The creative industry in Zimbabwe contributes close to $100 million USD annually to the country’s GDP, with 5.4 million people working in cultural industries, according to a study by the Culture Fund of Zimbabwe in 2009. This is around 6.9% of the GDP of Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe is home to 47 arts and culture festivals. These festivals were established after Zimbabwe’s ratification of the 2005 Convention and, creative professionals are continuing to push the boundaries to strengthen the representation and reach of cultural projects. The creative labor market has continued to steadily grow – with the Government enabling more and more creative based courses to be taught in educational institutions such as the College of Creative Arts in Bulawayo. As a result, employment in creative industries is estimated to be approximately 22,000 people.
Currently, creative goods exports stand at approximately $22.2 million whilst creative goods imports are a whopping $110.7 million according to a report by Chenesai Africa on Creatives
Creative market players
To keep the balance, categories have been actualized in the creative labor market to see which role is performing better in Zimbabwe’s economy. These categories are as follows:
- Core Players
- Contextual Players
- Support Players
- Industry Drivers
Core Players
The core players in the creative labor market are those that make creative works. Artists, Editors, Curators and Producers fall into this category but there is a significant overlap with artists also working in editing or producing, as well as distribution. The advantage of this is that the middle man is often cut out, thereby leaving direct links to the consumers.
Contextual Players
This includes the legislative framework and government systems in which the Creatives operate. As things stand, the Zimbabwean economy heavily influences the state of the Creatives industries and influences Support players.
Support Players
These are also known as the ‘resource players’ or consumers. Some resource players also function as funders and sponsors in certain projects. Education and training easily fits into this category but it remains distanced from the overall Creatives ecosystem – in particular, tertiary education.
Industry Drivers
Industry drivers function as the energy and connectors of this ecosystem. They synergize and energize actions, processes and flows of production. These are learning, distribution, and resources aspects, much less formalised as compared to all the other players. This level includes innovative ideas, creativity, imagination, entrepreneurs, peers and their mentors.
Key Industry Drivers
So what makes all the difference for businesses in the Creative industry?
The steady growth of exports of goods and services, plus the capitalization of digital capabilities such as outsourcing and a healthy entrepreneurial spirit are key growth drivers for the Creative industry in Zimbabwe.
Digital capability is an important aspect that the support players (resources bringers or consumers) can use in order to access this pool of creative talent. These consumers can be businesses looking for off-shore talent, for example.
It is vital to note that about 55% of creatives supplement their creative income with other work, which is often unrelated. 35% of them operate primarily online, through social media and dedicated websites. This number has significantly increased since the onset of the Covid19 pandemic, which is when most business adjusted to functioning online. New markets have evidently brought relief since 44% of creatives export their work beyond the borders of Zimbabwe. This has surged upward as compared to the 10% recorded in 2009.
New Markets
Whilst still on the topic of new markets, it’s interesting to take note of where we are seeing this growth and market potential expansion.
Zimbabwe’s primary export partner is the African continent and there has been significant growth potential in the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.
16% exports to the United Kingdom
10% exports to the European Union
46% exports to South Africa
20% exports to the rest of the African continent, namely, Botswana, Namibia, Kenya, Nigeria, Zambia and Mozambique.
According to ZIMSTAT reports, 10% more creatives consistently exported their work beyond Zimbabwean borders in 2020 as compared to 2009.
Highest Performing Creative Industries in Zimbabwe
Visual Arts
This refers to painting, sculpture, installation and others. Those in the contemporary arts arena and stone sculpture are also part of this discipline.
Music
Various music genres such as Electronic, Sungura, Zim Dancehall, Urban Grooves and others make it to the list of rapidly growing music genres in Zimbabwe.
Digital Storytelling
Content development on online platforms, stretching to film, photography, writing, radio/podcasting, and other creative areas.
Festivals
Easily cross-cutting across various spheres, this aspect includes theatre, music, food, and even digital content.
DIGITAL STORY-TELLING – FUTURE-PROOFING
Digital storytelling has definitely stood out as compared to other creative industries in Zimbabwe. A strong reason why it is being endorsed is that it has been future-proofed and has a higher potential to contribute to the national GDP as compared to Music, for example.
Content has proved to be turning into a multi-billion dollar industry globally and the speed at which content is consumed online every day reflects the potential for a nation rich with creatives to thrive.
The government has been supporting this cause by initiating courses in educational institutions that help to develop the skills that are in demand in the digital story-telling sphere.
To conclude this report…
Zimbabwe is a perfect candidate for outsourcing talent because it already has a vibrant pool of creative skills. It also has a lengthy and healthy history of exporting talent making it easier for businesses to confidently give their business to local creatives.
At BPOZimbabwe, we’ve understood the importance of both employee and client satisfaction. We pride ourselves in employee retention that makes your experience with us even more favourable since we treasure relationships. Are you also saving costs by having a virtual team handle your services? If not, then we have just the package for you. Contact us to discuss how we can assist your business scale faster.
Sources: UNESCO Cultural Times Global Map of Cultural and Creative Industries 2015. UmbaCreate 2019 Research on The Needs of Startup Entrepreneurs in Zimbabwe
- Digital2019: Zimbabwe. Digital & data trends by WeAreSocial & Hootsuite, 2019. And **UNESCO Cultural Times Global Map of Cultural and Creative Industries 2015. Nhimbe Trust 2019 UNCTAD Digital Economy Report: from a Pan-African economy lens
- Source: Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT), Culture Fund of Zimbabwe Trust (Culture Fund), 2013.