Farai Ncube

I am a dynamic and visionary leader in the Arts and Culture and Creative Economy in Africa. I bring a wealth of about 10 years’ experience and currently oversea 16 countries across Africa as the Arts and Culture Director at the British Council. Over the past years, I have led in programme design thinking and exceled in key areas such as strategy design, team leadership, and partnership development. In the realm of strategy design for the cultural and creative industries (CCI), I continuously demonstrate a unique blend of shared value creation, innovation, creativity and impact. I have led various successful programmes and partnerships which have contributed towards building Africa cultural and creative economies through leadership, ecosystem and Institutional support programmes. By identifying opportunities for collaboration, investment, and innovation, I endeavour to enhance the economic viability of the cultural and creative industries while celebrating and preserving the rich cultural expressions and heritage of Africa.

With a passion for promoting cultural diversity and creativity, I lead a talented team in designing and curating engaging exhibitions, performances, workshops, and educational initiatives that resonate with diverse audiences across Africa and globally such as Film Lab Africa, CDNA Fashion, Scripts and Bars Music programmes and artists residencies programmes across various art forms in the region. Am the current commissioner of Insights Out Africa research programme and Festival Connect Fund. Am a champion in building strategic partnerships with stakeholders from government, academia, business, and civil society to strengthen the cultural and creative economy ecosystem, while promoting cross-sector collaboration contributing to positive economic and social impact. My passion for plural narratives, context relevance and economic growth of Africa are driving forces in my work.