ZimFest: Zimbabwe has a problem
What can we do to start boosting national pride? Surely it can’t all be bad?
“How can you hate from that side of the club? You can’t even get in,” Chris Brown once said. Following the images coming out of ZimFest, I’m inclined to agree. First things first, we need to be honest about the godo of those who were left and those who left the country. It’s further fuelled by the tensions of remittances, entitlement, black tax amongst other things. So when these pictures leaked, it was an opportunity for the godo to rear its ugly head once again. Out of the abundance of the heart, the comments spewed.
@zimfestlive 25 days to go!!! 📽️ rutendo.kk Tickets available here: www.zimfestlive.com #zim#zimbabweantiktok #zimtiktokers🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼 #zimbabwetiktok🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼#zimbabwe#zimfest
When people eventually get the chance to go to the UK, that’s when you’ll see that they weren’t mad about the skimpy clothes. It was always about, “that should be me,” as a popular Justin Bieber song goes. You are not dressing according to your real style, you are dressing in fear of the mshikamshika touts. You are dressing out of trauma. As you stand in the mirror in the morning, you do a length check with the cat-calling and heckling playing as the soundtrack in your mind.
@glorybeyi Thanks to @livelovesoca for the fit #zimfest #zimtiktok #zimtiktokers🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼 #outfitoftheday
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. I’m not defending the dressing, but there is freedom of fashion in the UK. Here, we can’t wear certain things in town and sometimes even your neighbourhood. We are a “conservative” country, even our mannequins at the flea market are draped in sheets or wear underwear (seen with my own eyes). Some of the issues we are fighting are territorial. If we had an alternative timeline, I would like to see how the women who had the worst comments would react when they get caught up with the fresh air in the UK. If you weren’t afraid of the touts and wig snatchers in the Harare CBD, how would you be dressing? Deep down inside, there are plenty who typed horrible comments but SBWL the outfits they saw at ZimFest.
@usernash_nash8 We had ball #zimfest#zimtiktok#zimtiktokers🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼#zimfest2025#zim#zimfest🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
I’m following this one discussion online where this pastor, is arguing that you can’t judge rich sinners because you are still poor. Essentially, his whole debate is that there are some temptations you haven’t conquered because you can’t afford them. There are people capable of the crimes Diddy was accused of, but they don’t have the Diddy bank account to pull them off. Some sins cost money.
I tell this story a lot, about how I went to a private school that had slacks for girls as an option for Number 1’s. So, one time, I went straight from school to a thing we had in church for the youth. One of the mothers was outraged, she called me aside and reprimanded me. How dare I wear slacks to the church function? It was a rehearsal of some sort, so not Sunday Mass. Years later, her husband got promoted at work, and they could now afford the same private school. All of a sudden, it was all good in the hood for her daughters to wear slacks. That’s the hypocrisy we are having with regard to Zimbabweans. I don’t have that yet so I will revile it until I do.
Am I the only one who sat back and thought to herself, “see why all-women spaces are so important?” All women events are on the rise in Zimbabwe and this dress code debate is the major attributing factor. When was the last time GirlFest Zimbabwe and Doek and Slay trended for such? Women go to these events, have a good time, and what happens in Vegas then remains in Vegas. I’m willing to bet the Dow Jones that it wasn’t a woman that took those images, even though it’s the women in the comments being the loudest.
@faye_bng Bringing out the Zimfest fits🫣 🇿🇼 #zim#zimfest#fyp#zimbabweantiktok#foru#zimtiktok#zimfest2025#outfits#zimtiktokers🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼
You can take the Zim girl out of Zimbabwe, but can you take the Zim out of the Zimbabwean girl? No. That’s why ZimFest is such a success year after year. People want to connect with artists from their home country. The event is to celebrate their roots, their origin. It should be a celebration of Zimbabwean culture and yet, that’s not what’s making headlines. I can’t even name three artists who performed without doing more research. Have you seen that meme that says, “Zimbabweans love their country from afar? From outside?”
What can we do to start boosting national pride? Surely it can’t all be bad? For example, it wasn’t everyone that wasn’t dressed “well” (kutsho wena). Why didn’t we also see the best-dressed at ZimFest? Why the single narrative? Have you seen the budding narrative around Nigerian designers? Kids overseas are ordering prom dresses from Nigeria. The designers are gaining traction. It’s like we have an insatiable appetite for the horror story. The celebration of the Sables has not lasted as long as this “great debate”. Why are we like this? The ZimFest videos only captured the inflammatory outfits, we were rage baited. On TikTok, we are seeing fire fits! Curated, fresh, Zim couture baby! I don’t even think the bad outfits even make up 2% of the attendees.
@bobbyinspires ZIMFEST FIT CHECK 🔥 #zimfest #zimbabwe #zimtiktokers🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼 #zimuk🇬🇧🇿🇼tiktok
Another critical conversation we need to have is about bathing. How many women were properly taught how to bath by their mums or sisters? Just basic bathing. Yes, there are Facebook groups such as Bath and glow (Zim ladies) that share tips and tricks to bath effectively. But before that conversation, we need to discuss the water shortages and economic hardships. Not everyone can afford an 8-step bathing routine. Before you fight me, please refer to the comments under Pokello’s bath routine. When South Africans say we stink, you’re up in arms, and yet you’re now the first ones to say a girl having hyperpigmentation on her butt is from a lack of bathing. Didn’t we discuss this when Makhadzi got body-shamed for dark inner thighs? Which one is it, are the South Africans right or nah?
@the_official_isabella2 My zimfest outfit ❤️#fyp #the_official_isabella2 #viral #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #zimfest2025
♬ Passport (feat. Lusha) – DJ WIZKAY & KayRams & EnterTeddyment
