“Roto” is the Shona word for dream, a fitting title for an album that explores visions of self, spirit, and sonic awakening. ROTO is a visual and musical journey into the world of dreams, not just sleep dreams, but ancestral dreams, liberation dreams, and futures dreamed into being. It’s a celebration of Afro-futurism through the lens of mbira music, rooted in African tradition while reaching for cosmic possibility. The word ROTO will be rendered in a stylized, script based on Chimbire: a newly reimagined script inspired by the visual traditions and phonetic systems of the Shona language. Chimbire is a decolonial typographic system developed to honour and extend the expressive potential of Shona writing, informed by ancestral symbol systems, oral traditions, and phonetic nuance.
I was tasked with designing the official album artwork for Mbira Renaissance, a band dedicated to modern interpretations of traditional Zimbabwean mbira music. The design should resonate with both heritage and innovation, honoring African visual culture while appealing to a contemporary and global audience. Album cover name: ROTO