Creativity Goddess Unpacks the Gunyana

By Mpundu Valerie | Harare

Every creative journey begins with an idea. For Vimbai M. Dondo, one small WhatsApp sticker became the spark that changed the direction of her life.

Bursting with ideas and driven by an urge to explore her artistic identity, Dondo founded iCreate in 2024, turning years of media experience and a passion for visual storytelling into a creative design venture.

A graduate in Film, Radio, Journalism and Television Production from the University of Zimbabwe, Dondo spent five years working in the media industry before following what she describes as her true calling digital visual design. Her breakthrough came from an unexpectedly modest project. “My first project was a WhatsApp response sticker for a well-known corporate brand. They paid me $10 for it. That was my eureka moment. I discovered my truth.

“I-AM-CREATIVE.” That discovery became the foundation of her creative identity. Dondo describes her signature as the modernisation of historical visuals, bringing contemporary life to culture, heritage and memory. “My genre is defined by uniqueness. Every design I touch must be different, unforgettable and intentional,” she said.

A Woman Valuing Her Creative Voice

For Dondo, creativity is also about recognising the value of one's own intellectual and artistic contribution. “As a woman in this industry, I stand by this belief: No design is worth less than the value you place on it. The more you value your creative mind, the more the world will value it too,” she said. It was with that confidence that the self-styled “Creativity Goddess” turned her attention to the Gunyana Award, a trophy whose design she says goes beyond aesthetics. For Dondo, the award is a visual conversation about Ubuntu, justice, equality, leadership and community.

The Mbira at the Heart of the Award

At the foundation of the Gunyana is the mbira, a Zimbabwean musical instrument whose symbolism, in Dondo's design, extends beyond music. “The Gunyana Award is not just about prestige. It is about Ubuntu I am because we are. No one is left behind. Hence it is placed at the foundation of the trophy.”

The mbira provides what she describes as the spiritual and cultural foundation of the award.

Above it are scales representing justice and equality. But Dondo argues that justice cannot exist simply as an abstract principle.

Giving Justice a Voice

“The scales at the top say justice and equality, but the scales alone are silent. The mbira at the bottom gives them a voice,” she explained. She compares the different keys of the mbira to members of society. “Just as all keys must be played for the song to be complete, no key left untouched, no person left behind. A society is only complete when everybody is heard.” In that interpretation, the trophy becomes more than an object presented to an individual. It becomes a statement about collective responsibility.

Prestige With Purpose

Gold and marble give the award a sense of permanence and prestige, but Dondo says those elements are deliberately balanced by the symbolism of the mbira. “Gold and marble show prestige, but the mbira shows purpose.” She draws on the communal role traditionally associated with mbira music to explain her thinking.

“In our tradition, the mbira is never played for an individual; it is played to heal a community.”

The Gunyana, therefore, honours people whose achievements extend beyond personal status. “This award honours people whose greatness is not in their title, but in how they have used their prestige to heal, uplift and restore dignity to the forgotten.”

When the Ancestors Become Witnesses

For Dondo, the award also carries a spiritual dimension. “To receive this award is to be recognised not just by people, but by our values. The mbira symbolises that your good deeds have echoed to the ancestors. You embody Hunhu/Ubuntu.”

The symbolism continues through the idea of balance. “The mbira is the symbol of balance between the spiritual and physical, the powerful and the vulnerable, the rich and poor. A true leader, like a good mbira player, makes harmony out of different notes.”

More Than a Trophy

In Dondo's hands, the Gunyana becomes a visual narrative. The gold speaks of achievement. The marble speaks of permanence. The scales speak of justice and equality. But it is the mbira at the foundation that, in her interpretation, gives the award its deepest meaning. It connects achievement to community, prestige to responsibility and leadership to service. The result is a trophy designed not merely to be displayed, but to provoke thought about the kind of society its recipients are helping to build.

And perhaps that is the essence of Dondo's own creative philosophy. She began with a $10 WhatsApp sticker and discovered a creative identity. Years later, she is using design to ask bigger questions about culture, leadership, justice and Ubuntu. The Creativity Goddess did not simply unpack the Gunyana. She unpacked a mirror one that asks everyone who looks at it a simple question:

What do we do with the power, talent and prestige we have been given?

Gunyana Award