A Steady Disruption

I look out over the water and there is no shadow, and suddenly I am crying there on the sand, and it feels like pulling an arrow from my chest, the way it hurts, the way it wants to split apart and rest.

A painting of a landscape featuring a ruined castle and a map sitting alone.

Reconciling with Alienation

‘We careen towards an ever-elusive future, but the promise of becoming something more than we are today is the very thing that animates our day-to-day lives.’

‘I hate turning my characters into objects of pity': Brian Chikwava on ‘Shamiso’

The ‘Harare North’ author talks his second novel, subverting notions of language and gender, and telling transnational stories with layered characters.

A young boy and his boxing coach eat desserts in a restaurant.

‘There's joy even when there's sadness’: Jessica Rowlands on her history-making short film ‘Rise’

The story of a tenacious young boy and the coach who mentors him premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June.

A watercolor illustration of the creation of Earth.

The Enchanting Worlds of African Folklore, Revived

Drawing largely from accounts by European researchers and missionaries, Helen Nde retells folktales from across the continent. Among them, a creation myth from the Makoni district.

People enjoy a musical performance of traditional Zimbabwean music.

The Pacific Northwest, Where Traditional Zimbabwean Music Reverberates

For nearly 35 years, marimba, mbira, ngoma and other instruments from the homeland have been the main attractions at Zimfest, a community gathering in the western United States.

Jonah Sithole playing guitar in a car.

At the National Gallery, a Captivating Exhibition With a Fascinating Backstory

Composed of works by late photographer Chicago Dzviti, ‘Portrait of Zimbabwe’ illuminates a bygone era in the country's history and raises questions about the rights to ownership of national patrimony.

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The cover of the record "Roots Rocking Zimbabwe."

The Genre-Bending Effervescence of ‘Township Music,’ 50 Years Later

A compilation record and an accompanying re-edition of Fred Zindi’s 1985 book, ‘Roots Rocking in Zimbabwe,’ have resurrected a thrilling era in the country’s music history beginning in 1975.

Oil painting of a carafe, a glass, a wine bottle, butter and bread.

Three Is a Crowd

She queried if she had missed it in the way he had nonchalantly ordered vanilla ice cream despite her plea that chocolate pistachio was her favourite.

Rutendo Chichaya

A group of runners racing over the Victoria Falls bridge.

Running the Victoria Falls Marathon

One of the largest running events in the country has it all: unbeatable views, fun-filled post-race offerings and possible wildlife sightings. Organising and competing in it are a feat.

Textile artwork hanging in First Floor Gallery Harare.

In First Floor’s ‘Nariti,’ Textiles Take Centre Stage

The works by women artists explore the needle and its fabrications.

A group of young adults sit separately at a café, each reading their own book.

No Talking Necessary at These Literary Gatherings

Community is at the heart of the unconventional Silent Book Clubs in Harare and Bulawayo, where participants are invited to read alone, together.

The cover of NoViolet Bulawayo's novel "Glory."

NoViolet Bulawayo’s 'Glory' Crystallises the Unimaginable

Fearless and honest, this retelling of a well-known event explores just what it takes to achieve individual and collective freedom on the brink of collapse.

The stage set-up for a spoken word event.

Rhythms, Rhymes and Finger Snapping at Word Kalcha

With an open mic segment for newcomers and a stage that has attracted international artists, the monthly spoken word event is the spot to be for lovers of performance poetry.

Portia Zvavahera: ‘Hidden Battles / Hondo dzakavanzika’

Institute of Contemporary Art

28 Aug 2025

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19 Jan 2026

Aug 2025

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Boston, Massachusetts, US

Inspired by her dreams, Portia Zvavahera's artworks earnestly convey the abstract forms and shapes that appear in the depths of her sleep cycles. Imprecise strokes are paired with dribbling paints and textural patterns. The effect is sweetly fantastical, uniquely spiritual and, at times, nightmarish. Her works, which explore the relationship between her African Pentecostal upbringing and Indigenous Shona traditions through a mix of painting and printmaking, were on view in Edinburgh, Scotland until May. For her first solo US exhibition, Zvavahera presents a collection that hinges on the theme of animals, their personal and communal significance.

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