Giving Poetry Wings 4.0 Makes Its Zimbabwe Debut

// Eight collaborative AR artworks celebrating our cultural tapestry //

In the warm ambiance of Cafe Mocha (Harare), we unveiled something extraordinary: the Zimbabwe debut of Giving Poetry Wings 4.0, an award-winning augmented reality art project where ancestral wisdom converses with contemporary creation.

This intimate launch marked the beginning of a journey that will unfold across Harare and Zimbabwe in the coming months. Eight collaborative artworks transformed the space into a bridge between worlds - where flame lilies bloom in digital space, where gathering places become portals, where the sacred act of storytelling transcends the boundaries of stone and screen.

Our guests experienced firsthand what happens when poetry, visual art, fashion, and technology weave together through augmented reality (in this case, through the Artivive App). Raising their devices to scan each piece, they entered conversations that began long before us and will continue long after—the maize that sustained generations becoming digital nourishment for the soul, the skins we wore transforming into stories about identity and belonging.

Born from intensive collaborative workshops between immersive media artist Thuthukani Ndlovu, NAMA award winning poet Kuda Rice, bespoke fashion designer Kimberly Mabika, and visual artist & sculptor Tinotenda Chivhinge, the exhibition represents cultural alchemy in action. Each artwork holds the weight of heritage while reaching toward futures yet unimagined.

The intimate setting of our Cafe Mocha launch allowed attendees to witness an evolving project in its early stages - a glimpse into how we're preserving and amplifying our cultural narratives through technology. This was more than a one-day exhibition; it was the beginning of an ongoing conversation.

What's Next?

We're taking Giving Poetry Wings 4.0 to different venues across Harare and Zimbabwe, with monthly exhibitions that will grow and transform. Each iteration will feature new additions to the AR experience, ensuring there's always something fresh to discover. This is a living exhibition - one that evolves as it travels, deepening with each encounter.

The Giving Poetry Wings series began in 2018 at South Africa's National Arts Festival, receiving the Word n Sound "Innovation in Poetry" Award in 2019. Now, we've brought this internationally recognized work home, celebrating Zimbabwean identity while demonstrating how collaborative creation births entirely new forms of cultural expression. Here, technology serves not as replacement but as amplification, not as escape but as deeper engagement with who we are and who we are becoming.

GPW is an Initiative of Radioactive Blog, supported by Stimulus Africa Foundation and Swiss Embassy to Zimbabwe. Stay connected with us for announcements about upcoming exhibition venues and dates. Follow us @Radioactive_hub on Instagram / TikTok / Facebook. If you would like to host our exhibition or buy one of the pieces, contact TK on +263780171141 / radioactivetuts@gmail.com .