Nyanga is already known for misty mountains, trout fish, waterfalls, and the ruins at Ziwa. But landscapes alone don’t keep visitors coming back. People travel for stories, for feeling, for culture they can touch. That’s where artists come in.

In a tourism district like Nyanga, artists are not just entertainers. They are placemakers. They translate the natural beauty and history of the area into experiences, products, and identity that local authorities, tourism operators, and corporates can all build on.

1. Artists define the district’s identity and brand‎‎.

Tourists remember places that feel different. Nyanga has the scenery, but artists give it a voice.‎‎

– Visual artists and muralists can turn dull town walls in Nyangani and Nyanga Village into galleries that tell Shona folklore, farming cycles, and mountain legends.‎

– Musicians and dancers can create signature sounds for Nyanga, like how Bulawayo has mbakanga or Harare has sungura. Imagine a “Yasu/YathuFestival” rooted in mbira, marimba, hosho, and contemporary fusion.

‎- Writers and poets can collect oral histories from elders about caves, spirit mediums, and colonial-era stories, then package them for trails and brochures.

‎‎For local authorities, this means Nyanga stops being “just another cold highland town” and becomes “Zimbabwe’s culture-and-nature capital.”

‎2. Artists create products that keep tourism dollars local.‎‎

Tourism players often complain about leakage, where visitors spend at hotels but little reaches communities. Artists fix that.‎

‎- Craft and design: Weavers, potters, woodcarvers, and beadworkers can develop Nyanga-specific lines, using local materials like pine, stone, and wool. Not generic souvenirs, but pieces with provenance.

‎- Experiential tourism: Artists can host workshops: drum-making, storytelling nights, landscape painting on hotel walls, culinary arts using peaches, berries, and so on.‎

– Events and activations: Sculpture parks, plein-air painting weekends, and live performance at lodges give hotels and tour operators something new to sell beyond room nights.

‎‎For corporates in telecoms, banking, beverage, and retail, these are ready platforms for sponsorship, CSR, and branded experiences that feel authentic instead of imported.

‎3. Artists connect conservation, heritage, and community.

‎‎Nyanga’s biggest assets are natural and cultural. Artists act as translators between them.

‎- They can work with *local authorities* on signage, wayfinding, and public spaces that reflect local motifs instead of generic tourism templates.‎

– They can partner with tourism players to interpret sites respectfully. A performance at a sacred pool or a guided walk with a poet gives depth that a guidebook can’t.

‎- They can involve youth and elders, creating jobs that reduce pressure on natural resources and curb rural-to-urban migration.

When communities see their own culture valued, they become custodians instead of bystanders.

4. What each stakeholder should do…

‎‎Local Authorities

‎- Policy and space: Allocate space for artist hubs, markets, and performance areas in town planning. Include a 1% art budget for public infrastructure.

‎- Licensing made easy: Create simple permits for street artists, cultural events, and pop-ups so creativity isn’t blocked by red tape.

‎- Heritage protection: Work with artists to document intangible heritage before it fades.

‎Tourism Players: Lodges, Tour Operators, Attractions

‎- Commission local work: Replace imported décor with Nyanga art. Pay artists for site-specific installations.

‎- Program culture: Add a weekly cultural evening, artist-in-residence, or craft demo to your offering. Market it.‎

– Co-create packages: “Paint Nyanga Weekend,” “Sound of the Mountains,” “Stories and Stars” with local artists as hosts.

Corporates‎‎

– Sponsorship with purpose: Fund an annual Nyanga Arts Biennale, youth arts scholarships, or restoration of public art.

‎- Procurement: Buy local art for offices, hotels, and gifts. Use local artists in ad campaigns that feature Nyanga.‎

– Skills transfer: Media, branding, and financial firms can run workshops on IP, marketing, and e-commerce for artists.‎

‎5. The payoff for Nyanga

When artists are centered, tourism becomes more than beds and meals. It becomes:‎- Longer stays: People come for an event and stay to explore.‎

– Higher spend: Original art, workshops, and performances have better margins than commodities.

‎- Distinct marketing: Nyanga can own “mist, mountains, and making” as a brand, not compete on price with every other highland destination.

‎- Resilience: A district with a strong cultural economy weathers low seasons better because there is always something happening.

Closing thought

‎‎Nyanga doesn’t need to import an identity. It already has one in its stone terraces, its rain, its stories, and its people. Artists are the ones who shape that raw material into something visitors can feel, buy, and remember.

For local authorities, tourism players, and corporates, the question is not whether to involve artists. The question is how soon, and how seriously.

‎‎If we get this right, the next time someone in Harare or abroad hears “Nyanga,” they won’t just picture a view. They’ll picture a song, a sculpture, a taste, a story. And they’ll want to go experience it.

By Bright Barwe