CREATIVES and cultural experts have warned that Bulawayo’s identity risks remaining incomplete, saying the city’s “soul” is restless because too many of its stories are still untold and underrepresented.
The concern emerged during a Be Creative gathering hosted by the British Council at the Bulawayo Arts Festival, where playwright Raisedon Baya, Bulawayo City Council officials and UNESCO representatives called for stronger recognition of culture as a driver of development, identity and economic growth.
Baya, a playwright and cultural practitioner, said Bulawayo’s identity is rooted in its people rather than its infrastructure, arguing that creatives must take responsibility for telling the city’s untold stories.
He said common references to development often overlook what truly defines a city.
“Buildings, cars, roads, everything that is physical and nice does not make a city,” he said.
“The people make a city. Culture is how people live, how they dream and how they want to be remembered.”
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Baya challenged the narrow framing of culture as music and traditional performance, saying it also includes food, language, clothing, literature, sport and everyday lived experience.
“Culture is the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the languages we speak, the stories we tell, the values we stand for, the sports we play and the buildings we live and work in,” he said.
Central to his message was the idea that Bulawayo’s identity remains incomplete because many of its stories are still untold, describing the city as having a “restless soul” that is yet to fully express itself.
“There is so much that it wants to say, but it is not saying it,” he said.
“There is so much that it wants to be known for, but it is not known for what it wants to be known for.”
Bulawayo City Council arts culture and heritage officer Nomatshawekazi Damasane echoed Baya’s sentiments, but focused on the role of institutions in turning culture into structured urban development and economic activity.
She said culture should no longer be treated as entertainment, but as a core component of city planning and economic strategy.
“Culture is not a luxury. It is our most resilient and infinitely renewable natural resource,” she said.
Damasane said the city is actively integrating arts and heritage into urban development through festivals, programming and the rehabilitation of heritage spaces to support creative livelihoods.
“We do not build a city by erasing its history,” she said.
“We build it using history as a cultural root to anchor us as we progress forward.”
She further said local authorities are prioritising Bulawayo-based artists at major city events as part of efforts to ensure that cultural tourism benefits the local creative sector.
Internationally, UNESCO culture and urban development specialist, Elena Constantino, reinforced the same message, saying culture is now widely recognised as central to sustainable urban development rather than a peripheral activity.
She said cities that invest in culture are investing in stronger economies, social cohesion and improved quality of life.
“Culture is both an enabler and a driver of sustainable development,” she said, adding that ignoring culture in urban planning weakens long-term development outcomes.
Constantino said artists should not be viewed as mere entertainers, but as key contributors to social and economic systems.
“Creatives are much more than entertainers,” she said.
“They preserve memory, challenge assumptions, inspire dialogue, create jobs and help society imagine what is possible.”
She outlined heritage, creativity and community as the three pillars through which cities can build inclusive cultural systems, saying Bulawayo already has strong assets in these areas, including festivals, artists and heritage spaces, but needs stronger support structures to unlock their full potential.
Bulawayo’s cultural identity is not lacking, but remains underdeveloped in terms of expression, systems and opportunity, with artists and institutions both playing a role in shaping its future.