HARARE, Aug. 18 (NewsDay Live) — Twenty Zimbabwean women are undergoing professional 2D animation training under a 12-week programme launched by Matamba Film Labs for Women, as the Harare-based organisation seeks to increase female participation in the country’s technology-driven creative industries.
The Matamba Women Animate Programme, running from July to September, is funded by the Embassy of Ireland in Pretoria and supported by the Australian Embassy in Zimbabwe.
The programme is equipping participants with skills in digital design, motion graphics, UI/UX and industry-standard animation software, targeting technical roles in an animation and digital content industry that remains largely male dominated.
Matamba has also sought to broaden access beyond Harare, providing accommodation for four participants travelling from Bulawayo, Tsholotsho, Kwekwe and Domboshava for the duration of the training.
Each participant will be paired with an established animator or creative technologist for mentorship, while the cohort is expected to produce five original animated short films as its capstone project.
The films are expected to be showcased at festivals in Zimbabwe and Southern Africa before selected productions are submitted to international platforms.
“The Women Animate Program is about more than drawing frames,” said Matamba founder Siza Mukwedini. “It is about mastering software logic and building the confidence for women to lead in STEM-adjacent industries.”
Mukwedini, an award-winning film producer and 2024 Echoing Green Fellow, founded Matamba in 2018 to promote a creative economy through new media technology. The organisation has since expanded its programmes to include virtual and augmented reality training for women.
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The programme has received support from the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, the Australian Embassy and Kumba GreenTech, with mentorship from film industry figures Leroy Gopela, Prosper Kunyetu and Evelyn Gambe.
Facilitators Eugene Mapondera and Mudiwa Marasa said the residency was helping bridge the gap between under-resourced artists and industry professionals.
Programme coordinator Geraline Tseriwa said the initiative combined creativity, mentorship and community, while participant Melissa Kasanduka said the training had demonstrated how animation could deepen her artistic practice.
The programme is part of Matamba’s wider 2026 activities, which include a hackathon delivered in partnership with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a separate Women Animate Lab focused on economic skills for women entering new media industries.
Organisers said partnerships between local creative organisations and international institutions could provide a model for investing in Africa’s creative technology sector while strengthening local capacity and confidence in African-led skills development initiatives.
