Giving Zimbabwe’s Informal Workers a Voice on the National Stage
When the Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy Associations (ZCIEA) needed to show the true scale and human reality of the informal sector, they turned to Nafuna Africa for a documentary that policymakers could not ignore. We embedded our crew directly in markets, construction sites, and trading zones to capture honest stories from the people who keep Zimbabwe’s economy moving, then paired those narratives with sharp data visualisation that made the numbers impossible to dismiss.
Context & challenge
For years, informal workers – 88% of Zimbabwe’s workforce contributing an estimated 7.4 billion dollars annually – were invisible in formal policy conversations. ZCIEA needed more than a report; they needed a cinematic advocacy tool that could travel from community meetings to parliamentary hearings and unlock real recognition of public space as a legitimate workplace.
Our approach
We designed the film as a journey through 43 territories, blending on-the-ground interviews with traders, construction workers, and vendors with motion-graphic sequences that visualised key statistics in a simple, memorable way. Our team spent extended time in the field to build trust, then crafted a narrative arc that moved from individual struggle to collective power, positioning ZCIEA as a credible voice for nearly two hundred thousand organised members.
Production details
- On-location documentary shoot across markets and informal work sites.
- Multi-camera interviews for depth and coverage.
- Bespoke infographic and data-viz animation sequences.
- Voiceover script co-developed with ZCIEA to align with advocacy goals.
Impact & results
The documentary became ZCIEA’s cornerstone advocacy tool, screened in parliamentary hearings and stakeholder meetings. It supported historic collective agreements with 19 local authorities that recognised public spaces as formal workplaces – a major step forward for informal workers’ rights and a template for future organising across the region.
If your organisation needs a documentary that can drive real policy change, not just views, let’s map out your story.