European Union Ambassador to Zimbabwe, His Excellency Jobst Von Kirchmann poses for a photo with musician Jah Prayzah
By Dickson Bandera
Zimbabwe’s creative sector has received a strong endorsement from a powerful admirer of Zimbqbwean arts and culture—European Union Ambassador to Zimbabwe, His Excellency Jobst Von Kirchmann.
Speaking just before the close of the 65th edition of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair in Bulawayo, the ambassador praised the depth and diversity of artistic talent in the country, underscoring the EU’s commitment to supporting the arts through the Creative Action 2 which has just opened applications for the 2025 year.
“When you look around in Zimbabwe, there’s so much creativeness around. So many artists, so many young people who want to launch something. And they are very talented. And I’m not only talking about Harare, Bulawayo, I’m talking about the entire country,” he said.
This wide pool of talent, according to the ambassador, prompted the EU to think deeply about how to effectively support Zimbabwean creatives. The result was a funding programme designed to cut through bureaucracy and deliver tangible help directly to artists.
“So at a certain moment with my team, we were saying, how can we support these talented young people? And that’s where we created Creative Action 2 which is essentially a system where people can, without formalities, apply and say, I have a small project, maybe for $10,000. I would like to do a theater play. I would do some craft. I would like to do something in the art scene, etc,” he added.
Creative Action 2 is built on the success of its predecessor, which saw nearly 100 projects supported from across the country. This impressive response has led to the launch of a second call for applications, with the EU ambassador encouraging all eligible artistes to take advantage of the opportunity.
“And the first round of this was a huge success. We had almost 100 projects. But as I say, throughout the country. And now we have just launched the second call.
“So I can only invite everybody to participate. Because it’s a testimony from our side, how much we believe in young, talented artists in Zimbabwe.
“I think the easiest is just to go online and look for creative action too because you find everything.
As the local creative industry continues to push boundaries in music, visual art, theatre, and crafts, initiatives like Creative Action 2 serve as crucial lifelines, offering both recognition and resources.
“There are also bigger grants which are more formal which is more competitive but the small ones is the first comes first serve basis yeah and it doesn’t require a lot of a lot of formalities and and I could now talk for hours but what is all needed but I think the easiest is just go online and look for it,” he remarked.
For Zimbabwean artistes looking for a platform and a boost, the time to act is now.
