Dreamtown Journal vol. 1 - Mbare Community Profile

DREAMTOWN.NGO

DREAMTOWN JOURNAL VOL. 1

SPRING 2020

MBARE COMMUNITY PROFILE

Dreamtown Journal is a publication series that unfolds the life of young people living in urban slums and the actions they take to transform their communities.

The journal is developed in close collaboration with the amazing grassroots and young activist that Dreamtown work with across the world. The goal of the journal is to broadcast the voice of a young urban civil society and inspire change.

Editor: Stine Kronsted Pedersen, Urban Designer, Dreamtown

DREAMTOWN JOURNAL VOL. 1 Mbare Community Mapping In March 2020, Dreamtown set out to investigate; what exactly is Mbare, a major community that we are working with? What are the issues and opportunities? How do we communicate what kind of work we are doing? How do we show the world how vibrant, colourful and exciting Mbare is? Who are all the committed people, who strive to make a change in their community? Can we change the story so often told, about deprived neighbourhoods, and instead talk about safe, green, creative and vibrant communities?

Stine, Dreamtown’s Urban Designer, went to Mbare in March 2020. She paired up with Freddie Kachakwara, also known as ‘Mr. Mbare’. He lives in the community with his family, and knows the area like the back of his hand. They walked back and forth, left and right, and in circles, around the community, trying to grasp what makes Mbare so special.

This is a story of Mbare, told through pictures, maps and voices of young people. It is made with inputs from our partners in Zimbabwe, the House of Arts Association, with research data from Plan International and other existing data sources. It is not a comprehensive story but a fragment. There are much more nuances, details, and stories to be told. It is made in collaboration with House of Arts Association in Harare, Zimbabwe.

I'M FREDDIE!

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01 INTRO

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MBARE AND THE URBAN CONTEXT

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Mbare

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City of Harare

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What is Dreamtown doing in Mbare

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Two days in Mbare

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Mbare and the urban context

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Taking a walk through Mbare

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Mbare - housing typologies

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Riding the kombis

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Places of worship

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Trading

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Safe space

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Facts you can’t deny

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Safety issues

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Creative space

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Local artists in Mbare

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Story: House of Arts Festival

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Story: Basket Hounds

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Story: Dream and Design Workshop

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Green and recreational space

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Bottom-up or top-down: the case of the playground

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Schools

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SAFE SPACE

CREATIVE SPACE

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GREEN AND RECREATIONAL SPACE

01 INTRO

“THE GHETTO”

Mbare suburb was established in 1907 by the British South African Company (BSAC). It was originally named Harare Township, a name later used for the capital, Harare, itself. It is situated 5 km South of the Central Business District, squeezed in between the two largest industrial areas in the country. In 1941, the Salisbury Town Council established Mbare Hostels, today known as “the ghetto”. Back then, the hostels were built to house industry workers. Colonial urban housing policies were made to restrict migration and overcrowding, but when Zimbabwe gained its independence in 1980, the housing restrictions ceased, and the flats became overcrowded. Today, 450000 people reside in the area, in a great variety of houses, ranging from enormous apartment blocks, to self-built single-family houses made of stone or clay. The community is a low-income neighbourhood and there is a high unemployment rate. The density is very high and big parts of the community lack water, sanitation, access to health services and education.

The biggest market area in the country, the Mbare Musika is situated in the North of the community and causes a big flow of money and goods.

This brings along a high crime rate and the area is strictly controlled by the police. For this reason, the Mbare community is known as "the ghetto" by the locals. The complexity of the community attracts a lot of international attention, and multiple NGO's are working in the community.

CREATIVE YOUTH

OVER-CROWDING

MBARE

A big percentage of the people living in Mbare are young people. During the last couple of years, Mbare has experienced an increase in young artists speaking up about their lives in “the ghetto”. Mbare is known as the creative hub of Harare. Through music, dance, movie, theatre and visual arts, voices of the creative youth are filling the community with a vibrant energi. The streets are filled with ½art, and a big yearly festival showcases the perfomative arts of the community. For this reason, when saying Mbare, one also has to say ‘creativity’, and this creative nerve is seen throughout the entire community.

Harare and Bulawayo Community Profile, Safe and Inclusive Cities, Plan International, 2019 Harare Slum Profiles Report, Zimbabwe Homeless eople’s Federation, City of Harare, Ed. 2, 2014

ZIMBABWE

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325 km

Scale 1:13.000.000 Zimbabwe

HARARE 325 km

325 km

Scale 1:500.000 Harare

12,5 km

12,5 km

MBARE 12,5 km

12,5 km

Scale 1:50.000

1,25 km

Mbare Community

MBARE COMMUNITY 1,25 km

1,25 km

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CITY OF HARARE

Harare is the capital of Zimbabwe. The population is 1,4 mio. people, being 10% of the country’s entire population. The city was founded in 1890 and was originally named Salisbury, until 1982. Salisbury was the capital of the British colony of Southern Rhodesia from 1923 until the country gained its official independence in 1980 as the Republic of Zimbabwe. By then, Salisbury became Harare. It is also called Sunshine City and H Town.

The area of the city is 960 km2 and the density is 2540/km2. The climate falls into the subtropical highland category and just outside the paved city centre, the environment is lush and air is dusty from the dry, red soil.

The Central Business District is dominated by skyscapers and heavy traffic throughout the day. North of the CBD is the more quiet area, ‘The Avenues’, where big villas and embassies are situated. Just south of the CBD are two large industrial sites, Southerton and Graniteside. Sqeezed in between the industrial sites is Mbare, the most populated area in the country.

SOUTHERTON INDUSTRIAL AREA

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POPULATION Harare 1.485.000

Mbare 450.000

10% 30%

Zimbabwe 14.650.000

Harare and Bulawayo Community Profile, Safe and Inclusive Cities, Plan International, 2019 Harare Slum Profiles Report, Zimbabwe Homeless eople’s Federation, ½City of Harare, Ed. 2, 2014

CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT

GRANITESIDE INDUSTRIAL AREA

Scale 1:70.000 17°50′S 31°3′E / 17.833°S 31.050°E 4

WHAT IS DREAMTOWN DOING IN MBARE?

DREAMTOWN

is a Copenhagen based NGO that works for the wellbeing of young people in cities. This is done by focusing on the development of safe, green and creative spaces for young people in vulnerable communities. Through research, action and stories, we work on strengthening young people’s capacity as active citizens. Dreamtown’s work spans across Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Kenya and Denmark, and is based on three strategic programmes, SAFE, GREEN and CREATIVE public spaces.

HOUSE OF ARTS

is a Zimbabwean, youth led organisation that focuses on promoting artistic activities and at the same time using art as a tool for development. Their work is echoed in their motto Reshaping communities through arts. The core team managing the activities of HAA is comprised of a dedicated team of young artists and activists. Coming from the vulnerable communities of Harare, they carry a great deal of legitimacy amongst vulnerable young people living within the poorest areas in Harare.

THE PARTNERSHIP between Dreamtown and House of Arts Association (HAA) formally started

in the summer of 2019. Through the support of CISU and Roskilde Festival, we started piloting different artistic approaches towards mobilising young people to become active citizens. The results and feedback from the initial exploratory phase was overwhelmingly positive. A large network of artists working for social change has been developed; important cultural institutions has been approaching us to build partnerships; young people from slums have become eagerly engaged in our activities; and a productive collaboration with government authorities has been established.

When the pilot projects came to an end in June 2020, we wanted to build on the momentum we had created for improving the wellbeing of young people in urban slums in Zimbabwe.

In so doing, the intervention - KEY TO THE CITY - started in July 2020.

SAFE CITIES

GREEN

MUSIC VID EO MA DE

OW!” E IS N

CITIES

OC IA

M “TI

is the name of the art-based movement working for the safety and participation of young people in slums. The name is a slogan that has grown out of the work that we are currently doing in Zimbabwe. The name indicates that art plays an important role in creating development (‘unlocking’ development potentials through art), and that young people know what the key development priorities are for their city.

SE OF ARTS ASS HOU

ON TI

KEY TO THE CITY

E TH Y B

CREATIVE CITIES

TWO DAYS IN MBARE How do you grasp an entire community in two days? We paired up with ‘Mr. Mbare’, Freddie from House of Arts Association. To ensure inputs from both genders, a girl named Dazel came along on the research trip.

ON DAY 1,

we went for a walk through the community. We walked from the nothernmost part of the community, all the way to the southern part, and then back again. We sketched, drew on maps, took notes and photographed everything we saw. In the Mbare Musika, Freddie considered that taking pictures would not be safe.

For this reason, ON DAY 2, we got a ride from a friend of Freddie, and went through the market area again, now being able to take photos through the car. We revisited some of the places from the day before, took photos and talked to people. Coming home, it was time to get an overview of all the information from the trip. There was still lots of stories to be told, and the more we discovered, the more questions appeared. In Zimbabwe, House of Arts continued to make interviews, take pictures and gather information to be included in the community profile.

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02 MBARE AND THE URBAN CONTEXT

HARARE CBD

SOUTHERTON INDUSTRIAL AREA MBARE MUSIKA “THE GHETTO”

GRANITESIDE INDUSTRIAL AREA

MBARE RESIDENTIAL AREA

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TAKING A WALK THROUGH MBARE

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MBARE - HOUSING TYPOLOGIES Within the community of Mbare, there is a great variety of housing typologies. With every typology comes a different urban life and atmosphere around the buildings, as well as different safety-related issues.

Since the establishment of Mbare, several housing programmes have been run by the government, to meet the needs of the time. This has defined the physical dimension of the community.

However, changing political laws and restrictions have affected aspects of the urban life such as density, tenancy, infrastructural services and maintenance of the housing in general. Political helplessness and lack of will to meet the demands of a growing population, has left the residents with poor sanitary services, destroyed toilets, no running water or electricity, in large parts of the community.

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Mbare hostels

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Stone houses

Single-family houses

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Mbare Flats

Mbare Flats

Mata Garika

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Matapi Flats

MBARE - HOUSING TYPOLOGIES MBARE HOSTELS

was a housing programme initiated by the 1940 Salisbury Town Council.

The houses were built for the industrial workers.

Colonial urban housing policies were made to restrict migration and overcrowding, but when Zimbabwe gained its independence in 1980, the housing restrictions ceased, and the flats became overcrowded. Over the years, the quality of the housing has deteriorated. Today, most of the hostel’s infrastructure has collapsed and bathrooms are dysfunctional. The flats were built to house a single person, but today families from 8-15 people share a

single-room flat. The large quantity of people living in the flats have exceeded the amount of services in the area. The occupants are exposed to hazards such as fires and disease outbreaks, as there is no running water or sanitation. As the flats have been ruled unfit for human habitation and family accomodation, the tenure status is not secure. However, at the time of writing this journal, the tenants pay an average of $50/month for a room, which is way beyond the reach of the majority of residents. It is an ongoing discussion whether to demolish the flats or initiate an upgrading programme for the entire area.

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THE RESIDENTIAL AREA

in the South of Mbare, consists mainly of detached or semi-detached houses. These are single-family houses made of brick or stone, with tinned roofs. 8-10 people share a house with 2-3 rooms and the toilet is shared with one or several neighbours.

MATA GARIKA is a housing area that was built due

to an increased demand of family housing. It is by the locals considered ‘the safest area in the community’.

The houses are two-story flats and they share several public spaces. During the entire day, a lot of activities are happening. There are informal markets, billard games, bars and sports games. The atmosphere is friendly and even at night the locals consider it safe to be in the area.

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RIDING THE KOMBIS The largest bus station in Zimbabwe is situated in Mbare, right next to Mbare Musika, the market. From here, national and international buses arrive and depart throughout the day. The bus station is hectic, crowded, busy and, according to the locals, not very safe to be at.

The bus station during the day with travellers, markes and people hanging out in the street.

The primary mode of transport within Harare is riding the kombis. These are minibuses with space for 10-20 people at a time, including people standing on the outside of the bus. You can only buy your ticket with the local currency and bus stops along the ride as the passengers want to get off. At the bus station, the kombis wait in line, first come first served. They depart only when the kombi is full. And they get very, very full.

Harare and Bulawayo Community Profile, Safe and Inclusive Cities, Plan international, 2019 Baseline Study Report Zimbabwe, PlanBørnefonden, Denmark 2018

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OF T

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THROUG OAD HM NR I BA A

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ROAD TO THE CBD

VIEW

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NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL BUS STATION

MBARE LOCAL BUS STATION

Young people’s feeling of safety In public transportation e.g. buses, public motorbikes, walking to/from work

In public transportation hubs e.g. terminals, bus stations, or waiting for public transportation Not always 92%

Not always 89%

Always 11%

Always 8% 18

PLACES OF WORSHIP In Mbare, there are 21 official churches and 1 mosque. Walking through the community, it is clear, that religion is of great importance to the people, both as a physical space and a mental space. The churches are not only places of worship but are also gathering points for the community. For many families in Mbare, the Sunday Mass becomes an important ritual during the week, for them to meet their neighbour, their cousin, their grandmom and other members of the community.

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I am a Christian, I believe in Jesus Christ the only son of God Almighty. I believe that going to church (Faith Ministry Mbare Community Church) more often helps us young people especially in my community with safe spaces, mentorship or guidance, we can also gather in different youth groups and share our thoughts not only focusing on our spiritual lives but also on how to develop and change our community.

My church plays a pivotal role in our community, it provides youth games and also every single month we host a This n That talent show where most of the young people in our community join in the show to showcase their talents.

“

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TRADING

TRADE is one of the main pillars of the economy in Mbare. The country’s

largest farm produce market, the Mbare Musika, is in Mbare. The market provides fresh farm produce for commercial and household use. This forms the economic base for a large amount of people in the community.

Furthermore, there is a Curio market, a flea market(Mupedzanhamo) and endless informal markets. Young people from Mbare also use this space as a basis for other informal labour such as luggage carriers and vendors.

A number of young entrepreneurs are engaged in different trades including carpentry, sculpturing, welding, motor mechanics and basket weaving among other trades in the Siyaso home industry. However, these young people face barriers such as lack of adequate work spaces, lack of protective clothing, limited markets for their products and lack of finance to expand and formalize their enterprises. Inspite of their hard work to make a living through various informal trading and entrepreneurship, people in Mbare consider poverty a permanent feature due to neglect by the government and council.

Harare and Bulawayo Community Profile, Safe and Inclusive Cities, Plan International, 2019

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OFFICIAL MARKETS

INFORMAL MARKETS MBARE MUSIKA MARKET

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03. SAFE SPACE

Mbare is, generally, not a safe place to be. There are several safety-related issues, including touting, drug peddling, sexual harassment of young girls, dragging of travelers, conning and general theft from unsuspecting travelers. A report develop by young people under the Safe and Inclusive Cities Project by Plan International, says: “Major public spaces are synonymous with crime and violence. They are characterized with The main crime hot spots include Mbare musika rank, Ok shopping complex, Mbare Musika vegetable market, Mupedzanhamo flea market and Mbare Fly over. Smash and grab from vehicles are also notable offences perpetrated at major road intersections. Majority of the street lights in Mbare are not working. Unemployment and overcrowding are also being attributed to the increase in crime over the years. Sexual and verbal abuse are also common at public spaces, with young women being the main victim�

Harare and Bulawayo Community Profile, Safe and Inclusive Cities, Plan International, 2019

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FACTS YOU CAN’T DENY

89%

“Girls that are sent to far away school with inadequate pocket money end up getting sexually abused by drivers and conductors because they will be needed that money”

of youth in Harare reported that violence is manifested in their communities

ent or viole ssm nc a r e ha Female 52 %

Who suffers

fro m

Do not believe that violence is manifested in their community 11%

Believes that violence is manifested in their community 89%

Male 35% Undefined 18%

Most common victim(s) of violence Women 18-35

Gang related

34%

Women <18

22%

Men 18-35

17% 7%

Other Women 35-60

2%

Disabled people

2%

Men 35-60

2%

31% 30% 15%

Other

9%

Don’t know

8%

Ethnic violence State authority e.g. police

2% 0,0

Sexual violence Political violence Land-related

4%

Men <18

43% 34%

Youth violence

8%

Don’t know

Men >60

Most common types of violence

0,2

0,4

0,6

0,8

7% 5% 0,0

1,0

0,2

0,4

0,6

0,8

1,0

Source: Baseline Study Report Zimbabwe, PlanBørnefonden, Denmark 2018 24

SAFETY ISSUES The different areas in Mbare have different degrees of safety. The three overall neighbourhoods vary in urban form, demographic composition and political climate. This leads to different safely related issues.

MATA GARIKA is, according to the locals, considered ‘very safe’. It is a neighbourhood consisting of low, dense, semi-detatched houses. The apartments are two stories tall with lots of windows facing the public space around the buildings, ensuring eyes on the street1. This is an important aspect of the feeling of being safe in the neighbourhood; if something happens in the streets, there will be people in the apartments watching it, and they will have the change to take action. There is a lot of activity going on around the buildings, both during daytime and at night. This gives the effect of everyone becoming ‘watchdogs’ of the public spaces, and crime will be less likely to happen. The combination of all these aspects of the built environment, makes Mata Garika the safest neighbourhood in the community.

THE RESIDENTIAL AREA consists of single-family houses. It is a large neighbourhood where each house has their own garden. In front of each house, there is fences and a gate, indicating that you have to guard your privacy. The locals consider the area ‘a little bit safe’. During daytime, there is a lot of life going on in the streets, making it safe to move around freely. Informal markets, people hanging out on the street corners, people and cars moving from A to B, ensure the feeling of being safe and among people. At night it is a different story. The lack of street lighting increases the chance of things to happen when no one is watching. As every house is drawn back from the street, hidden behind a fence, no one can hear or see if something happens. Especially women and children are adviced to be home before nightfall.

MBARE MUSIKA is the market area. It considered ‘very unsafe’ by the locals. Both during day- and nighttime, you are adviced to avoid spending time in the area. It is the most densely populated area in Mbare. People live in large blocks of 4-5 stories with poor sight of the street. There are a lot of ‘blind spots’ where things can happen without anyone noticing it.

Due to the commercial activity, the area is highly politicised, and a big flow of money attracts thieves and drug dealers. For this reason, the police is controlling the area both during day- and nightime.

The Death and Life of Great American Cities, J. Jacobs, Random House, New York, 1961 1

THE POLICE According to the locals, the presence of the police makes them feel unsafe. They find that the police pose a threat to the civil society, by acting violent, arresting without evidence and encouraging riots.

Consequently, a police station close to your home in Mbare does not necessarily make you feel safe.

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CEMETERY

MBARE MUSIKA MATA GARIKA

RESIDENTIAL AREA

CEMETERY

LOCAL ADVICE

Very safe

Stay out at night

“A little bit safe”

Very unsafe

Be home before dark

Do not walk alone during all day

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Controlled by police

04. CREATIVE SPACE

Mbare is known as the ‘creative hub’ of Mbare. A young artist from, Kelvin, once said that “Mbare is a place where every young person wants to go and live. No matter where you are from in Zimbabwe, Mbare is the place where it all happens”. It is the creative motor of Zimbabwe. From here, many young graffiti artists, hip-hop and dancehall artists arise. All around in the community, you see graffitti and wall art, celebrating the artists that have risen from Mbare. During the last couple of years, the community has seen an explosion in young “ghetto kids”, speaking up about their lives in the community. The youth sing, rap, dance and perform about their struggles and their dreams. This creative energy is manifested during a yearly festival held by House of Arts Association and Dreamtown. Here, all young artists, both from Mbare and the surrounding communities come, perform and showcase their talents. The festival is an example of the creative energi that is present in the community.

Source: local stories

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LOCAL ARTISTS IN MBARE THE SAPPHIRE GROUP “We are three brothers working as visual artists. We paint what we see and what we know. We make graffiti on walls but with paint, not spraycans.”

What inspires you?

“We grew up in a very artistic family, where everyone likes to paint and do all kinds of art, so it came to us naturally. We see our art as a sort of movement. We travel around in different communities to put some feeling of happiness and make people enjoy what they see. For example, a community wanted to visualise the origin of our culture, so we made a totem, to reflect the African culture. Another community wanted to bring attention to safety issues in the streets, so that was what we painted. Our art reflects what people have on their minds.”

Interview by Casper Caespidor Chigama.

“WE SHOULD ALWAYS REMEMBER OUR AFRICAN ROOTS,,

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Local artwork in Mbare made by various artists.

TARIRO KIMERLY, 22.

Local artist from Mbare.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;My art resembles our shared African culture. It reflects where come from and that we should always remember our roots. My art is very african. Locally, in Mbare, my art reflects what people care about in their community. It can be the issues that people are facing, like child abuse, violence, alcoholosm etc. It speaks to the poeple that live in the community. Generalle, people in Mbare love the artworks because they are beautiful. They beautify Mbare.â&#x20AC;?

Interview by Casper Caespidor Chigama.

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STORY HOUSE OF ARTS FESTIVAL MBARE ZIMBABWE ON A SUNNY WEDNESDAY in Mbare, more than

The link between art and activism became particularly relevant as the Deputy Director for Ministry of Youth, Sports, Arts and Recreation, Nomsa Moyo Mpofu, participated in the festival. She and her fellow members of the Ministry were there to absorb the voices of the young people, expressing their dreams for the future through art, music, drawings and writing. Furthermore, House of Arts had created a billboard where young people were encouraged to write and share their visions for their community and their dreams for the future. In the end, the billboard was presented to the Ministry of Youth. Mpofu read the needs and wishes from the youth and signed the billboard, and she thereby committed to help address the issues presented by the youth. The participation of the governmental authorities in the festival marked a big step in the advocacy work by House of Arts Association. It marked the power of linking art with activism and advocacy, thereby giving young people a voice in society.

2000 festival goers from near and far came by to support the line-up of more than 35 artists at the House of Arts Festival. Young artists from Mbare and other near-by communities showed off their talent, entertaining the audience with rap, acrobatics, percussion, poetry, dance, comedy and much more.

The festival was House of Arts Association’s biggest to date. Casper, head of House of Arts says:

“It was important for us to have the festival exactly in Mbare. Right now in Zimbabwe, so many young people are venturing in to art. We’ve got so many talented young people within our marginalised communities. Mbare is a very art oriented community. There are a lot of young musicians, dancers and street-artists. You also see it in the streets; there is a lot of graffiti and wall-art on the buildings. Those artists don’t have a platform where they can get exposed, where they can showcase their talent. The festival worked as a platform that would give them the chance to showcase what they have.”

During the day, the festival was packed with people. A big audience was there to listen to and see the young artists perform. Among the artists were Fantastic Boys, Mc Doc, Tripple D, Youth and Students for Peace, Prometheus and the Hip Hop Basement, School of Music Band, Mentor, Church Boy, Ranx Tee, Milz Million, Kiddo, Rap Killer, Kuda Run It, Wallace Poem, Gully Flexors and many, many more. In the end, the festival was a platform for the growing young group of artists in Mbare and other near-by communities.

Producers from record labels were there to scout talent.

The festival is an example of the growing movement of young people from slum communities, who come together to take the lead in creating societal change. Through the language of music, poetry and performance they want to create awareness of the challenges in slums. A lot of the young artists are pushing the boundaries by communicating the need for change in their communities and in society in general. Using culture and art, they can question the state of things, without provoking or hurting anyone while doing it. This is how they inspire the government to cooperate and support young people in their quest to create change.

“We live in communities where no one believes in young peoples’ dreams. You spend your whole life trying to follow what you think other people want you to do. Young people are afraid of showing what they want to pursue. This is a chance to show your talent, to show what you love.”

- Langa, young film writer, Bulawayo.

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Overlooking Mbare Festival

Fantastic Boys dance and acting group

A dance group that made the entire audience laugh, dance and scream

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STORY

BASKET HOUNDS BASKET HOUNDS

is a basketball team and a program that supports girls in the community of Mbare. It is for all young girls who love basketball and who wants to learn the sport. It was founded by coach, Freddy Kachakwara, in 2014, along with 2 girls Duduzile and Ashley. By then, netball was the sport for girls in Mbare Basket Hounds wanted to offer a new sport for the girls in the community.

school. By coaching in different schools, Kachakwara managed to spot talented basket ball players and who could join the Basket Hounds. Today, Basket Hounds has over 47 registered players and over 30 individuals who come for fitness classes.

Over the years the Basket hounds have participated in many tournaments and friendly matches with other teams, most of them victorious. These are the Christian Basketball Tournament, The Great Harare Tournament, The Preachers Tournament, The Faith Ministeries Tournament and The Great Pride Tournament. Every year, the Basket Hounds host the International Day of the Girl Child basketball tournament, where the girls compete with other teams as a way of celebrating the day.

In 2015 Basket Hounds had seven girls in the team.

As a way of recruiting new members into the team, coach Kachakwara began coaching basket ball in different high schools in Mbare. In 2015 he coached the basket ball team at Mbare high school, 2016-2017 he coached the St Petersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Secondary school basket ball team and 2018 -2019 he coached at Harare high

FREDDIE!

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Driven by the love for the basketball sport, the Basket Hounds facilitated the refurbishment of the Mbare community basketball court in 2019, with the support from the Hoops for Hope Foundation.

Text by Freddie Kachakwara.

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DREAM AND DESIGN WORKSHOP IN MBARE Dreamtown and House of Arts facilitated a Dream and Design workshop in three communities in Harare; Hatcliffe, Hopley and Mbare. The aim was to make the youth design artistic installations in

public spaces in each of the communities. The workshop is divided in three phases; Explore, Dream and Design. This is a brief guide to make your own Dream and Design workshop.

EXPLORE challenges and potentials in your community Go for a walk in your community. Bring along 2-3 friends. Look at the city. Find a public space that means something special to you or to the community as a whole. It can be a space that is used by a lot of people. A central space. A peripheral space. A space that is very safe/unsafe. A space that has a lot of unused potential. Talk about the challenges of the space. Talk about the potentials as well. Talk about the atmosphere, the feeling of being there. What is special about exactly this space? Why? Should it be different than it is? How can it be transformed in to the better? Take five pictures that characterise the entire space and bring them back to the workshop. Present your findings to the group.

DREAM opportunities and visions for your community Sit down in the same group as you were walking with. Think about the space that you have chosen. Now, it is time to draw. Start by drawing your memories/stories from this space. Then draw your feelings being there. Then draw the challenges that are present in this space. Lastly, draw your dreams for the space or draw your ideal public space. All the drawings have to be on the same paper.

Within each theme, you have to draw whatever that comes to your mind. You can also paint, make a collage or make a mix of all the media. The exercise is made individually, but each group has to choose the same space. In the end, present each of your visualisations for the entire workshop group.

DESIGN artistic and public space interventions Go back to your groups. Find similarities from your dream collection drawings. Did you find the same challenges? Did you share the same dreams? Inspired by your drawings, you have to develop an artistic installation in the chosen public space. Each group makes one installation. Start the design process by writing down all your ideas on post-its. Agree on a topic for your artwork.

Draw/illustrate the idea in all the ways you can imagine. Once ready, start to build your design idea with whatever materials you have available. Use Lego, sticks, clay, wood, plastic, whatever you have. You can either build the entire public space or just the artistic installation that you dream of creating.

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05

According to the report, Safety Profiles Harare & Bulawayo, “Public spaces in Mbare are not safe.

Major public spaces are synonymous with crime and violence”. The survey reveals that up to 89% of young people feel unsafe in public spaces, such as streets, markets and parks in their community.

Not always 89%

Harare and Bulawayo Community Profile, Safe and Inclusive Cities, Plan International, , 2019 Baseline Study Report Zimbabwe, PlanBørnefonden, Denmark 2018

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GREEN SPACE

Mbare is, generally, very lush. There are avocado trees, colourful flowers and succulents on every street corner. The ground is red, dusty and dry.

There are several open spaces around in the community. However, only few of them are accessible for the general public. The largest public space in Mbare is the open field around the East Stadium. Here, there is a community hall, a basketball court and a large, open space.

PUBLIC SPACE

GREEN AND RECREATIONAL SPACE

PUBLIC SPACE GREEN SPACE

CEMETERY INFORMAL MARKET

GREEN, PUBLIC SPACE RUFARO STADIUM

PUBLIC PLAYGROUND SCHOOL AREA

BUS STATION AND MARKET AREA

SOCCER COURT MBARE EAST STADIUM STODART HALL

CORN FIELDS SCHOOL AREA

CEMETERY

SCHOOL AREA

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BOTTOM-UP OR TOP-DOWN: THE CASE OF THE PLAYGROUND In Mbare, there is a large playground. It was made from 2016-18 through a communityled initiative called Team Up 2 Clean Up. The TU2CU consists of youth from Mbare and youth from Roman Catholic Church. They started the initiative in order to come together in cleaning Mbare. The continuous clean up campaigns led to the formation of Team Up 2 Clean Up, a community organisation.

TU2CU was working on finding sustainable solutions in curbing continuous litter challenges in the community. The youths identified a dumping site at Matererini Flats which they wanted to turn into a childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s playground. Youths advocated to the council to get their idea realised. In 2016, the creation of the playground began.

Young people worked tirelessly everyday on the playground with several setbacks faced through lack of resources and political hostility. In 2018 the playground was finally finished and it was opened for children to play. The bottom-up approach had given the community a strong ownership of the space. It was a space that belonged to the community and they took care of the space, as they had built it themselves. The community was watching over it and kept it clean and tidy.

In January 2019 the First Lady and the government helped with maintenance of the recreational park. They built new facilities for the playground and claimed to be the one who had built the recreational park. They published the news of the playground as their work entirely, without crediting the community organisations and volunteers who had built the space in the first place. The efforts of the government and their proclaimed ownership was met with resistance from the community. The community denied the claim and demanded ownership.

Today, the park is deteriorating, as the community have lost their sense of ownership towards the space. The top-down approach led by the government, has given them the feeling that it does not belong to the community anymore. The playground is an example of the importance of bottom-up approaches is crucial in community building.

Source: local stories

BEFORE THE PLAYGROUND

AFTER THE PLAYGROUND

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SCHOOLS LEVEL OF EDUCATION OF YOUTH Completed secondary education 41%

Some secondary education 39%

Completed primary education 8% Some primary education Adult 5% education 1%

Some college or higher education Completed 5% college or higher None education 2% 1%

CHIRODZO PRIMARY SCHOOL

HARARE HIGH SCHOOL

GWINYAI PRIMARY SCHOOL CHITSERE PRIMARY SCHOOL

NHARIRA PRIMARY SCHOOL

MBARE HIGH SCHOOL

GEORGE STARK HIGH SCHOOL

SHINGIRAI PRIMARY SCHOOL

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