AFRICA TO THE WORLD • FARAI MACHINGURA
Farai Machingura
ON REVOLUTIONIZING THE DUBAI AFRO SOCIAL CIRCLES
F
arai is the Co-Founder of The Circle Socials, an entertainment brand that is raising the stakes in bringing to the fore eclectic events that target the African diaspora and wider expat community in Dubai. Travel Essence Magazine caught up with Farai to speak on his journey to entrepreneurship since relocating to the UAE.
not know what it was, but I knew for sure that there was something for me here.
1. WHERE TO START BUT TO START BY ASKING ABOUT YOU. WHO IS FARAI AND WHAT 5 WORDS DESCRIBE YOU AS AN ENTREPRENEUR? Farai is a small-town boy, born in Harare who grew up in Marondera, which is about 30mins from the capital city of Zimbabwe – Harare. I think I am defined by my origin story and being a kid, I imagined this massive world which made me very curious. My 5 words are bold, refreshing, eager, daring, and persistent.
3. WHAT INSPIRED YOUR JOURNEY TO BECOMING AN ENTERTAINMENT ENTREPRENEUR AND WHERE WOULD YOU SAY YOUR JOURNEY BEGAN? My journey started in 2018. I was a bartender at the time, but I would write ideas on a small paper and just stuff those in my pocket. Fast forward to a few months later, I got a new job but there was a mess up in the onboarding and I had to join the new company 2months later instead of immediately. So, I was there with 2 months of pure nothingness and I came across one of my papers I stuffed in my pocket, and it said: “If I know 2 people, those 2 people know 2 people, it becomes a gathering”. It clicked immediately and for the first time in my life I knew what I was supposed to do. Since then, I have not slept! Lol.
2. YOU ARE ZIMBABWEAN IN ORIGIN. TALK TO US ABOUT WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO THE UAE? So, moving to Dubai for me was just one of those times you hear about when people say: “I was at the right place at the right time.” Life handed me an opportunity and I took it. It was never premeditated or anything, it just happened, and I never expected to come and find myself in a desert…but I did. I got here in 2015 and I saw the endless opportunities to create something new, but at that time I just did
4. THE CIRCLE SOCIALS HAS BECOME SOMEWHAT OF A HOUSEHOLD NAME FOR THE AFRICAN COMMUNITY LOOKING FOR A MUSICALLY IMMERSIVE NIGHT OUT ON THE TOWN. TALK TO US ABOUT YOUR BRAND CIRCLE SOCIALS. WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT SETS YOU APART FROM OTHER EVENT PROMOTERS IN THE DUBAI DINING AND NIGHTLIFE SPACE AT THE MINUTE? With The Circle Socials, we specialize in exper-
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