Radical Zambezian Reimagination: Culture as Our Source of Inspiration

Radical Zambezian Reimagination is an approach centered around preserving and making use of ancestral pasts to generate a new trajectory of thought, action, and object.
It calls for a return to the wellspring of indigenous knowledge systems, ways of knowing, making, and being that are deeply attuned to the rhythms of land, water, and community. Through this, we seek to unlearn extractive models of creativity and reimagine culture as a living, regenerative force that connects us to the cycles of life.

We draw inspiration from oral traditions, local materials, communal work, and the ritual of making as acts of resistance and renewal. In doing so, we affirm that cultural continuity is not a relic of the past, but a practice of care and innovation. By grounding design and development in cultural wisdom, we nurture a sustainable future that is rooted, inclusive, and self-defined.

Cultivating Networks of Care and Exchange

At Inkaya, we believe that sustainability begins with people, with the artisans, growers, and community builders whose skills and stories shape our shared future. Through our training programmes, research initiatives, residencies, and creative collaborations, we nurture ecosystems of learning that connect artisanal practice with environmental consciousness and cultural renewal.

We work alongside women and youth in rural Zambia, equipping them with skills in sustainable design, production, and entrepreneurship. By sourcing locally and working with community-based suppliers, we reduce our energy footprint while strengthening local economies.

Our residencies and learning exchanges invite people from Zambia and around the world who are curious, experimental, and open to engaging with land, nature, ancestral knowledge, and climate change. These exchanges create spaces for dialogue, co-creation, and collective imagination, where diverse perspectives meet and evolve together.

Our approach to training and collaboration is participatory and rooted in reciprocity, where knowledge moves in all directions. In this way, we build networks of empowerment that sustain livelihoods, revive indigenous knowledge, and nurture the collective resilience needed for a just and regenerative future.

Designing in Harmony with Nature

At Inkaya, the planet is our teacher. We look to nature not only for inspiration but for guidance on how to live, make, and restore in balance. Through a biomimetic approach, we study the intelligence of ecosystems to inform how we design, produce, and care for what we create. Connection to the natural world fuels our imagination and reinforces our commitment to do no harm.

We embrace the Cradle to Cradle philosophy, ensuring that every piece we produce contributes positively to both people and the environment across its full life cycle. Our materials are chosen with intention, prioritising renewability, circularity, and minimal waste. Through continuous experimentation, we strive toward low and zero-waste production, crafting in ways that regenerate rather than deplete.

Beyond production, we invest in reforestation and land restoration, recognising that environmental repair must be woven into our creative practice. We engage our communities in climate education, fostering awareness and shared responsibility for sustainable consumption and production.

Inkaya’s work reaffirms that sustainability is not a trend but a return, a remembering of how to live in reciprocity with the Earth. By designing in harmony with nature, we aim to contribute to a future where creativity restores, rather than extracts, from the living systems that sustain us all.