Hey there! I'm Nyasha - which means Grace of God and is Zimbabwean. I'm a British-born creative, with parents of Vincentian heritage and a paternal bloodline from Burkina Faso. I'm also a communications specialist, fascinated with the concept of identity and the power of words. As well as communications, I provide Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) consultancy, focusing on using and deconstructing language to effect lasting systemic change.
I'm a proactive and positive activist too; in February 2019, with the support of West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, I launched iDNetwork - a business network for Black professionals. That year I was acknowledged as one of 50 Inspiring Individuals working in UK EDI sector by PricewaterhouseCoopers and appointed as Chair of the Communications sub-committee for the Mayor’s Inclusive Leaders initiative. Pretty cool, right?
I am the creator, founder and Creative Director of iDENT Festival, an annual arts festival which celebrates Black artists, positively and unapologetically. In 2020, I was selected to be one of 15 Cultural Leaders, by the Coventry City of Culture Trust, to be developed as part of the initiative's legacy (check me out!). This has given me the time, space and stipend to invest in my practice of poetry and spoken word; I'm also learning new techniques and making new connections which is shaping, informing and improving my arts producer skills.
I've always been a passionate and enthusiastic volunteer - I think you get far more out than you give; right now, I am Vice-Chair of Coventry Pride and I also sit on the Arts Policy and Audit Committees of the Belgrade Theatre.
And I love and am fascinated by humans... so became a qualified executive coach and an accredited Neuro-Linguistic Programming Practitioner a couple of years ago too.
I'm a Cancer Sun (which explains the coaching and volunteering), Sagittarius Moon (which explains the 'life is a learning marathon' thing) and Scorpio Rising (which explains the 'killing it at corporate careers' moment).
Projects
- iDENT FestivaliDENT Festival is my brainchild. I'm incredibly proud to have been able to develop it and see it evolve. It is an unapologetic celebration of Black artistry. In 2019, we took over Warwick Arts Centre for the day; in 2020, we moved to a digital platform. The objective remained the same - a passion-filled, positive celebration of Black Arts, Heritage and Culture. The festivals have included a breadth of the most magical of melanated talent, including talks, panel discussions, workshops, poetry, s
Work history
B
B
Committee MemberBelgrade Theatre Coventry
Coventry, United KingdomFreelance
The Belgrade Theatre is the largest producing Theatre in Coventry, England’s 11th most populous city and the second largest conurbation in the Midlands, and acts as the city and sub-region’s commercial and producing theatre. After completion of the £14 million refurbishment and expansion project, the Belgrade opened its doors in September 2007 with a new vibrant artistic policy that is designed to serve many and different audiences in the city and the region.
The Belgrade Theatre is situated in Coventry city centre and offers a mixed programme of large scale touring productions as well as productions created in-house. Alongside this programme it also presents stand up comedy, live music and a wide range of youth and community events.
Arts Policy is one of seven Committees, dedicated to providing relevant and impactful insights, to ensure financial sustainability, relevance of programme and visionary focus of Coventry's largest producing theatre.
C
C
Vice ChairCoventry Pride
Coventry, United KingdomFreelance
Trustee of Coventry Pride. Appointed to Vice-Chair in October 2019. Coventry Pride’s mission includes the promotion of equality and diversity for the public benefit by organising an annual lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans pride event and other events including but not limited to the commemoration of International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT), LGBT History month, Transgender Day of Remembrance, Coming Out day and World Aids day.
+ Show more
Skills
- Writing
- Writing Poetry
- Speech Writing
- Public Speaking
- Marketing
- Career Coaching
- Editing Copy
- Project Management
- Art Production
- Creative Direction
Awards
C
C
Chartered Institute of Public Relations Gold award for Public Sector programme (Midlands)Chartered Institute of Public Relations
Part of a winning team awarded for our work for Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council on Rotherham Renaissance - a £2bn regeneration project; we supported this initiative via variety of media including advertising, PR, beautiful brochures and good old-fashioned story-telling!