SET DESIGNER ◆ GRAPHIC DESIGN ◆ SOCIAL EQUITY ADVOCATE ◆ SAFEKEEPING MEMORY ◆ SUSTAINABLE CREATIVITY ◆ CULTURAL ARCHIVIST ◆
SET DESIGNER ◆ GRAPHIC DESIGN ◆ SOCIAL EQUITY ADVOCATE ◆ SAFEKEEPING MEMORY ◆ SUSTAINABLE CREATIVITY ◆ CULTURAL ARCHIVIST ◆
MAKOKOBA MICROCOSM
GREGORY LUIZ SIBANDA
Makokoba Microcosm is a photographic and immersive audiovisual essay mapping the everyday economies of Bulawayo’s oldest township. Blending 25–30 curated still photographs, a 6–8-minute video montage, and a short vlog series, the project foregrounds informal trade, everyday life, and the tightknit social networks that sustain livelihoods against a backdrop of systemic neglect in Makokoba.
The project weaves layered field recordings from the township’s environs with firstperson microinterviews, letting residents speak directly about how creativity, play, and exchange shape a resilient local economy. Rather than a topdown documentary, the work treats the township as a living archive of ingenuity. By showcasing everyday life, the visual record captures what official narratives miss. The result is an intimate, textured portrait of Makokoba: a place where people build, trade, laugh, and endure, their stories amplified without mediation and their everyday brilliance made visible.
MEDIUM
AUDIOVISUAL PHOTO ESSAY
YEAR
2026
COLLECTIVE
BULAWAYO VISUAL DESIGNERS
PLACE
BULAWAYO, ZIMBABWE
THEMES
INFORMAL TRADE / INGENUITY / LIVING ARCHIVE
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Gregory Luiz Sibanda
Gregory Luiz Sibanda — BULAWAYO, ZIMBABWE
As a creative based in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, Gregory practices graphic design, set design, and exhibition design and has a proclivity for projects that foreground social justice and equity. His work amplifies underrepresented voices and reframes authentic Zimbabwean stories.
Gregory’s artistic ethos is to actively help fellow creatives find practical, lowerbarrier ways to tell their stories and earn from their craft, whether through shared resources, skillbuilding, or collaborative platforms. Ultimately, his practice is purposeful and handson: it documents stories that matter, centres marginalised voices, and challenges systems of exclusion.
