Amakhosi Foundation Trust

Amakhosi Cultural Centre is a pioneering arts and culture institution in Zimbabwe dedicated to empowering rural a nd township communities through theatre, film, and creative expression while driving social change and talent development. We provide safe, supportive and well equipped creative spaces where young people can practice, collaborate and showcase their work in an environment that promotes discipline, wellbeing and continuous audience engagement. our mission is to nurture, protect and transform creative talent through the provision of structured arts training, safe and supportive performance spaces, creative entrepreneurship exposure, career pathway development and policy advocacy in order to expand opportunities for children and out of school youth in townships while contributing to a sustainable creative economy.

Our theory of change is based on the belief that creative talent already exists within underserved communities, however, these talents rarely reach their full potential due to the lack of structured training institutions, the scarcity of safe artistic spaces, limited opportunities for industry exposure as well as weak policy support that is needed to transform talent into sustainable livelihoods. Through addressing these gaps, Amakhosi works to ensure that artistic potential is not lost during the critical transition from school level exposure to professional creative careers. Beyond individual development, Amakhosi also contributes to strengthening the broader creative ecosystem through data collection, partnerships and policy advocacy that supports the recognition and growth of the arts sector in Zimbabwe. Together, these interventions lead to increased access to arts training, sustained youth participation in creatice spaces, industry ready talent, viable creative livelihoods and stronger sector systems. Over time, this will contribute to Amakhosi’s vision of an inclusive and sustainable creative ecosystem in Zimbabwe where artistic talent from underserved communities is nurtured, protected, valued and transformed into dignified livelihoods.

Amakhosi was founded in the early 1980 By the late Cont Mhlanga and was the first black owned theatre in Zimbabwe when it built its creative infrastructure in 1996 and re-branded to Amakhosi Cultural Centre so as to accommodate all artistic disciplines beyond theatre. Based in the township of Makhokhoba, Bulawayo's oldest township, Amakhosi has won multiple national and international awards for its work in arts, culture and community development. in 2022 the institution was awarded the Prince Clause Fund by the Prince Clause Fund for Culture and Development for being recognized for its outstanding contribution of using arts as a tool for social change, empowerment and dialogue, for nurturing generations of artists, for creating space for free expression in difficult political and economic contexts as well as for building creative infrastructure in marginalized communities.

One of our key pillars in arts education is supporting the primary, secondary and tertiary national curriculum which is heavily theoretical with school visits to the arts centre where students experience and interact with the practical elements of arts, performance and culture. during these visits, both rural and urban schools see what an amphitheatre and what other performance stages look like, they ca participate in visual arts lessons at our gallery, see various performances in theatre and dance , eat traditional food or wear traditional outfits. Although the centre is currently under-resourced, we have every intention to make sure it is revived to become the cornerstone of arts and entertainment in the region.

We are also home to an art gallery where entry level visual artists can exhibit their works and engage with seasoned visual artists to ensure knowledge transfer and shared learning. this is the only art gallery in a township in Bulawayo, a testament to our dedication to create safe arts infrastructure in townships to help bridge gaps in inequality.