Context Analysis

Zimbabwe is a country that houses many creatives however with its harsh economic crises that have crippled the nation for over 40 years and continuous shrinking civil space, creatives have found themselves scrounging around for what little support they can receive. With a government that is notorious for using creatives to push their political agenda, most creatives find themselves struggling to pursue their careers as non-partisan content creators. In addition, due to the harsh economic conditions, most creative spaces that support emerging artists have closed due to a lack of funding and being unable to sustain themselves.

The industry has always been biased towards men, and most marginalised communities fail to establish themselves due to the patriarchal system and a long-standing history of state agents that constantly harass the LGBTQA community.

The Incubator ZW was founded in 2018 as a response to a call by British Council, Alliance Francaise, and Zimbabwe Goethe Institute, in order to encourage more content from female creatives. The initial idea was to create a hub for female creatives that enabled them to collaborate freely, and use art to share their narratives, and encourage conversations that would encourage more involvement of women in political, social, and communal processes and decision making. However, inspired by the first beneficiary. Tanya Ngundu, the hub realised the potential to support marginalised creatives and provide them with a platform to freely express themselves and reach a wider audience. The hub now accommodates female creatives, creatives with disabilities and creatives that are members of the LGBTQA+ community. Providing them with first-time experiences has enabled them to become pioneers in their fields. The Incubator ZW is the first step to success for marginalised creatives in Zimbabwe.

The Vision Statement

The nexus of creatives ready to shake, innovate and advocate for a more inclusive future

Mission

Turning flickers into  flames

Goal

Help creatives to think bigger, better and wiser Empowering creatives that use art to make impactful change