As a stand up comedian I would often joke that people think just because I come from Africa that I live in a grass hut surrounded by animals bathing outdoors singing songs like naaaaaaaaanstingwenyama bakithi baba (lion king opening song). This joke kills and gets huge laughter. Today I find myself living in rural Zimbabwe building my grass hut in a national park surrounded by animals and I bath in my outdoor shower singing naaaaantsingwenyama bakithi baba.
Basically I have started questioning whether being rural means poverty, hunger, disease and hardship. Instead I have immersed myself in rural Zimbabwe for about a year exploring rural affluence or the Zimbabwean Dream to thrive in the village.
I have therefore decided to embark on a 4 year study split into 3 parts. To curate as much information about rural living as I can. To collaborate with other studies and experts and villages around the world and lastly to create assets that can contribute to thriving rural communities. I thought to share with you 10 highlights to expect from such a study.
Rural BnB
We shall unpack and create a formula for rural hosting on the lines of Air BnB allowing communities to benefit from Tourizim. Developing our app and adding homes onto our platform.
Recipe Development
We will analyse and study various ingredients nationwide. Look into historic recipes and develop some sustainable uses of our rich diversity of products.
Green Villages
We will look at best practices of natural resource management and adopt some ideas towards greener rural economies.
Smart Villages
The study will look into systems that encourage innovations and protection of intellectual property. We will curate ideas working globally and encourage universities to build labs to increase output of innovation with a rural bias.
Rural Banking
The study seeks to understand the banking models and how they can be adapted and made flexible enough to work in the rural context.
Rural Startups
The setting up of a venture capital fund to assist in incubating, accelerating and growing rural Startups.
Innovations and Patents
Establishing a method of safeguarding our intellectual property and encouraging an inventive spirit around rural Zimbabwe.
Curriculum
Working closely with institutions of learning we will share our knowledge and finding through lectures and include students within the project with the aim being to motivate and mentor more rural thinkers.
Content
The project will produce lots of content for various media outlets from YouTube videos to televised programming, podcasts, radio shows and articles on a regular basis.
Events and Festivals
Our study seeks to produce a guide to Zimbabwean Events Festivals Rituals and Calendars as an annual publication
This study will be done in collaboration with one of Zimbabwes most innovative Universities. The agreement in production at the moment will seek to foster a collaboration and sharing of knowledge with Ekaya and the University on a long term basis.
Stay tuned and glued to this development which is bursting with potential and could turn out to be one of the most important studies of our time.
Carl Joshua Ncube is a TED GLOBAL FELLOW and famous for his STAND UP COMEDY but is also a CHEF; animator, writer, producer, director, photographer, creative director and an inventor.
