Dr. Ignatius Mabasa
100 African Icon Series
BeingAfrican
Honours
Dr. Ignatius Mabasa | Zimbabwe 
Dr. Ignatius Mabasa is a living embodiment
of African cultural preservation deeply
rooted in heritage, fluent in identity, and
boldly creative in expression.
He does not merely preserve African culture; he honours it, works with it, and keeps it alive in classrooms, communities, and literature. Through his words, research, and leadership, culture is not archived. It is lived.
More than a scholar or storyteller, Dr. Mabasa is a cultural custodian. For decades, he has dedicated himself to preserving, revitalising, and celebrating African knowledge systems, with language and storytelling at their heart.
As a writer, poet, academic, and publisher, he has championed indigenous languages, particularly Shona, not as relics of a forgotten past but as living vessels of wisdom, beauty, and truth. His work reminds us that language is not merely how we speak; it is how we think, how we perceive the world, how we carry memory, and how we pass on values and identity.
He has demonstrated to the world that African languages are not broken versions of another tongue. They are whole, rich, and fully deserving to be heard.
In co-developing the Cultural Life Cycle Framework with Being African, Dr. Mabasa offered more than research. He offered restoration. He helped build a practical structure that communities across Africa and the diaspora can use to remember, teach, and live their culture with pride and clarity.
- He is an icon because he makes culture real.
- He safeguards what others have left behind.
- He speaks with the wisdom of the ancestors and the imagination of tomorrow.
- Dr. Ignatius Mabasa is not only preserving African culture; he is also activating it.
That is why he is an African Icon
Unofficial Biography
Meet Dr. Ignatius T. Mabasa (PhD)
Ignatius Tirivangani Mabasa (born 1971) is a Zimbabwean storyteller, writer, and academic who primarily creates in his mother tongue, Shona. His love for storytelling was nurtured from an early age through traditional oral narratives and folktales.
Dr. Mabasa holds the distinction of being the first person in Zimbabwe to write a PhD thesis in Shona, completed at Rhodes University in South Africa. His writing explores themes of identity, culture, and social justice, deeply reflecting his experiences growing up under colonial rule and during Zimbabwe’s transition to independence.
In addition to his writing, Dr. Mabasa has taught English Literature and Creative Writing in Zimbabwe, the United States, and Canada. His acclaimed Shona novel, Mapenzi, was described by The Times Literary Supplement as one of the most significant books to have emerged from Africa.
A former Fulbright Scholar and Writer and Storyteller in Residence at the University of Manitoba, Canada, Dr Mabasa has spent over fifteen years revitalising Shona folktales, adapting them for film and sharing them through social media, ensuring that Africa’s oral traditions reach new audiences in fresh and engaging ways.
Today, he resides in Harare, Zimbabwe, where he continues to write, teach, and advocate for linguistic rights.
Current Roles
Research Associate, School of Languages: African Languages, Rhodes University (South Africa)
Senior Fellow, Department of Anthropology, University of Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Cultural Consultant, BeingAfrican
Connect:
Email: ignatiusmabasa@gmail.com
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