Canonizing Events and Activists through Typography

Protesting in a repressive and oppressive regime has fatal consequences, but certain events must be documented and broadcast to raise awareness and lobby. After doing posters for years, Baynham Goredema decided to pursue a different course in expressing himself in such a context. This presentation is a preview of an ongoing project of documenting events, movements, and personalities in Zimbabwe through the creation of typefaces named after them. The project has a leaning towards historical figures and protest activism framed in the context of living within a repressive and oppressive regime. The typefaces are a form of protest and canonization.

Baynham Goredema is a multidisciplinary designer who expresses himself visually through various print and digital mediums. He has over twenty years of experience in solving visual communication and brand-building problems for corporate entities and nonprofits. An urge to create saw Goredema explore various forms of creative expression: from multimedia game design to protest typography design, writing, and even recording music. He works on various self-initiated projects, the flagship being the POVO brand. Goredema is an avid linocut printmaker, an endeavor that kick-started with his inaugural solo exhibition entitled ”Creativism: The Politics of Art.