.
On Wednesday, participants visited the Amagugu International Heritage Centre for a guided cultural experience, interaction with heritage practitioners and a traditional lunch.
The engagement explored cultural landscapes, oral traditions, indigenous knowledge and material culture, while encouraging discussion on responsible ways of interpreting and presenting heritage.
Another cultural engagement was scheduled for at the National Gallery in Bulawayo, where playwright and arts practitioner Raisedon Baya is set to host the visiting artists.
The session is meant to provide an opportunity for interaction with Bulawayo’s creative community, artistic dialogue and reflection on the region’s cultural identity. For Bulawayo, the gathering also provides an opportunity to strengthen its profile as a centre for artistic collaboration, cultural preservation and regional creative exchange.
Ngwenya said the ultimate objective was to ensure that cultural knowledge was preserved and passed on through creative formats that resonate with young audiences.
“Living heritage should not remain locked in archives. It must be carried forward carefully, interpreted responsibly and shared with the next generation through creative forms they understand and enjoy,” he said.
