Eswatini-based project manager extraordinaire and entrepreneur Musonda Loncwala Chimba talks to us about how she started out in the arts and then moved into the online fashion retail business and is now venturing into events.
Musonda’s Story
I majored in popular music studies, doing my research masters in hip hop. My undergraduate degree was in electro-acoustics. Technically, I’m an Ethnomusicologist, a bad definition of that term would be something like a person who studies society through their music 😊
My Career Path
I started off as a researcher in Durban, looking into the areas where the government could facilitate development on behalf of musicians. I recommended the establishment of an organisation that would drive such interventions, this is how the KwaZulu-Natal United Music Industry Association (KUMISA) was started and it still stands today. Since I had recommended that KUMISA be housed by the Economic Development Unit of the government, rather than Arts & Culture, I became a Project Coordinator at the Durban Film Office (DFO), with government adding a music portfolio in order to house KUMISA.
I managed the Producer’s Lab, a partnership between the Smart Exchange Incubator Hub, a tech hub and the DFO. At that time, in 2010, we were feeling our way through the convergence of tech & film. We knew things were changing, but we were all not sure how this brave new world of “content! content! content!” would pan out, and more importantly, be monetized. The Producers Lab was an attempt to put startup tech companies and filmmakers together in order to get ready for what we consider normal today, Facebook flooded with video content, Instagram, Youtube. The biggest project I managed was the Durban FilmMart, literally a market to sell and buy films. The work was amazing, and incredibly stressful, I told my boss I needed to go and sleep 🙂
I joined MTN BUSHFIRE as the Festival Coordinator in 2012. Following that, I joined Arterial Network, a pan African organisation dedicated to the development of Arts across Africa as the General Manager where I managed multiple programmes across Africa, including Artwatch Africa, African Women’s Cultural Leadership, African Creative Economy Conference and various Capacity Building for Arts Professionals and Organisations..
In time I started looking for exit strategy during my time as General Manager of Arterial Network, the digital economy has always been very interesting to me and I wanted a piece of it. Pinky Glover had always been into fashion, and we discovered we were both doing research on social media driven retail. So we decided to take the plunge.
Current Business Ventures
Honeychildstyle sells clothing, accessories and shoes. I’ve moved away from the primary business as I am now focusing on projects. Some of my projects, like the Buhle Bami Style & Beauty Expo will be intrinsically linked to Honeychildstyle.
Buhle Bami Style & Beauty Expo
Honeychildstyle has been doing pop ups for the past year with the intention to connect with our customers, and to give other independent micro entrepreneurs a platform to sell their wares. I saw that there is a need for women to have face to face encounters with brands so they can ask questions and learn. I thought to myself ‘how does one scale up, what can I do that would be a big risk?’. I think it’s important for us to have bigger expectations of ourselves. We need to take more calculated risks as women. This is about developing my appetite for risk as a woman, its a personal and business growth strategy.
The expo presents both women and brands and companies that cater to their wants & needs to really find out what works for Swati women, to give them an opportunity to test their products, and compare them. Swati women are no different from international audiences, they too want to try out the latest beauty products, to find out which face masks work best etc. We matter. And we should be engaged like any other consumers. I’m also working towards developing other projects under Buhle Bami including women’s personal finance and women oriented small business development, after all, ‘the future is female’
#Buhlebami Social Media Campaign
Buhle Bami is not just about physical traits. #Buhlebami is skin deep aims to highlight that we are not just our smiles, not just our hair. All our selves matter, the sum total of our selves makes us beautiful. I’m heartened by the number of women who are participating, claiming their selves, speaking their selves, it beautiful! I’m so grateful.
Overcoming Fears and Hesitations
My boss at the DFO used to tell me, “Musonda, we are going to eat this elephant one bite at a time”, so that’s what I’m doing. I’ve handled very complex projects, so I know my own abilities and what I can achieve. When my fears are getting too much, I identify what exactly is causing this fear, and I sit down at my desk and make plan B, and try to focus on what I can control.
Going Forward
I want to take the next four years to solidify Buhle Bami’s presence in the eventing landscape in Eswatini, to firmly centre events that cater to women’s needs and wants, this simply won’t be possible without support, and I hope that women across Eswatini will support my endeavours!