Black Panther actress Danai Gurira scouts for raw talent in Zimbabwe

HARARE – US based Zimbabwean actress, playwright, producer, and activist Danai Gurira is in the country, and she’s here to scout for talented Zimbabweans who are exceptional in their craft of acting and storytelling.

The Black Panther actress, through her academy, Almasi Collaborative Arts, will host the inaugural African Voices Now festival in Harare this coming weekend.

The Festival runs from 18 October to 7 November 2025.

Speaking about the program, Gurira, who has become a household name in the Western film industry, said this program is to help create opportunities for Zimbabwean artists to tell their stories.

“It’s to figure out opportunities and programming that allows access to Zimbabwean artists. To bring the African narrative more to the global stage.

“My goal and passion is to see Africans speak for ourselves, we have the ability to do so, and we have astounding narratives to tell about ourselves, that’s kind of my heartbeat,” Gurira said.

Gurira also spoke about the importance of training Zimbabwean artists for the global stage.

She said, “We need to start training artists and export them to showcase their talents out there.”

The festival features three brand-new Zimbabwean plays, each the result of rigorous development and mentorship with leading American and Zimbabwean theatre artists.

The three plays are, namely, ‘Can we talk?’ written by Batsirai Chigama, ‘These Humans Are Sick’ by Tatenda Mutyambizi, and ‘The Return’ by Rudo Mutangadura.