Online Reporter
Takawira Photoveteran Nyashanu Dapi.
GERMANY-BASED Zimbabwean rapper and filmmaker, Metaphysics, is back at his base promoting his new international arts movement called ‘Forbidden Fruit Art Collective’.
Under the movement, the rapper seeks to unite artists from Zimbabwe, Germany and the United States.
Based in Wuppertal, Germany, where he also serves as a cultural ambassador for the city, Metaphysics is building ‘Forbidden Fruit’ into a living network of musicians, painters, poets, visual artists and performers.
The movement operates under the banner “LOVE. CREATE. TRANSFORM”, using art as a force for connection, transformation and collective awakening.
The founding circle includes Rolf Stahlhofen, founder of Water Is Right (WIR), New York visual artist Jon Seidman, Zimbabwean rapper Blak Phar-I, Umar B Mwanza, Min-D, Naomi Lotus, and other creatives.
Metaphysics shared their vision:
“More than a traditional label or collective, ‘Forbidden’ Fruit is envisioned as a mythic cultural platform where sound, image, poetry, film, performance, public art, and social consciousness merge into one shared creative language.
“The name reimagines the ancient symbol not as sin or shame but as knowledge, awakening, and courage. CREATE. TRANSFORM, will invite artists to contribute fragments of love through songs, photographs, paintings, poems, graffiti, spoken word, video and movement.
“These will form a living collage connecting Zimbabwe, Africa, Europe, Germany, the United States, and the wider creative diaspora.”
Planned activities include collaborative music projects, art exhibitions, poetry, visual installations, performances, and digital campaigns across Zimbabwe, Germany, and the US.
They are also building a strong online presence to enable cross-border exchange and create real opportunities for artistic production and community engagement. Metaphysics is widely recognised as a pioneer of Zimbabwean hip-hop, having worked with Chiwoniso Maraire, Piece of Ebony, Keith Farquharson and Andy Brown.
His career has consistently sat at the crossroads of music, culture, identity, and social expression.
“For me, love is the source, creation is the action, and transformation is the result”, Metaphysics said. Forbidden Fruit is not just about making beautiful things. It is about making meaningful things, art that shifts feeling, opens thoughts, and connects people.”
‘Forbidden Fruit’ welcomes both emerging and established talent across disciplines and continents.
The movement aims to create practical collaboration, real-world projects, cultural exchange, and skills-sharing that bridge people, places, and ideas.
