Isiko Script

Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe

Isiko anchors my practice in the traditions, rituals, and values passed down through generations. It is a design philosophy rooted in cultural identity, heritage-based knowledge, and ancestral symbolism.

Isiko Script (2024) is an ongoing attempt to develop a writing system inspired by the daily life of the Northern Ndebele people. Drawing from objects of everyday use, the project seeks to celebrate and preserve cultural heritage through form. The Northern Ndebele language (my mother tongue) differs from that of the Southern Ndebele of KwaNdebele, South Africa, though closely related to isiZulu.

Through Isiko Script, I imagine a Zimbabwe that no longer relies on the Latin alphabet. This work confronts colonial power dynamics embedded in communication systems, while celebrating culture, language, and identity. By reclaiming our writing systems, we reclaim our voices.

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