Tongai Leslie Makawa
Projects Manager

Tongai is an established poet and emcee who is band leader to the outfit Outspoken and the Essence, which has travelled and toured Southern Africa. As a solo artist he has been on tour in USA, Denmark, Germany, Norway and also performed in Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland, Kenya, Senegal, Reunion Island, Serbia among other nations. His art-form has been studied in Canada, United States and Germany.  Tongai Makawa is a creative community activist and organizer as well as being an artist and Spoken-word workshop facilitator. He is Projects Manager at Magamba Network which uses cultural, media and youth activism as a means to open up democratic spaces in Zimbabwe. Through Magamba Networks many projects in arts and new media, Tongai has knowledge in community events organization, workshop facilitation, print and online publication, festival coordination, creative conceptualization, community mobilization as some of his strong points. Tongai who is better known as Outspoken is the Projects Manager and oversees the overall running of Magamba Network projects which include being co-creator of Zambezi News, the popular satirical TV programme thats uses humour to cleverly deal with Zimbabwe’s complex social and racial issues. The faux news show has been showcased live in Sweden, Swaziland, South Africa and Zimbabwe. It has been screened to millions on the continent via eNCA News and 1st TV and through DVD distribution has reached many, many more. With recent features on DSTV’s Late Nite News the future of the programme is gleaming with possibilities. Zambezi News has inspired a new generation of satirical productions and bold new comedians in Zimbabwe.