Aurra Kawanzaruwa
The definition of the creative economy is an emerging concept dealing with the interface between creativity, culture, economics and technology in a contemporary world dominated by images, sounds, texts and symbols.
The creative economy is full of small start-ups and is based on people’s use of their creative imagination to increase an idea’s value.
According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTD) the creative industries, today, are among the most dynamic sectors in the world economy providing new opportunities for developing countries to leapfrog into emerging high-growth areas of the world economy.
Zimbabwe has a large resource when it comes to creatives although it is largely misunderstood and largely underutilized. Their ability to think laterally offers a unique approach to problem solving which can cut across all sectors.
It’s not surprising to note then that most Zimbabwean creatives have taken to entrepreneurship. Business Times spoke to a number of creative economy pioneers in different sectors.
Danayi Madondo, designer and founder of Haus of Stone, says the challenges she experienced as a fashion designer in Zimbabwe is what led her to launch ISU Collections, a niche retail store tucked away in the suburbs of Borrowdale.
“I observed that a lot of designers were working in isolation, in non-accessible spaces & designers we not engaging in creative & mutually beneficial collaboration with one another. Thereby ISU Collections was born, seeking to market & distribute local designer products, helping to make their products more easily accessible through our platform.”
Entering the retail market has not been a walk in the park however.
“Challenges would be high overheads, & in my case at times inconsistent flow of merchandise as I deal a lot with self-funded creatives. It is also difficult trying to ensure that your brand uniquely stands out from the rest that may be similar in concept.
Despite the challenges Madondo says she has still had positive response from designers and creatives who have entrusted ISU Collections with the responsibility of marketing and distributing their products.
Most big-name retail stores give preference to international labels.
“Helping to raise a broader awareness about local brands has been very fulfilling for me,” added Madondo.
In general, retail in Zimbabwe has been receiving a number of blows, with department stores taking the biggest hit. Earlier in July Business Times reported Zimbabwe could effectively wave goodbye to its last department store, which also happened to be its first, after Meikles Limited, a Zimbabwe Stock Exchange company, shut the doors on Barbours Department store as working capital constraints continue to weigh down operations.
“Retail in Zimbabwe is holding on for dear life and I believe it needs to transition from the classic physical retail model to that of online and mobile, more so for growing SME retail outlets. ISU Collections will be making this transition very soon,” commented Madondo.
When speaking on where she feels investment could make a difference for SME retail businesses, Madondo highlighted that manufacturing for export is a sore spot for many creatives in the sector.
“Investment in this area would serve to alleviate the constraints that a lot of our suppliers face when producing their goods.”
In January of this year, President Mnangagwa declared that Zimbabwe is “open for business” at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Although Zimbabwe has seen a rising interest from investors and has also seen a drive for greater support for SMEs, the country is still a difficult place to do business.
However, Tinotenda Tuwe, founder of Kravings Baking is enthusiastic about the prospect of building a profitable business in Zimbabwe, despite the economic and political environment prevailing at the moment.
Tuwe started her baking business in 2015 and made the move to run her business full time over formal employment at the beginning of this month; a brave move that the average person would consider foolish.
“I feel like there is a market to take advantage of. I want to contribute to rebuilding local industry, not just through the goods we bake but by going as far as designing and manufacturing our own machinery. It is very possible to have our own baking machinery and appliances that are one hundred percent locally produced.
The creative economy may very well be the anchor Zimbabwe needs to raise its levels of innovation.
Creatives are so often overlooked as lesser contributors to the economy. The World Economic Forum may offer a plausible reason:
Creative services appear to be decoupled from the rest of the economy, in that they grew strongly during the global financial and economic crisis of 2008 when many other sectors contracted: in that period, international trade contracted by 12%, while creative services trade continued to grow at an average rate of 14% per annum worldwide. This strong performance resulted from: (a) rapid income growth in developing countries; (b) the transition of emerging economies into a services-sector phase; and (c) the rise of ICT.
Zimbabwe is fertile ground for the birth of a strong and competitive creative economy. Opportunities to not only service the local market but regional markets as well are broad. The creative mind is an incredible thing, we may need to pay a little more attention to its unconventional way of thinking.
