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Dr. Zindaba Dunduzu Chisiza

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Drama and Theatre Studies

Research Areas

Youth political participation ,Gender ,Youth mental health,Adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health ,Theatre for Development ,Gender transformative approaches ,Masculinities,Arts for Development ,

Profile

I am primarily an Arts for Development practitioner and theatre director. I currently serve as Associate Professor in the Department of Drama and Theatre Studies. My research utilises arts-based methodologies—including theatre, radio, film, and technology—for socially engaged research. I specialise in masculinities, gender, mental health, and sexual and reproductive health, with a specific focus on adolescents, young people, and marginalised communities. I am the author of Arts for Development, Masculinities and Gender in Malawi (Palgrave Macmillan) and the editor of Theatre and Media for Social Change in Malawi (Routledge), including other publications. In 2018, I founded Brother2Brother, a creative gender-transformative programme for young people. More recently, in 2023, I established the UNIMA Theatre Festival, an annual event that brings together professional, amateur, university, and secondary school theatre groups.

Publications

  • Journal Article
    Chisiza, Zindaba. Reclaiming Language and Form in Malawian Theatre: A Decolonial Approach at the University of Malawi. South African Theatre Journal, vol. 38 (1), pp. 1–18, (2026)
    https://doi.org/10.1080/10137548.2025.2604511
  • Journal Article
    Chisiza, Z. (2026). The funky and fun fusion model: A creative learning approach for school-going adolescents in Malawi. Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, 31(1), Article 2597985. (2026)
    https://doi.org/10.1080/13569783.2025.2597985
  • Book
    Chisiza, Z. (Ed.). (In Press; 2026). Community Arts from the Margins. Routledge. (2026)
  • Book
    Chisiza, Z. (Ed.). (In Press, 2026). Applied Arts and Young People in Southern Africa: Case studies from Malawi, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Routledge. (2026)
  • Book Chapters
    Chisiza, Z. (2026). Introduction: Community Arts from the Margins. In Z. Chisiza (Ed.), Unheard voices: Community arts from the margins. Routledge. (2026)
  • Book Chapters
    Chisiza, Z. (2026). From the margins: Amplifying young people's voices in research through Theatre for Development in Southern Malawi. In Z. Chisiza (Ed.), Community Arts from the Margin. Routledge. (2026)
  • Book Chapters
    Chisiza, Z., & Kambalame, L. (2026). An arts-based approach to comprehensive sexuality education with school-going adolescents in Malawi. In Z. Chisiza (Ed.), Community Arts from the Margins. Routledge. (2026)
  • Book Chapters
    Chisiza, Z., & Kompaoré, P. (2026). Theatre for development or the theatre of the voiceless – Zindaba Chisiza in conversation with Prosper Kompaoré. In Z. Chisiza (Ed.), Community Arts from the Margins. Routledge. (2026)
  • Refereed Monograph
    Chisiza, Z. (In Press, 2026). Arts for Development, Masculinities and Gender in Malawi. Palgrave Macmillan. (2026)
    https://link.springer.com/book/9783032203502
  • Refereed Monograph
    Chisiza, Z. (Forthcoming). Theatre for Social Change and Young People in Malawi: Case Studies in Practice. Lever Press (2026)
  • Book
    Chisiza, Z. 2025. (Ed.). Theatre and Media for Social Change in Malawi. Routledge. (2025)
    https://www.routledge.com/Theatre-and-Media-for-Social-Change-in-Malawi/Chisiza/p/book/9781041090953
  • Book Chapters
    Campbell, A., & Chisiza, Z. (2025). A footprint in the flour: The training of a group of community multipliers in Domasi Village, Zomba district, Malawi. In J. Plastow & K. McQuaid (Eds.), Community-based Arts, Research and Activism in Uganda and Malawi (pp. 75–92). Bloomsbury Academic / Methuen Drama. (2025)
    https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/communitybased-arts-research-and-activism-in-uganda-9781350435063/
  • Book Chapters
    Chisiza, Z. (2025). Brother2Brother: The development of an arts-based gender-transformative programme at the University of Malawi. In Z. Chisiza (Ed.), Theatre and Media for Social Change in Malawi (pp. 46–58). Routledge. (2025)
    https://www.routledge.com/Theatre-and-Media-for-Social-Change-in-Malawi/Chisiza/p/book/9781041090953
  • Book Chapters
    Chisiza, Z. (2026). Introduction: Theatre and Media for Social Change in Malawi. In Z. Chisiza (Ed.), Theatre and Media for Social Change in Malawi. (1-7). Routledge. (2025)
    https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003648437-1/introduction-zindaba-chisiza
  • Book Chapters
    Chisiza, Z., Munyenyembe, U. C., & Dzanja, R. M. (2026). Acting on accountability: Towards a youth-led arts-based approach for good financial governance in Northern Malawi. In Z. Chisiza (Ed.), Theatre and Media for Social Change in Malawi (pp. 80–93). Routledge. (2025)
    https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003648437-9/acting-accountability-zindaba-chisiza-uchizi-munyenyembe-roselyn-dzanja
  • Journal Article
    Kok M, Munthali A, Mvula P, Chisiza Z, Mat ML. Community bylaws concerning sexual and reproductive health and rights in Machinga District, Malawi: to what extent are they responsive to young people's needs? Int J Equity Health. 2023 Nov 14;22(1):237. doi: 10.1186/s12939-023-02054-7. PMID: 37964291; PMCID: PMC10647080. (2023)