Suburban
Kay Media Africa, in collaboration with Reprezent (UK) and supported by British Council, has launched the 2023 edition of Scripts and Bars incubator, an exciting creative economy programme focused on enhancing the digital and business skills as well as content creation capacity of creative professionals and organisations specialising in music and literature within Zimbabwe.
The programme builds on the success of the 2022 edition, which supported 100 creatives from Zimbabwe and UK through skills training, business support services and investment through grants for digital content creation.
Successful alumni from the 2022 program include singer/songwriters Kim Makumbe and Tahle WeDzinza, DJand producer Ryan Synth, spoken word artist Rutendo Mustamwira as well as NAMA nominated comedian Andrew Manyika among many others.
One of the key success stories from the 2022 cohort is Kuda Rwizi, a comic book artist and animator who created the comic book Mutupo. Scripts and Bars supported Kuda Rwizi through skills training and grant funding to complete his comic book and produce an animated trailer to promote it.
The successful release of his webcomic and animated trailer resulted in Kuda Rwizi clinching a publishing deal with American indie publishing company Noire Cesar, to publish Mutupo in North America and Europe.
The 2023 Cohort includes creatives such as Mary Anibal, Soko Matemai, Sonkomose, Banshee, Eden Lang and YariisHillz among others.
Scripts and Bars aims to grow young people’s digital and entrepreneurial skills through collaboration with creative organisations and through access to online training, resources, markets, and international networks. The overall aim of the programme is to support resilience of creative organisations, hubs, and individual creatives by building competencies and strengthening them.
Scripts and Bars will bring together both Zimbabwe and UK expertise as well as knowledge in two key sectors (Literature and Music) to support capacity development and partnerships.
The programme will run from August to December 2023 and will involve 50 participants from Zimbabwe and UK, comprising music creatives, writers, digital artists, and creative managers. The participants will benefit from mentorship, networking, skills development, and support to create and showcase new work.
Scripts and Bars is supported by the British Council Creative Economy programme, which supports Cultural professionals and artists to develop their knowledge, artistic practice, skills, and networks contributing to greater prosperity and sustained livelihoods.
About Kay Media Africa
Kay Media Africa is a modern African multimedia production studio and consultancy specializing in animation, audio, videoand interactive content. Based in Harare Zimbabwe, Kay Media Africa is the company behind media brands such as Comexposed and Radiant Culture.
Utilising the breadth of African ideas, skill and identity Kay Media Africa helps story tellers, marketers and entertainers produce audio-visual content that engages, resonates with and inspires their target audiences.
About the British Council
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We build connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and other countries through arts and culture, educationand the English language.
Last year we reached over 80 million people directly and 791 million people overall including online, and through broadcasts and publications. Founded in 1934 we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body. We receive a 15 per cent core funding grant from the UK government.
About Reprezent
Broadcasting since 2011, and now from three shipping containers in Brixton, Reprezent Radio prides itself on its forward-thinking underground music. Reprezent’ s DJ’s and presenters all work in the music industry; produce their own music, run their own labels and club nights- meaning the station’s sound is always on the cutting edge of music- across every single genre imaginable. — earground.com
