ISSUE 11: TYPOAFRIKA DEC 2017
POVO - PEOPLE OF VALID OPINIONS
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THE POVO JOURNAL December 2017
COVER
OSMOND TSHUMA
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KOMBO CHAPFIKA
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LUC DEVROYE
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BAYNHAM GOREDEMA
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SAKI MAFUNDIKWA
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TAPIWANASHE GARIKAYI
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LOMEDY MHAKO
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VICTOR BAGU
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KEVIN KARANJA, CEBO C. NXUMALO, CHI MWASINGA, KICK ASS URBAN, STUDIO MUTI, FHUMULANI NEMULODI, JAN ERASMUS
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Colonial Bastard Rhodes Treecutter Resources Haus Ethnik Dingbats Tajamuka Script This Flag ISSUE 11: TYPOAFRIKA DEC 2017
POVO - PEOPLE OF VALID OPINIONS
Resources
PUBLISHERS POVOAFRIKA TRUST ZIM Harare 263 77 228 3186 / +263 772745710, 1 Verona Gardens, 70 Livingstone Ave, Harare, Zimbabwe RSA Johannesburg +27 72 600 5283 / +27 76 099 9770 210 Klein Drakenstein, 31 Snipe Street, Horizon, 1724, Roodepoort, Johannesburg, South Afrika
CONTRIBUTE
Add your voice to the conversation. Your opinion is valid and valuable. Submit to contribute@povo.co.zw
Mused
Buja Mutapa
VKB Konqa
African Font Designers
KEY PERSONNEL EDITOR Archibald Mathibela DESIGN AND LAYOUT Baynham Goredema
DISCLAIMER
POVO JOURNAL is published by POVOAfrika Trust. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of POVOAfrika Trust nor any of their partners. The information and views set out in this journal are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of POVOAfrika Trust, nor any of their partners. Neither POVOAfrika Trust nor any person acting on their behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein. Neither are they responsible for siting references within articles or credits to photos supplied, this is the responsibility of the contributor. Rights to the photographs and articles remain with the photographers and with the authors respectively. Contact them respectively for reproduction. While all care has been taken during proofing, errors and omissions may slip through and we sincerely apologise for these.
Articles CHISHUVO CHIVASA
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TADIWANASHE BURUKAI
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VOKAL DA POET
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RICHARD LOCKIE
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SIBUSISIWE ZILAWE
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TANATSEI GAMBURA
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Life Hack Alternatives: Free Flowing versus SelfImprovement Life Scripts Sexual Rights what you need to know (Untitled)
Ancestral Connection Words of a Poet Subjects as Critical as Breathing
www.povoafrika.org Typoafrika Issue 11
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COLONIAL BASTARD RHODES OSMOND TSHUMA
Unavailable for download/ sale
The inspiration behind your font and the name too? The history and colonisation of Africa was my influence, I was writing my final year report on post colonialism in contemporary South African advertising. Whilst researching the colonisation of Africa, I was drawn to four characters (Cecil John Rhodes, Henry Morton Stanley, David Livingstone and Otto Van Bismarck). Cecil John Rhodes stood out for me as he was one of the most influential British colonisers, as well as a dominant businessman and politician. During his time, advertising material was often used to stereotype Africans natives as “savages and unclean”. An example of this can be seen in the form of various Pear’s Soap print adverts. This become my main inspiration for the look and feel. What makes your font unique? The uniqueness of this font comes through as it is a postcolonial critique
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Writing systems are important in representing more than just linguistic meaning because typography can represent history culture, tradition, a character even a personality. on Cecil John Rhodes and the impact of Colonialism in Southern Africa. It was meant to provoke a visceral response towards the images and history of Cecil John Rhodes. What are your thoughts on typography in Zimbabwe and the importance of writing systems? Writing systems are important in representing more than just linguistic meaning because typography can represent history culture, tradition, a character even a personality. One can even argue that it can even represent a social or political cause. In Zimbabwean, typography is still small, I think its also because that I know only a few typography designers compared to other countries. What is your all time favourite fonts? Gotham & Futura, they are big and bulky. If you were a superhero font which font would you be? Gotham for sure.
Can we look forward to more fonts? Yes, even though I feel like I have been slow lately. I have some fonts which I am currently working hopefully releasing them later on in 2018.
Osmond Tshuma Johannesburg | Harare An award-winning Zimbabwean graphic designer and art director who has been in the industry since the age of eighteen. He spearheaded the rebranding of IKwekwezi FM, and has worked on such brands as BMW, Apartheid Museum, Jameson Whiskey, Standard Bank, SABC, ZB Bank and GMT (Cape Verde). His ‘Kwa Mai Mai’ project has been published in Singapore, and his accolades includes awards from Pendorings, the Loeries, One Show and most recently, Cannes.
Follow behance.net/osmondtshuma wakwatshuma @tshumaosmond
Typoafrika Issue 11
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OSMOND TSHUMA
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Colonial Bastard Rhodes
THE POVO JOURNAL December 2017
OSMOND TSHUMA
Colonial Bastard Rhodes
MUSED - Modern, geometric display font
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Life Hack Alternatives: Free Flowing versus SelfImprovement Life Scripts SELF HELP
CHISHUVO CHIVASA
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s a life coach and “authentic life enthusiast”, I am habitually influencing people to embrace that difficult and often long-winded journey towards self-knowledge and ultimately self-improvement. Until recently, my strategy of choice has been scripted formal methodologies and tools purchased from the selfimprovement industry. “Know thyself” a maxim wrought by ancient scholars and hailed as a necessary step towards success has given rise to an industry worth billions globally. Whilst success and happiness mean different things to different people, are the customers of this industry deriving meaningful 8
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Times are hard for the ordinary young person in this ailing economy! Zimbabwe has seen the death of many young people, emotionally, physically and financially. Hopes have been crushed, dreams shelved; as many youths strive to survive- but not I.
value for their coin? Those who “shoot from the hip” or free flow through life, are they more successful and happy? Are they not more creative and innovative? Could there be an industry based on “free flowing” that our economist are not measuring? Is free flowing a viable life strategy with the potential of trumping the formalized self-improvement industry? Having advocated for scripted self-improvement interventions, I am now plagued with doubts as to whether it is indeed the superior path in ensuring success
and happiness. I am hesitant to believe that it drives high creativity and ground breaking innovations inadvertently making the world a better place. Having invested 30 years into my own self-knowledge journey, I cannot say with certainty that self-knowledge has endowed me with a life script that has resulted in me living a more productive and successful life. Despite having drawn my script from several tests: Myers Briggs, Gallup’s Strengths Survey, Disc Personality, Hogan Personality Inventory tests, I am often at a loss despite this huge database
of formalised knowledge about myself. I do not always know whether I would like to have a health smoothie, a glass of rum or both. When asked my favourite colour I would often hesitate not sure, if it is still thistle, mauve, or both. I am often not sure whether I am more individualistic or collective or whether the value of the whole is of weightier importance than the value of one. What value if any, have I derived from years invested in the pursuit of self-improvement? Without our consent, the human mind builds heuristics so that we do not spend hours deciding whether to buy chocolate or cherry ice cream. It strengthens prejudices and reinforces repeated activities. Only a breaking of ground aids in overcoming in built habits. Given that our brain works as an internal evolving self-
improvement manual, it would follow that when heuristics come face to face with new experiences outside of a selfimprovement script, the tools and opportunities for success are also present.
have believable and amiable experiences. Perhaps we cannot truly grasp what they share unless we too free flow and discover the nuances of success, joy, creativity and innovation for ourselves.
Knowledge that I am highly intuitive has not lessoned my dependence on my intuition. Knowledge that I am a learner and drawn to disparate subjects has not tamed my thirst to understand space exploration, human psychology and aquatic life all at the same time. What has self-knowledge done for me that experience would not have given me perhaps with greater returns? Has my investment and focus in formalized self-knowledge taken me from the path I was always meant to tread? Should I have been like a river free flowing towards a natural and expected end? Should I have been like pollen and given myself to the wind or to bees thereby allowing myself to dominate lands further than those I have reached? Would I have been more successful? Would I have been living a more enjoyable life? Would my natural talents and aptitudes have developed more keenly outside the regime of a script that I know about myself? Have I been robbed by personality tests and selfimprovement seminars?
Scripted self-improvement efforts may be responsible for the domestication of human creativity incapacitating us from facing the oddities that could revolutionize and transform our lives. It is possible that our muchadmired fearless creatives have lived their lives in free flowing modes thus enabling them to birth innovations that change the world.
What is the value of selfknowledge? Is it not to simplify life thereby heightening the probability of success? Does reducing complexities result in success? Nature wrestles this notion by ensuring that we remain famished after each book we read and each test we take and each seminar we attend. Perhaps nature is subtly but firming insisting that we break free from the rat race. It is plausible that those narrating their stories in books and on speaking platforms have freely flowed through life and thus
In the same way, that the industrial revolution brought sanity to the manufacturing sector by raping the world of unique artisanship, so it could be with the self-improvement industry. The industry produces mass-market products that promise high-end creativity but delivers low- end creativity that soon become the norm and thus no longer creative. An intentional mindful life can be lived from a stoic self-knowledge or from a life in a free flowing mode. Irrespective of a selfimprovement life script, many experiences have been joyful and successful when overtaken by events that required the human to free flow. The human heart naturally longs to soar and to go beyond the normal successes and innovation hence the mushrooming of super-heroes on our screens. Some would endeavour to suggest free flowing as undisciplined. Is it an undisciplined human predisposition or is it the pathway to meaning and enhanced creativity? Could the kill switch be self-knowledge derived via human tools? Could self-improvement be stopping us from fully embracing the classroom that is life? Is life
more enjoyable, more fruitful as a random dance or as a carefully choreographed performance? Given the investment, I am endeared to self-improvement, but then again, I dream of a free flowing life occupied with adventures. What is the conclusion of this discourse? Shall we burn all our self-improvement books? Shall we close all TED Talk venues and no longer call for such meetings? RESOURCE
Alternatively, we can hold fast to our life scripts and do our best to ignore potential red herrings. What is the superior strategy for enhanced creativity, innovation, and the building of growing enterprises? Which of these strategies will change the world for the better. Alas, I only have but one life and two competing alternatives. What shall I choose? What shall you choose?
List of African Type Designers
Luc Devroye Encyclopedic pages offering over 70,000 entries with information on type design, type designers, the history and choice of fonts and typefaces, the mathematics of type design, font software, and typographic matters in general. The subjects are cross-classified by country, language, tag, style, and category. Work started this in 1993. School of Computer Science, McGill University, Montreal, Canada > lucdevroye@gmail.com > http://luc.devroye.org/index. > html http://luc.devroye.org/fonts.html. Typoafrika Issue 11
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Treecutter KOMBO CHAPFIKA
DOWNLOAD FONT - https://drive.google.com/open?id=11wjPU-AlLdE3jws3v8M670eCv8eKVOp1
The inspiration behind your font and the name too As a visual artist I like to take inspiration from art hidden in plain sight. Treecutter takes its name and visual style from the ubiquitous DIY street signs that people put up on roadside trees. They’re usually promoting Treecutters, fridge fixers, electric gate installers, etc. These crude signs are hand-painted onto discarded bits of metal, plastic and cardboard with no accompanying imagery or other attempts at advertising salesmanship. Legibility and availability of cheap or free materials are the paramount concerns which gives them an (anti) aesthetic which is both recognizable and forgettable. What makes your font unique Each letter was based on a real hand-painted letter. The process involved photographing dozens of signs, picking out letters that had similar characteristics (thickness, inclination), and then editing these in photoshop, illustrator, and Birdfont to create the final font. The irony is that it’s actually easier for most computer owners to design a digital sign than to paint one by hand.
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What are your thoughts on typography in Zimbabwe and the importance of writing systems I don’t think there is enough typography design to begin discussing it on a national level. I can think of a couple of other people who have shown a legitimate interest in designing fonts. I think it’s an interesting social phenomenon how much the street sign makers adhere to a set of standards. When you’ve looked through dozens of photos of the street signs three clear patterns emerge. Writing systems sounds very high minded, in actuality it includes things like text message shorthand, the tropes of newspaper headlines and articles. Writing systems are emergent and ever-evolving as they respond to popular devices and mediums. I’m working on some artwork that explores how our mobile devices are changing how we write, what qualifies as news, and how we navigate the problematic noise to signal ratio of digital media. What is one of your all time favourite fonts? Tough question. Right now it’s Treecutter because it’s my own creation and it works for artwork I’m working on to do with Zimbabwe and Africa today. All time, the most reliable, and arguably the most boring, is still Helvetica. Honourable mentions to Roboto and Quicksand which
are great because of how many variants there are in each font family. These are simple, modern, legible fonts. I only use ornamental fonts when the design requires it. Personally, if I feel I’m trying to do too much with the typography alone, it’s probably best to lean on some illustration. If you were a superhero font which font would you be? I’d be the Invisible font, legible only by super people.
Can we look forward to more fonts? I’ll likely add two more variants to Treecutter (Super Black, and Eroded) in 2018. The font-making is one part of larger ideas to do with convergence and blurring of media boundaries. Commentary on the digital/analog/pop/ fine/low-brow/high-brow art border enforcement.
Kombo Chapfika Harare, Zimbabwe A Zimbabwean multi-disciplinary visual artist. He draws, paints, designs, animates, and creates installations. A recurring theme in my work is the creation of contemporary African visual languages within a western dominated media environment. It features social commentary, African and Western pop iconography, patterns, and often surreal figurative elements. A mostly self taught artist, he believes art transcends any singular medium and that each discipline informs the other. His hybrid aesthetic echoes his personal journey as a contemporary African artist and a participant in the ongoing cultural re-mixing, evolution, and discarding brought on by globalization. He wants his work to have visceral energy, vibrant colour, textures, patterns, current awareness, layers of interpretation, and suggestive storytelling. He summarize this as a “Retro-Futurist-Afro-Kitsch” aesthetic. A hyperbolic, but recognizable visual style that expresses the immense potential and current dire straits of Zimbabwe, and Africa at large. Follow kombo ckombo kombochapfika.com
MUSED - Modern, geometric display font
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KOMBO CHAPFIKA
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Treecutter
THE POVO JOURNAL December 2017
KOMBO CHAPFIKA
Treecutter
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Treecutter
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KOMBO CHAPFIKA
Treecutter
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SEXUAL RIGHTS what you need to know
SEX
TADIWANASHE BURUKAI
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exual health is about the safety, consent, happy sexual experiences, free from pressure, coercion or harm. Being sexually healthy is about having safe and respectful relationships, and not having to do anything sexually that you don’t want to. Being emotionally OK is a really important part of sexual health too. This means feeling good about your sexual experiences and no regrets before, during and especially after. Its’ also about how one chooses to express themselves sexually could it be through actions, dressing, speech, beliefs, thought, fantasies etc. Lets’ look at sexual rights now, International Women’s Health Coalition asserts that Sexual rights are human rights and are already recognized in national laws, international human rights documents, and other consensus documents. They rest on the recognition that all individuals have the right— free of coercion, violence, and discrimination of any kind—to the highest attainable standard of sexual health; to pursue a satisfying, safe, and pleasurable sexual life; to have control over and decide freely, and with due regard for the rights of others, on matters related to their sexuality, reproduction, sexual orientation, bodily integrity, choice of partner, and gender identity; and to the services, education, and information, including comprehensive
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Before I begin on sexual rights let me highlight a bit of my last article to some who might not have read it. It was on sexual health and one needs to understand a bit of sexual health before sexual rights.
sexuality education, necessary to do so.
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Discrimination against women and girls
In short sexual rights are rights for everyone pertaining to sexual health, sexual life and sexual decisions one make. There are human rights and national laws respect and ensure that citizens exercise their rights and freedoms. Sexual rights can also be understood as rights that ensure control of ones bodies and sexuality without any form of discrimination, coercion, or violence. Without sexual rights, one cannot realize their rights to self-determination and autonomy, nor can one control other aspects of their lives.
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Early and forced marriage
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Female genital mutilation
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Gender-based violence
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Gender equality
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Gender identities and expressions
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HIV/AIDS
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Maternal morbidity & mortality
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Reproductive rights
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Rights of intersex people
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Rights of sex workers
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Sexual orientation
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Sexual rights of young people
Sexual rights like other rights come in various forms and are supposed to be universal. However nations have the jurisdiction to assert which rights can be enjoyed by their citizens. This has caused a lot of controversy to some nations especially within the LGBTQIA community. Sexual Rights Issues are human rights issues related to sexuality they address a wide range of issues and often intersect with several other rights. Examples of sexual rights issues include (but are not limited to): 1. Bodily autonomy 2.
Comprehensive sexuality education
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Criminalisation and other restrictions on safe abortion
These sexual rights issues are dynamic and differ with each community. WHO asserts that Sexual rights embrace human rights that are already recognised in national laws, international human rights documents and other consensus documents. These include but not limited to: 1.
the rights to equality and nondiscrimination;
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the right to be free from torture or to cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment; free of coercion, discrimination and violence,
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the right to privacy;
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the rights to access sexual and reproductive healthcare services the highest attainable standard of health (including sexual health);
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the right to marry and to found a family and enter into marriage with free and full consent of the intending spouses, and to equality in and at the dissolution of marriage;( free choice of partner)
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the right to decide the number and spacing of one’s children;
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the rights to information and education; access to sexuality education
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the rights to freedom of opinion and expression; and respect for bodily integrity;
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the right to an effective remedy for violations of fundamental rights.
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the right to decide to be sexually active or not and to consensual sexual relations,
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the right to pursue a satisfying, safe and pleasurable sexual life
My favourite right is the last one on the above list, the right to pursue a satisfying, safe and pleasurable sexual life. Why you might ask I like that the most because for me it covers most of the sexual health rights. That is consent, satisfaction, and pleasure, people forget the main reason of expressing sexuality which is pleasure in all its forms, physical and mental. Thus sexual rights are human rights that assert for an individual to make choices, decisions and plans without fear or harm/ violence or coercion. Unfortunately there are not universal as there should be. I hope this article was informative and educative, next article will look on Reproductive Health.
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ILLUSTRATION
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KOMBO CHAPFIKA
HAUS ETHNIK DINGBATS BAYNHAM GOREDEMA
DOWNLOAD FONT - https://www.dafont.com/haus-ethnik-dingbats.font
The inspiration behind your font and the name too? I have always been fascinated by pattern making and how complex patterns can be broken down to a simple motif. Being my first foray into font design I named it after the design movement that left a big impression on me in college, the Bauhaus and ethnic was more a description of the forms that I was using. What makes your font unique The typeface was based on motifs inspired from modifications on ethnic patterns derived from Zimbabwean material culture. The pictorial nature of the dingbat best describes for me what a Shona writing system would look like. What are your thoughts on typography in Zimbabwe and the importance of writing systems? Graphic design as a profession is very young in Zimbabwe and therefore type design is even younger. There are a
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Without writing systems a lot of the indigenous knowledge was lost to later generations. few designers designing fonts, mostly experimental, but there has been an uptake in the past few years and the designers currently exploring this aspect of design can be seen as the pioneers in Zimbabwe. With an oral tradition of storytelling, writing systems were not developed beyond the rock art. Indigenous knowledge was passed down from generation to generation. The rock art writing systems only captured a glimpse of the rich and diverse lives of the people of the past. Without writing systems a lot of the indigenous knowledge was lost to later generations. What is one of your all time favourite fonts? It has to be Myriad Pro for san serif and Garamond for serif. Garamond was the first font we hand rendered in college. We had to do the upper and lowercase of a letter of your choice mine was ‘Dd’ If you were a superhero font which font would you be?
Trajan! It just looks like its ready to go into battle, and old epic battle… Can we look forward to more fonts? Most definitely I have enjoyed font design and expressing myself through type. I am working on a couple more ideas exploring our heritage and culture.
Baynham Goredema Johannesburg | Harare An artist and activist from Zimbabwe who has worked as a graphic designer for over 15 years, earlier part of his career he specialising in corporate identity and brand management for major brands in Zimbabwe including Meikles Hotel, Innscor Africa, Interfresh. The last decade or so he has shifted to more developmental work with organisations such as UNICEF, Oxfam, TrustAfrica, Danish Aid, Magamba Trust, Culture Fund. Lectured at Harare Polytechnic and ZIVA. As a fine art printmaker he has exhibited in Zimbabwe and South Africa holding his inaugural solo exhibition in Harare in 2017. He curated his first exhibition KusirikufaNdekupi in Johannesburg in 2016. He is also the founder of POVOAfrika Trust, an arts, culture and sustainable development organisation. Follow behance.net/bayhaus @bayhaus @bayhaus baynhamgoredema.com @baycutslino
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BAYNHAM GOREDEMA
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Haus Ethnik Dingbats
BAYNHAM GOREDEMA
Haus Ethnik Dingbats
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THIS FLAG BAYNHAM GOREDEMA
DOWNLOAD FONT - http://www.fontspace.com/bayhaus/thisflag
abcdefgh ijklmnopq rstuvwxyz A display font created in support for the #ThisFlag campaign in Zimbabwe which started as a rant on Facebook by Pastor Evan Mawarire and resulted in one of the biggest stay away protests in Zimbabwe on July 06 2016.
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12345 67890 !@#$&*()[]”?-.,% Typoafrika Issue 11
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BAYNHAM GOREDEMA
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This Flag
BAYNHAM GOREDEMA
This Flag
hatichatya hatichada hatichadzokere hatichazeza hatichadhererwa
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POETRY
VOKAL DAPOET POET
(untitled)
28 years of relationship, companionship, friendship and kids
for what she doesn’t know what till she finds it
28 years of blood, sweat and tears and potential, its realisation and its fulfillment
Her foot soldier, I want to travel with her on public transport
Cradling dreams the way we cradle newborn kids
And get to deal with the touts and unbred
Cheering each other on
Men who can’t hold their excitement when they see a beautiful woman
Emptying the reserviors of doubt and despair
Dad, I’ll buy make up palletes for this woman
Faithfully standing by each other’s side in constant repair of each other’s faith
And let her go girly girly in front of the mirror
28 years of lying, cheating and deceiving Loyalty, trust and honour 28 years of arguments and making up Yes dad understand I understand the 28 years that had moments of separation when you were gone and she was gone Because of job commitments You fought each other, fought for each other and together you fought for the family 28 years of her flaws and your baggage You accepted her flaws and she embraced your baggage In an age filled with evil stepmother fairy tales Yes dad I understand I understand everything old man Understand your pain now that she is gone Understand how you wish it was you and not her Understand enough to want to rewrite history and give you a happily ever after ending Dad, I understand... I understand everything Man I understand nothing I understand because I have met her I have met the woman that makes me want to hold her hand And walk with her to the shops Patiently stick by her side holding her bag while she searches 26
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Doll her face up, make it up, mess it up and love her still I will admire her with and without make up Put make up on her soul With words that speak to her inner being I want to sit beside her in silence Listen to her breath so I get to know her better Discover a language that’s beyond words A language that’s us I want, I want... Dad I want to love my woman the way you loved your woman Totally, completely, without reservations Because there is enough God in me to love all of the God in her Hold her close and never let her go till our hearts beat in a unison rhythm Let her go, let her heart sing the song of freedom Knowing she will always come back to me Dad, she is not the woman of my dreams But she is my dream And I will never die for her because I want live for her For her I have grown up And I want to grow old with her Yes dad, I understand everything to understand enough that I understand nothing Dad, this woman will never be another of your daughters She will be the son I have always failed to be
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ILLUSTRATION
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SHERMAN BALOYI
Tajamuka Script BAYNHAM GOREDEMA
DOWNLOAD FONT - http://www.fontspace.com/bayhaus/ta jamuka-script
Tajamuka Script is a handwritten font, with hasty form, a protest. It is inspired by the uprising of 2016 in Zimbabwe where a seemingly docile people decided to stand up to a repressive regime. Tajamuka can be loosely translated to ‘Enough is Enough!’
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BAYNHAM GOREDEMA
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Tajamuka Script
BAYNHAM GOREDEMA
Tajamuka Script
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Ancestral Connection
The museum in Mutare has an exhibit of a ‘witch doctor’ CULTURE
RICHARD LOCKIE
M
y upbringing in the Eastern Highlands was blessed, full of content and camaraderie. Going to live in Cape Town after school sparked a fire in my heart that would lead me to a place of listening. A place where i was introduced to my Ancestors. Their light shines within me from before, now and beyond. I am honoured by their guidance. Welcomed to a graduation ceremony, years before the idea of training even entered my world, I was privileged to see the ancient practices of a sacred tradition.
PHOTO SOURCE
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HTTP://AFRICASHAMANEXPERIENCE.COM/
This was my first insight to the integrity of the lineage that I would later learn from. After much drumming and dancing a goat appeared to the side and was taken to a small room. I was guided to follow it and when at the door, was gently asked to assist in the holding of its head. The tranquil state of surrender of the goat, as its throat was cut, gave me a depth of understanding to the preparation it had been through. 32
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This static historically presented archetype is the first thing that comes to mind when i consider my early connection to ‘African culture’ in the context of the recently liberated country of Zimbabwe.
It was ready for service, transition and not afraid.
commitment, so care is to be taken in choosing a teacher.
A Sangoma is an African shaman, a medicine person who works with the ancestral, plant and animal medicines to assist people and places.
My acceptance of the calling came from a need to function more optimally in the world.
To study this practice a calling needs identifying in a reading by a Sangoma. Challenges can present themselves until this is found. Training meant becoming a child and taking a teacher as a parent. Learning from the Sangoma who identifies the calling is not necessary. It is a financial and physical
RESOURCE
The preconception I had was something raw and excarnating. The reality was about grounding, fine-tuning and self-work. My seven month foundation was focused on balancing my fire and water. The masculine and feminine force that makes up the body. Primarily self reflection, to create clarity in listening and speaking, punctuated with ceremonies that anchored connections with my ancestors.
Delicate, sensitive and subtle medicines were stirred and drunk. This training taught me how to earth myself and listen, to follow etiquette and take direction. To never feel alone. It is important to note that this living ancestral frequency comes from everything we are apart of in the world, including the rocks and the trees. The Ancestors are described as having returned to Source or God and offered to return in service to be present, assisting in the continual dialogue between the physical world and the subtle.
This finely tuned, sometimes technicolour intuitive Gift is a lifelong dynamic process of realisation and service. The light of the ancestral and Angelic realm that encompasses African mysticism lives beyond and within time and space. The tradition pre dates monotheistic religion and sees God in everything. The elders of the lineage i learned from are sangomas and Christians. There is no separation. All is One in Creation.
Must have Book!
Saki Mafundikwa
Saki Mafundikwa is a graphic designer, typographer and design educator. He hold an MFA from Yale University and worked and taught in New York City before returning to Zimbabwe to found that country’s first graphic design and new media college, the Zimbabwe Institute of Vigital Arts. Buy Book - https://www.amazon.com/Afrikan-Alphabets-Story-Writing-Afrika/dp/0972424067 Typoafrika Issue 11
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MUSED TAPIWANASHE GARIKAYI
DOWNLOAD FONT - http://www.fontspace.com/sebgarrydesign/mused
The inspiration behind the font and the name too The font design was inspired by a logotype I was working on for Mused Creativs. The idea was born after I struggled to find a font that complimented the logotype hence i decided to make an ideal font that worked well with the logotype. The name , ‘MU’, is derived from the letters of the name, ‘Mduduzi’ , my friend and cofounding partner of Mused Creativs who has played a pivotal role in supporting and motivating me through my design journey. The ‘SE’ is derived from ‘Sebastian’, my second name thus the name ‘Mused’ What makes your font unique? Mused is very geometric and it is composed of basic shapes making it a really unique modern display font with a modern and playful feel. What are your thoughts on typography in Zimbabwe and the importance of writing systems? Zimbabwean typography and most African typography is linked in the minds of most people to tribal imagery, rough lettering and loosely
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The absence of Zimbabwean writing systems has presented a setback for us, having a writing system speaks in the absence of speech, it is the power of culture. geometrical features. I believe there is an opportunity for designers in Zimbabwe to come up with a fresh new look that constitutes our national heritage and create a unique style that will bring with it a typographic revolution on a global scale. When we see the Latin script we are reminded of the colonization of education and people as well as imperial dominance. The absence of Zimbabwean writing systems has presented a setback for us, having a writing system speaks in the absence of speech, it is the power of culture. Take for example when we look at cultural statements like Japanese language or Chinese, Arabic etc , it is a powerful reminder of their culture. What is one of your all time favourite fonts? Futura, the san serif typeface has beautiful simple shapes and loud, clear personalities; it shows me that the shape of a letter can be a message by itself. Its very bold and geometric, I love geometric fonts! If you were a superhero font which font would you be? I’d have a hard time picking just one, as I admire so many superhero fonts but for this time i will pick the Guardians of the Galaxy Font.
Can we look forward to more fonts? Yes, I’m currently in the process of creating 2 new typefaces; It’s going to take some time since I’m looking forward to creating larger font families. A lot of fonts are definitely coming after the two current typefaces I’m working on at the moment.
Tapiwanashe Sebastian Garikayi Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe A young self-taught Graphic Designer, visionary, founder of Sebgarry design and cofounder of Mused Creativs; based in the small town of Victoria Falls. He was educated at Prince Edward High School and is currently studying for a BA.honors in French degree at Midlands State University. His strong passion for art and all things creative has led him to the beautiful world of Graphic design where he specializes in Corporate Branding & Identity Design and Typography. Besides being a creative ninja, Tapiwa enjoys watching Superhero / comic book movies and is also an athlete who has enjoyed success in Taekwondo and as a Handball player! Follow behance.net/stgarikayi9459 @sebgarrydesign @Sebastiangary1 @sebgarrydesign
Mused
- modern, geometric display font
MUSED - Modern, geometric display font
MUSED MUSED
modern geometric fun
modern geometric fun
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
» PHOTO SOURCE
a b c d e f g h i j k 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z Font can be downloaded on http://www.fontspace.com/sebgarrydesign/mused
BARBRA ANDERSON
A B C D E F G H I J K a b c d e f g h i j k L M N O P Q R S T U l m n o p q r s t u V W X Y Z v w x y z
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BUJA LOMEDY MHAKO
Not yet available for download
A typeface called Buja named after my tribe, very rich in color and basketry patterns. A very loud society.
Lomedy Mhako Harare, Zimbabwe Ever the innovator, heavily influenced by film and photography, thus he creates grandiose theatrical narratives. He is inspired by a phenomenon that he finds fascinating-the beautiful patterns, geometric integrity and a deep sense of mystery and funkiness. A huge fan of art and design hence I always find myself blurring the boundary of the two and encourage reinterpretation. Passionate tutor, illustration addict and aspiring typographer currently building a brand Lomedyart and a college dropout who wants to learn everything about art and design. Follow behance.net/lomedymhakb945 @sebgarrydesign @Lomedyart @lomedyart
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MUTAPA LOMEDY MHAKO & BRIAN CHIMHINI Not yet available for download
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MUTAPA $
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Words of a Poet POETRY
SIBUSISIWE ZILAWE POET
Ride through the stop signs of my heart It’s a long journey to a straight road Stumble through the big words of a poet Who left his vocabulary in my insides, making it difficult to breathe Big words with no foundation, words as empty as lies Dug deep inside, with roots as strong as Hercules It’s not a straight road It’s a place full of entwined streets Result of his twisted jargon that caused havoc on my spirit Such betrayal deserves the fires of hell A garden of lies watered with deceit, hurt and pain Tended with mockery and infiltration Feels like someone opened my mouth and pissed alcohol pinched urine onto my tongue
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ILLUSTRATION
»
LOMEDY MHAKO
VKB KONQA VICTOR BAGU
DOWNLOAD FONT - https://www.dafont.com/vkb-konqa.font
The inspiration behind your font and the name too? The name of the typeface was initially WAR. This I then aligned to my personal brand for vanity’s sake. VKB (Victor Kudakwashe Bagu, my name) KonQa (Business name). The font was created in 2006 when the crisis in Zimbabwe was sort-of at its peak and I had many moments where I questioned why this happened. I would wonder if the liberation actions were well-timed, what the mentality of the land reform advocates was and the fear in the minds of the white commercial farmers. It felt like a WAR, though it wasn’t. So I named the font WAR (Hondo yevhu, secret text signal like Asante sana :), in uppercase because it was quite a loud adventure taking place in the land of my birth. The land reform advocates were tagged as war veterans from the war waged against the British settlers in the 60s and 70s and culminated in the independent state of Zimbabwe. These war veterans were trained and funded by various communist-type countries like Korea, Russia and China. With that in mind I drew inspiration of the letterform structures from Russian typography and
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the communist star. I went on to add some grunge to all the letters as a sign of a struggle in progress, the pushing and shoving. What makes your font unique?
Writing systems are key as they give a level of identity to a space they are speaking of.
There aren’t too many of these Russian fonts and this font draws from a social struggle. What are your thoughts on typography in Zimbabwe and the importance of writing systems? There are some great typefaces that are publicised here and there by Zimbabwean artists but there isn’t a specialised repository so gauging the movement is not so easy. The lettering is very creative and inspirational. Writing systems are key as they give a level of identity to a space they are speaking of. Such systems can help nationals subconsciously embrace their identity. A beautiful example is the typeface for the South African Constitutional Court. What is one of your all time favourite fonts? These change as time goes by. Gotham, DIN, Klavika and Baksheesh. If you were a superhero font which font would you be? Modern 20 Can we look forward to more fonts? I have a couple in the works eg. Eternalist. Soon come.
Victor Bagu Johannesburg A designer and front-end developer. Lover of the African identity and design. My life goal being to create systems or pieces that influence the lives of masses of people. Holds a BA in Graphic Design and has worked on a bunch of corporatey stuff for large brands like SABC, Toyota, Lexus, Emirates chii chii. Follow @konqa
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VICTOR BAGU
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VKB Konqa
THE POVO JOURNAL December 2017
VICTOR BAGU
VKB Konqa
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Subjects as Critical as Breathing POETRY
TANATSEI GAMBURA POET
We do not discuss politics at the dining table In case we accidentally stab it with our forks, Lift it to our open mouths And swallow. Furtively, we, push it to the edge of our plates, Hoping that it might fall off and be cleaned away after the meal. We scrub our plates with barbed wire From the fence before we go to bed, Slitting our hands in the process, Draining our blood in the sink. At least we didn’t have to swallow, right? Right. These hunger strikes are not a place of safety. They are a shovel in a graveyard. When citizenship becomes an act of self-sacrifice Or the tragedy of the choiceless, Know that something has gone terribly wrong. Silence is suicidal. Citizen rights are not poison, Human rights are not political. There is no miracle “Somebody” to swallow your food for you.
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AFRICAN FONT DESIGNERS SHOWCASE OF SOME MORE DESIGNERS
Charvet by Kevin Karanja
Merikana by Cebo C. Nxumalo
HarshPhuk by Chi Mwasinga
Frank Ogagba by Kick Ass Urban
Studio Muti
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AFRIKAN FONT DESIGNERS
Bebop
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Fhumulani Nemulodi
AFRIKAN FONT DESIGNERS
Fhumulani Nemulodi
Durango Sans
Elwi The Gentle Giant
Bomba Stout
Sisana
Reqnad Geometrik
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AFRIKAN FONT DESIGNERS
Jan Erasmus
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Be a part of the Movement! POVO depends on your contributions. The main thrust being to get people to document their opinions, showcase their work and share them on a wider platform. We are not looking for reportage, there are millions of sites and magazines reporting the news and issuing press releases. All Opinions, Features, and Interviews have to be unpublished, it must be published on POVO first and then can be published elsewhere. By sharing your opinion and showcasing your work you become a part of the POVO movement. If you have an article that you may consider to be of relevance to the youth in Zimbabwe and Afrika then feel free to contribute to contribute@povo.co.zw.
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