‘I Wear My Culture’ showcases full exhibition in Harare

I Wear My Culture a research project by Gilmore Tee, which used fashion and film to document the decorative ways, colours used, and sustainable fashion of 10 unique ethnic groups from Zimbabwe and 2 UK ethnic groups is going to be showcasing on Sunday the 3^rd of March at the Creative Economy Week (1 – 4 March 2024) a meticulously curated week-long event aimed at cultivating creativity, fostering collaboration and driving innovation within the creative sectors.

This initiative is part of the British Council’s ongoing efforts to promote and support the creative industries in Africa, underscoring their importance as key drivers for sustainable, dynamic and inclusive growth.

The project which zoned into the Tonga, Nambya, Shona, Xhosa, Shangani, Ndebele, Venda, Kalanga, Khoisan, Sotho, Irish and Scottish, had 12 young fashion designers travelling to their designated tribal groups rural settings where they learnt about the groups, in turn using the knowledge gained to create 2 contemporary garments, each, inspired by their findings. 22 contemporary garments were produced from the project which kicked off in 2022, with a now award-winning 65minutes documentary filmed by Prosper Kunyetu and Creative Mice Films and an award-winning fashion film directed by Gilmore Tee, being the outcome of this initiative. Zimbabwean Historian – Pathisa Nyathi and UK Fashion Heritage Designer – Dorota Stumpf, were pivotal in this research in terms of helping share knowledge and skills with the young designers, prior to them constructing garments and going on site for primary research.

As part of the project, this year, I Wear My Culture partnered with internationally acclaimed UK Based photographer – Val Juma, who helped in the next stage of the project which is archiving the elements used to create garments and the garments themselves through photography. Val Juma is a passionate advocate for Afrofuturism, tribal and Afro fantasy aesthetics. Armed with a Nikon Z6ii, Val travels globally, capturing breath-taking photography and video footage in diverse locations, including Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, South Africa, England, Scotland, Brazil, Canada and the Caribbean.

“We have been working on I Wear My Culture for the past 3 years and are really humbled by what we have discovered across Zimbabwe, especially when it comes to our culture and heritage. In every part we travelled to, we were received with open hands, something that my team and I hold dearly and is an indication on how warm we are as Zimbabweans. We are so rich in our individual tribal groups and all we yearn for is to be seen, heard and celebrated. This is what the project is really about, and you will experience all that through our documentary, fashion film, garments and the outstanding photographs”- expressed Gilmore Tee, Curator & Lead Project for I Wear My Culture.

Public members interested in learning more about the different cultures in Zimbabwe and how they can use film and fashion to capture them, are invited to be a part of this 1 day showcase which is filled with the beauty of Zimbabwe. The free event takes place at the British Council in Harare, presented by Paper Bag Africa in collaboration with Val Juma and Creative Mice Films. It will feature an INDABA on Fashion, Heritage and Inclusion with Designers Danayi Madondo, Nkanyeziyethu Malunga and Mzukisi Mbane, fashion display featuring 22 garments by the designers, photography by Val Juma and documentary screening by Prosper Kunyetu.