Join us for an online talk to meet two experts from Zambia, whose collaborative practice involves natural dyeing: Timothy Siachibuye at Twaabane Creative Centre; and Banji Chona and her youth- and women-led initiative Inkaya Studio.

Thursday 5 February 2026
6-7pm (GTM UK time), 8-9pm (GMT+2 Central Africa Time)
Free, all welcome
Book your place via Eventbrite page here

The Twaabane Creative Centre is located in Simonga village,18km away from Livingstone. Since its opening in 2019, it has been promoting social and economic development in the area by providing free training and employment pathways in the artisan sector, focusing on: Textile Studio and Natural Dye; Agribusiness and Community Garden; Women’s Empowerment; and Adult Literacy. Their Natural Dye Project was developed by Banji, who was Centre’s Creative Project Lead in 2022-24, in order “to blend innovation and creativity with indigenous techniques to create a harmonious balance between past practices and modern sustainability.” Together with Timothy, Design and Production Co-ordinator, the project has been taken care of and led by a team of local ladies: Chuuma, Bridget, Ferry and Yvonne.

Banji Chona is a Scholar of Zambezian Earth whose practice explores questions of relationality, ancestral continuities and reclamation. Working across storytelling as healing practice, and community-based engagements, she interrogates imposed ways of knowing shaped by colonial and imperial “inheritances” while offering alternative ways of being. Currently, Banji has been building Inkaya Studio, an off-grid, environmentally responsible space that will provide training, employment, and host residencies and research for artisans, youth, and the wider community. Focusing on climate education, ancestral knowledge, and the empowerment of rural women and youth in the artisanal sector, Inkaya Studio uses creativity – including natural dyes, pigments, and textile making – to spark meaningful change, for culture, for people and for the planet.

There will be a Q&A with audience members.

About EcoCreative Cluster:
EcoCreative Cluster is a project hosted by The Rockfield Centre (Oban, Scotland) since 2021, which focuses on natural dyes, pigments and the use of natural materials in art and craft. Grounded in the creation and ongoing cultivation of a community dye garden, it provides workshops and learning opportunities for the local community, led by textile artist Deborah Gray and invited specialist tutors. The project also has an international network weaving dimension led by curator Naoko Mabon, which includes a series of recorded online conversations and collaborations with international artists who use natural dyes in their practice.