FEISTY, UNAPOLOGETIC, RESILIENT: RHODES UNIVERSITY HONOURS TSITSI DANGAREMBGA WITH THE DEGREE OF D LITT H.C.
Dangarembga's contributions to literature, cinema and grassroots activism though narrative, which redefining what it means to be an African melanated woman in the arts, recognised by Rhodes University.
Internationally recognised writer and filmmaker, ICAPA Trust founding director Tsitsi Dangarembga recently received an honorary Doctorate of Letters (DLitt) from Rhodes University, recognizing her as a transformative voice in storytelling, and a dedicated advocate for women's and human rights.
This recognition honours Dangarembga's decades of narrative production in theatre, prose and film, and her teaching and advocacy. Her narrative production began in the early 1980s when African women’s voices in storytelling were rarely embraced. Her narrative out put narrative output includes but is not limited to the NERVOUS CONDITIONS trilogy, the play SHE NO LONGER WEEPS, as well as the iconic films NERIA and EVERYONE’S CHILD, and the short film KARE KARE ZVAKO, which is now preserved at the Swiss Archives
“Trying to make films in the 1980s as a melanated young woman from a small, uncharismatic country like Zimbabwe after shaky beginnings in literature was a jump out of the frying pan of writing into the fire of global cinema,” she said. Despite her journey in the arts, which she describes as rocky, she persisted, ultimately studying film in Germany and returning home determined to build spaces for others, especially melanated women, to grow in their crafts.
The honorary Doctorate from Rhodes University extends the list of awards that recognise the scale of Dangarembga’s contributions to both African literature and cinema, alongside her advocacy for social justice and freedom of expression. In its citation, Rhodes University noted that “As a fearless storyteller and an advocate for African narratives, Dangarembga’s influence extends across literary, cinematic, and academic spheres.”
Born in Zimbabwe, Dangarembga studied psychology at the University of Zimbabwe where she began her artistic practice. Her work draws directly from her environment. She believes authenticity, not performance, leads to true recognition. “My environment is my source. I struggle to keep my narrative voice coming from that place of being human" she noted. This focus has shaped both her storytelling and her social engagement. After graduating from the University of Zimbabwe, she obtained a qualification in film directing from the German Film and Television Academy in Berlin.
At a time when few African women were visible in film or literature, she joined the grassroots organisation Women Filmmakers of Zimbabwe where, at the time, passion and dedication were the only resources. To build the organisation whose objectives were to give access to the film industry to Zimbabwean women, Dangarembga made strategic compromises by founding a women’s film festival - the International Images Film Festival for Women (IIFF) to access arts funding, and later tailoring her work to suit international development goals. Although these shifts brought in a trickle of resources, they frequently came at the cost of artistic freedom. Nevertheless, she remained committed to the goal of melanated women's storytelling regardless of these constraints, finally establishing in 2017, the Creative Africa Storytelling for the Screen Incubator (CASSI), which is anchored in the Equal Voices Story and Script Development Workshop (EVW). The programmes aim to transform the African film industry by nurturing new talent to produce globally competitive artistic content while producing creating a core group of similarly trained practitioners on the continent who can crew each other's productions.
Dangarembga has earned a number of previous accolades for her contributions to both narrative production and the fight for social justice, including the Alice and Clifford Spendlove Prize for Social Justice (2024) and the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade (2021). She also received the World Woman Foundation SHero award in 2024 in honor of her outstanding contributions to women's empowerment and artistic expression. Over the years, she has participated in respected fellowships, including at the Rockefeller Bellagio Center and Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute. As International Chair in Creative Writing (Africa) at the University of East Anglia, she led workshops across five African countries, resulting in several published works. Her teaching and public speaking at leading universities around the world reflect a lifelong dedication to education, creativity, and cultural exchange.
Recognition from Rhodes University is a fitting reward for Dangarembga’s dedication to both her craft and her community. It reflects her continued influence in reshaping African narratives, advocating for inclusive representation, and upholding the values of justice and democracy.
