shloboe boe
Mthabisi Tshuma
His dream is nothing short of developing the Bulawayo Creative and Cultural Industries (CCIs) and even beyond the city, which is recognised as Zimbabwe’s cultural hub.
His name is Raisedon Baya.
A creative legend in the making, an inspiration to many in the arts scene and a breakthrough figure for countless individuals, he is a man who spares no effort in achieving his goals.
Intwasa Arts Festival koBulawayo, short plays such as Witnesses and Victims (directed by the late Sihlangu Dlodlo), Super Patriot and Morons, Madmen and Fools—you name it—these are all his works.
For his first project of 2025, Baya revealed his wish to meet leaders in Bulawayo’s arts scene in an informal setting to share ideas.
“It’s a simple wish: to have lunch with 20 arts leaders. Not a workshop, not a business meeting, but just an informal social gathering for networking.
“We are a divided sector—very competitive, very individualistic—and that will not take the sector forward.
We need to start working together, sharing, collaborating and that can only start with us getting to know each other and spending time together,” said Baya.
He expressed hope that the lunch would mark the beginning of significant progress in the creative sector.
“That’s the basic idea of the lunch: to kick-start a culture of trust and collaboration to develop our sector.
“I want a simple lunch, nothing expensive, and I am in the process of sourcing funds. The idea of the lunch is not to involve artists but leaders. There aren’t that many leaders. I now have the 20 leaders, who will be named soon, with the lunch likely to take place on January 18,” said Baya. —@mthabisi_mthire
