Held at the Harare International Conference Centre, this year’s awards were anchored on the theme “Fearless Creativity,” a fitting description of an industry now pushing beyond borders. From new categories such as Fashion and Digital Arts to international breakthroughs in film, Zimbabwe’s “creative economy” is shifting from local celebration to global competition.

If you’ve stepped outside in Harare, Bulawayo, or Masvingo lately, you’ve likely felt a different kind of buzz. It wasn’t just the March heat; it was the energy of Creative Economy Week Zimbabwe (CEW2026), which wrapped up on March 7th. The British Council and its partners turned the country into a giant boardroom for "shakers and makers," and the message was loud and clear.

Creative Economy Week Zimbabwe 2026 has wrapped up. The panels have ended, the masterclasses are over, and the conference badges have been tucked away in desk drawers. For many artists and entrepreneurs, the real question now is simple, what happens next?

Across Harare, Bulawayo, and Masvingo, the mood this week is unmistakable. It is not just the late-summer heat, it is the momentum of Creative Economy Week Zimbabwe 2026. From 2–7 March, creatives, policymakers, and investors are sharing platforms, exchanging cards, and, more importantly, building partnerships.

In last week’s column, "The Innovation Hub Harvest," we explored how you can utilize high-end university gear to move your production from "bedroom quality" to "global standards." We’ve covered the paperwork, the global digital passports, and the funding tricks.

In our previous session, How to Write a Winning Grant Proposal, we explored how creatives can unlock funding to fuel their ideas. But a tougher question often follows: what happens when the grant (or the dream) arrives, but the tools are out of reach?

In our previous column, The Digital Stage: Using NDS2 to Sell Your Art Beyond the Border, we explored how Zimbabwean creatives can secure their “digital passports” tools such as ISRC codes, to earn global royalties. But even with international access, one reality remains: creative work needs capital to take off.

NDS2 has laid down the bridge, but artists must still cross it properly equipped. From Harare’s studios to Mount Selinda’s writing desks, the opportunity to sell art beyond the border is real. But visibility matters. If Sha Sha can win a BET Award and local animators can land Netflix deals, it is not by luck. Their creative paperwork is as strong as their talent. Register with ZIPO, formalise your business, secure your digital codes, and step onto the global stage with conf

A practical 5-step guide for Zimbabwean artists to formalise their work, access funding, protect their brand, and align with NDS2 as creativity becomes a structured, bankable industry ( image source ) Last week we took a detour into the ZIMURA soap opera. Necessary, yes but this week we’re climbing back onto the NDS2 horse before it gallops off without us. Let’s talk about a word that makes many creatives itch, formalisation. For decades, being a “starving artist” was worn li

ZIMURA’s appointment of Alexio “Goodchild” Gwenzi as board chair raises questions about reform, loyalty and governance as allegations of rot, capture and royalty injustice continue to haunt Zimbabwe’s music rights body ( image source ) The house of music is on fire, and once again the neighbours are arguing about curtains. As Zimbabwe’s music sector digests explosive allegations from a breakaway group of ZIMURA board members, the Zimbabwe Music Rights Association has responde

Zimbabwe’s ZiG 841.4 million arts allocation for 2026 signals opportunity for creatives ( image source ) In November, one number caused a stir: ZiG 841.4 million. That is the amount Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube allocated to the Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture for 2026. It sounds huge. It sounds promising. It also sounds confusing if you are a poet in Plumtree, a DJ in Mutare, or a sculptor in Binga. So, let’s be clear upfront. No, the government is not about

Welcome to the debut of The Creative Compass , a new column here at the Southerton Business Times  dedicated entirely to you the beat-makers, the stone-carvers, the canvas-painters, and the stage-shakers of Zimbabwe. As Zimbabwe approaches 2026, one policy framework is coming sharply into focus, National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2). For creative practitioners, the significance of NDS2 can only be fully understood by first reflecting on the path laid down by NDS1 (2021–2025)