heeten bhagat

My objective as an arts and culture professional is to investigate and nurture creative potential. Through an initial training in design, I have worked with a diverse spectrum of communities, organisations and students to examine, confront, and re- interpret an ever-changing world. This work has strengthened my capacity to deal with the growing number of eclectic challenges the world is facing.

My core interest leans towards problematic and complex systems thinking. I work to suggest a range of methodologies that combine a hyper-local focus with deep-thinking to deal with the (seemingly) impossible. Given the exponential growth of radical-thinking and left of centre interventions, I have developed practices that involve building collaborative methodologies with the communities and organisations needing to explore challenging processes. This approach has led to increased investment and exchange amongst participants and has furthered their passion for post-programme/project progress. Continual support and mentoring systems are also an integral part of the programmes I develop, thereby ensuring participants have the necessary backup as they practice and institute the interventions they have co-designed.

My approach and methods are unconventional. These have been informed by my own learning trajectory. My passion for learning informed initial journeys through design, pattern-making, merchandising, and filmmaking. In recognition of this work, I was awarded a Chevening Scholarship to pursue a Masters Degree in Audio Visual Production at London Metropolitan University. On my return to Zimbabwe, I served as Curator of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, an experience that afforded exposure to a much larger network of the creative sector including visual artists, craft-makers, and organizations that work through the medium of arts and culture to emancipate key populations in this part of the world.

My work in the arts coupled with the hyper-instabilities in Zimbabwe over the past three decades informed the foundation of a PhD that encompassed the disciplines of anthropology/history, performance studies, speculative/ futurist theories culminating in queer theory. Beginning with a broad and unwieldly question – ‘What would Zimbabwe look like if colonisation didn’t happen?’ – the research focuses on notions of indigenousness and indigeneity in pre-colonial and post- independent Zimbabwe with the express aim of proposing a methodology to unpack the ontology of interdisciplinarity and a way to connect systems in active development across several centuries.

Presently, I consult for several organizations and institutions locally, regionally, and globally. This has afforded me an intricate view of the innovative potential for various communities and organisations I work with. The support I offer ranges from grassroots training and expansion of ideas for rural communities to grow income generating projects, through to working with undergraduate and graduate students at local and international universities to re-visioning notions of support and sustainability for/of communities across the African continent. Additionally, I offer high-level consultation and facilitation for local and global non-governmental organisations and cultural institutions. Exposure to this eclectic and inspiring work has led to a growing understanding of the potential of unique, locally-cohered, and dynamic culture-based interventions that can help societies transform themselves and in so doing go beyond the ubiquitous and superficial.

This dynamic experience has expanded my understanding and expertise towards developing theories and programmes that, I feel, will become valuable and useful contributions to progressive knowledge systems, thereby raising the bar of what is possible from us and by us in this part of the world.

20 years working across arts and culture spaces in South and East Africa. Art galleries, festivals, museums and education spaces

I have a BA in Fashion & Marketing, and MA in Audio Visual Production and a PhD in Philosophy