Kuzana SCEEZ

04/06/2026

COMPLEMENTARY OR CONTRADICTORY? Navigating AI in Music

By Josh Nyapimbi

The Industry Divide:

The global music industry is split on how to handle artificial intelligence. Spotify and Universal Music Group (UMG) have struck a landmark deal to monetise AI, allowing fans to create authorised remixes via a paid add-on. This model turns AI into a revenue stream while compensating rights holders. Conversely, YouTube has adopted a defensive stance, initiating a sweeping purge of AI content to protect copyright integrity and artist brands.

Implications for Zimbabwe:

This divergence creates a dilemma for Zimbabwe’s largely informal creative sector. While many local artists rely on YouTube for exposure, the platform's strict AI purge risks stifling the viral creativity that emerging acts need. Conversely, while Spotify’s model offers potential new income, it requires formal copyright structures and licensing agreements that are currently lacking in Zimbabwe’s informal market.

Global Advocacy & The 2005 Convention
These market tensions highlight the urgent need for robust policy. International creative civil society organisations, including Nhimbe Trust, are advocating for the revision of UNESCO’s 2005 Convention Operational Guidelines. The goal is to ensure the digital environment fosters human creativity rather than merely incentivising AI adoption. Key recommendations include:

Enforce Copyright (ART Principles): The use of protected works in AI must be subject to prior Authorisation, fair Remuneration, and Transparency regarding data use and value generation.

Reject a "Right to Use AI": Provisions suggesting a "right to use AI" in the name of artistic freedom should be removed, as they could pressure artists to adopt tools against their will.

Regulate LLMs & Bias: Guidelines should not support the development of Large Language Models (LLMs) by monopolistic tech giants without adequate safeguards to prevent cultural homogenisation.

Protect Creative Professions: Explicitly prevent guidelines that encourage replacing human professionals - such as translators and dubbing artists - with generative AI.

Call to Action

To balance innovation with the protection of human artistry, the following stakeholders must act:

Artists & Representative Orgs: Advocate for strong copyright protections and fair compensation models.

UNESCO & Governments: Implement and enforce guidelines that prioritise human creators and regulate AI development.

Record Labels: Create fair licensing frameworks that legitimise AI use without exploiting artists.

AI Tech Companies: Commit to transparency and respect for intellectual property rights.

Funders & Investors: Prioritise funding for AI ventures that demonstrate ethical data sourcing and consent, specifically those that augment human artists rather than replacing them.

Consumers: Support ethical AI usage and value authentic human creativity.

04/06/2026

The 4.7 Billion View Wake Up Call: What YouTube’s AI Purge Means for Zimbabwean Creatives - By Josh Nyapimbi

For many Zimbabwean creatives, Artificial Intelligence tools were an economic lifeline. In a market constrained by limited funding and high data costs, AI video generation promised the ability to produce global standard content with a laptop and a stable internet connection.

However, a recent shift by YouTube has shocked this emerging ecosystem. The platform removed a network of AI generated channels amassing over 4.7 billion views, marking one of the largest crackdowns on automated content in history.

Following this deletion, Zimbabwean creators who relied on AI production must reassess their strategies. The era of mass produced AI content is ending, bringing nuanced implications for the local creative industry.

The End of Quantity Over Quality:

YouTube’s purge targets spam and algorithm manipulation. The removed channels were mass producing videos at an inhuman scale, prioritising volume over value.

For Zimbabwean creatives who adopted the churn model of uploading daily faceless, AI generated videos to trigger the algorithm, this is a warning. The platform’s tolerance for low effort content has expired.

This crackdown signals a return to engagement fundamentals. Content relying solely on novelty or keyword stuffing is at risk of demonetisation or removal. Schemes promising quick riches via automated channels are losing validity.

The Deceptive Label and Trust Deficits:

YouTube highlighted concerns regarding misleading content. For the Zimbabwean creator economy striving to build international credibility, an association with deceptive practices is dangerous.

If local creators use AI to distort reality through fake news, scams, or impersonating public figures without disclosure, they risk platform bans and reputational damage. Trust is the currency of the digital age, and YouTube is protecting users from content that erodes it.

A Shift from Replacement to Augmentation:

The critical takeaway is the distinction between AI generated and AI assisted content. YouTube is not banning Artificial Intelligence but targeting content where AI replaces human creativity rather than augmenting it.

This presents an opportunity for forward thinking Zimbabwean talent. Creators who survive will use AI to handle labour intensive tasks like editing, colour grading, or generating stock footage, while injecting their own unique human perspective and culture.

Using AI to animate a traditional Shona folktale is creative. Uploading generic videos with robotic voiceovers is spam. This crackdown clears the clutter, allowing authentic, culturally rich, AI assisted content to shine.

Navigating the New Rules of Engagement:

Moving forward, Zimbabwean creatives must adopt a sustainable approach to AI video production.

The Human in the Loop Rule:

Creators must ensure significant human value is added, such as a unique script, personal commentary, or a distinct editing style that an algorithm cannot easily replicate.

Transparency is Key:

As AI regulations tighten globally, disclosing the use of AI tools is best practice. This builds audience trust and ensures compliance with platform policies.

Focus on Niche and Depth:

Instead of broad appeal topics, creators should focus on deep dive content into specific niches like Zimbabwean tourism or Harare street food. Here, high quality AI enhanced visuals can shine without being flagged as spam.

Nhimbe Advocacy and Global Guidelines:

Nhimbe welcomes this development following its contributions to a global campaign by like minded creative civil society organisations. They are calling for operational guidelines under the 2005 Convention that fully protect human creativity in the age of generative AI.

The advocacy document aims to present concise concerns and recommendations for the implementation of the Convention in the digital environment. The guidelines should be technologically neutral and aim to foster human creativity rather than encourage AI adoption.

Key Recommendations:

Copyright and the ART Principles: The policy framework must ensure respect for copyright. The guidelines should affirm principles of Authorisation, Remuneration, and Transparency. Using protected works for AI development requires prior authorisation from rightsholders. Creators deserve remuneration when their works contribute to AI systems. Transparency obligations are essential for creators to identify how their works are used and to exercise their rights.

Reject the Right to Use AI: Principle 1.2, establishing a right to use AI in the name of artistic freedom, is inconsistent with the objective to protect artists. It could undermine the freedom not to use AI, particularly where economic pressures force its adoption. This principle should be removed.

Inclusion and Bias Reduction: Guidelines should not support the development of specific models like Large Language Models, which are controlled by a few large companies. Encouraging data inclusion in lightly regulated companies does not address homogenisation or discrimination effectively.

Protect Creative Professions: Guidelines must not encourage the replacement of creative professionals, such as translators and dubbing specialists, by generative AI. These professionals are essential for protecting the diversity of cultural expression and linguistic integrity. Provisions that promote their replacement without respecting copyright or human expertise should not be included.

Conclusion:

YouTube’s removal of 4.7 billion views of AI content is a correction rather than a death knell. It forces the Zimbabwean creative sector to mature. We must move past the temptation of easy, automated clicks and return to what makes video powerful, which is human connection.

The tools have changed, but the requirement for a compelling story remains. For Zimbabwean creatives, the challenge is to use technology to amplify unique voices rather than drown them out.

30/05/2026

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29/05/2026

https://kuzana.org.zw/

28/05/2026

https://www.musicinafrica.net/magazine/zim-host-inaugural-kuzana-sceez-2026-event

An inaugural sports, creative economy, arts and investment platform, KUZANA SCEEZ 2026, is scheduled to take place in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, from 7 to 11 October 2026.

25/05/2026

🇿🇼 HAPPY AFRICA DAY! Let’s celebrate unity, creativity, and prosperity! 🌍

Today, as we celebrate Africa Day, we are proud to announce the inaugural Kuzana Sport and Creative Economy Expo of Zimbabwe (SCEEZ)! 🎉

Derived from the Nambya word meaning "to dance or to play," Kuzana is more than just a name - it’s an accelerator for trade and investment sport and creative industries in Zimbabwe. Our mission? To position Zimbabwe as a regional hub for athletic and creative excellence by 2030! 🏆🎨

📅 Save the Date: Join us in Bulawayo from the 7th to 11th October under the theme: “Kuzana: Towards Vision 2030 through Sports and Creative Industries.”

We are curating a consolidated marketplace to facilitate investment and foster innovation. While we drive the industrialisation of sport and creativity, we also remain committed to sustainable development, aligning with the African Union’s focus on climate resilience and water security.

Let’s build our future together. Help us leave no one and no place behind by sharing this news far and wide! 📢

2026

23/05/2026

23/05/2026

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa is set to officially open the inaugural Kuzana Sport and Creative Economy Expo of Zimbabwe (SCEEZ) in Bulawayo on October 9, in what is being seen as another strong signal of the Second Republic’s commitment to empowering young people, promoting innovation and unlocking economic opportunities through sport and the creative sector.
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Innocent Kurira, [email protected] PRESIDENT Mnangagwa is set to officially open the inaugural Kuzana Sport and Creative Economy Expo of Zimbabwe (SCEEZ) in Bulawayo on October 9, in what is being seen as another strong signal of the Second Republic’s commitment to empowering young p...