UNPUBLISHED Africa–a social impact business that support emerging African artists with a special focus on photographers, has embarked on several capacity-building projects aimed at equipping artists to professionalise and monetise their craft.
Anesu–Tendesai Chikumba who is the brainchild behind the capacity-building platform says she founded and pioneered the platform with the intention of celebrating, promoting, and elevating talent in Africa starting with her home country Zimbabwe.
Chikumba is a holder of a BCom in Management Studies as well as an Advanced Diploma in Digital Marketing and a Certificate in Digital Marketing. She has also previously worked as community manager for Eight to Five Innovation Hub where she created strategies and systems to better serve entrepreneurs within the hub and the online community and has also facilitated brand strategy and digital marketing strategy workshops for Akayi’s Incubation program BizBuild.
Through Unpublished Africa, she has curated and shared opportunities for photographers and artists to showcase and monetise their work. She recently launched a Creative Business Studio–a free six weeks hybrid program that enhances the ability for creatives to monetise and build an enterprise around their work. The program has to date attracted participants from countries such as Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
In an interview, Chikumba revealed that it was her desire to help unpublished photographers as well as bridging the gap between emerging artists and those who have made it.
She added that the objectives of unpublished Africa were to get creatives to start thinking about the need to professionalise their services in working with other people and expressed concern on how creatives have not been able to monetise their talents.
Creative Business Studio consists of virtual workshops, consultations, and group activities aimed at the growth of the creatives business, networking, and sharing of ideas. Session facilitators represent business developers and creative industry professionals.
Through the platform, participants gain access to both workshops and consultation in brand and business strategy, digital marketing, finance, and accounting as well as legal advice on various business-related matters.
The program then culminates in a publication called Africa Published–a publication created with the mission of encouraging the sharing of the African story by African photographers and creatives and is an initiative meant to normalise continuous learning and sharing of the storyteller’s journey
Under the initiative, cohort participants are also privileged to access a mentor as well one on one sessions for any help regarding any contributions or assistance in their creative sphere of work.
A participant from Zambia Maingaila Muvundika described the cohort as an enriching and game-changing experience.
“Being part of the online residency was enriching in multiple ways. It opened my mind up to different aspects of my work that I had been aware of but not actively working to improve them and in turn demonstrated how I could improvise myself in those areas," Muvundika said.
Another participant from Ghana David Addo-Gyan described the cohort as a purpose-driven learning experience,
“The Creative Business Studio was a purpose-driven learning experience for me. My creative business is positioned to serve other creatives so it was also beneficial to network with other passionate creatives and begin conversations on collaborations,” Addo-Gyan said.
Chikumba stated that through the platform, it was her desire to ensure collaboration between photographers and creatives on the continent.
This latest project is a continuation of Chikumba’s previous work of helping both personal and business brands improve themselves and build foundations to attain their visions. As founder of the Created Creatives, Anesu has through workshops with founders and a podcast–building African Brands, educated the market on brand-building foundations given her core skills set of brand development and digital marketing. She shares a keen interest in the entrepreneurial ecosystem and is on a mission to assist people and organizations to start, grow and expand their brands.
- Fungayi Antony Sox works at TisuMazwi – a public relations and communication-centered social enterprise specialising in books, education, IELTS, and storytelling projects. He writes in his personal capacity. For feedback contact him on 0776 030 949, connect with him on LinkedIn on Fungayi Antony Sox, or follow him on Twitter @AntonySox
