Benne Erasto Banda

Zambia

Benne is a Zambian cultural artistic practitioner with a journalism background. Benne, a renowned thespian who has been involved in arts administration for more than a decade, also belongs to several local and international networks of cultural animators and mentors.

Benne is a proponent of critical thinking and creative expression - works aimed at uplifting youths’ creative minds through anti-corruption, human rights, HIV and health-related campaigns and Spoken Word programmes. He has worked on multi-genre productions for radio, television, stage and community theatre. Under his belt are other works encompassing culture and arts based documentaries, short films, dance, poetry and storytelling both at home and abroad.

Banda has taken his theatrical, cultural and artistic work to various eastern and southern African countries, the UK, Finland and the Caribbean islands. He works with Arts Acres Afrika / Mafumu Kollektiv in Zambia, and Theatrum Botanicum, a UK theatre company. In addition to several other two-handers, as a director and actor, he also was in FOOTERS, Zambia’s debut production at the Edinburgh International Arts Festival.

Benne is a 2010 Bachelor of Arts Honours graduand of Wits and for 2011, he is pursuing his MA postgraduate studies under the Drama for Life Programme.