Art. Innovation. Impact.
Transforming creative potential into professional success
Building strong, peer-led support systems that nurture both artistic and administrative growth of creatives. One-on-one guidance from experienced professionals.
Learn More
Equipping creatives with practical tools to navigate and thrive in the creative economy through workshops and training on business fundamentals.
Learn More
A storytelling platform bridging information gaps for underserved creatives through real-life stories and expert insights. Available on YouTube and audio platforms.
Listen NowResearch, reports, and updates on our initiatives
This groundbreaking study shines a light on the informal economy of Malawi's creative sector, measuring the economics of gig work for artists and understanding whether gigging is a stepping stone, a side hustle, or a sustainable career.
Two youth-led organizations, Luso Labu and Green Gen, successfully conducted the pilot activity of their new initiative, Future Proofers. The session brought together primary school students and local leaders to launch an arts-driven approach to climate literacy and environmental education.
Real impact on real creatives
Meet Wonderful, a gifted young artist, graphic designer, photographer, and videographer based in Mzuzu. His passion is fueled by a deep desire to create impact and inspire his peers through visual storytelling.
Wonderful joined the Luso Labu Mentorship Program in February, where he was paired with a dedicated mentor. Since then, his journey has involved exploring personal growth, branding, networking, and artist profiling.
To further support his development and provide hands-on experience, Wonderful has now joined the Luso Labu team as a Graphic Design Intern.
In March 2025, Victor, a poet, performed a monologue during a university event. Luso Labu was present at the event as a guest speaker. His performance stood out for its emotional depth and originality, and it led to an invitation to join our mentorship program.
Since then, Victor has been part of our capacity-building workshops focused on developing both creative expression and professional readiness.
Through this mentorship, he was also connected to an audition, where he successfully joined a professional performing group.
Malawi's artists are creators, culture-keepers, and income generators, but for too many, creative work is a daily balancing act of one-off gigs, late payments and unpredictable earnings. This study shines a light on the informal economy of Malawi's creative sector: who is earning what, how often, and where artists are falling through the cracks.
Across Malawi, artists survive on a patchwork of paid performances, commissions, workshops, streaming, and short contracts, what we call gig-based employment. "Gig providers" often don't count these workers, so programs miss them. Our study set out to measure the economics of gig work for artists, to understand whether gigging is a stepping stone, a side hustle, or a sustainable career.
Two youth-led organizations, Luso Labu and Green Gen, successfully conducted the pilot activity of their new initiative, Future Proofers. The session brought together primary school students and local leaders including the Member of Parliament for Zomba City South at Chikowi Primary School to launch an arts-driven approach to climate literacy and environmental education.
The pilot introduced young learners to art-based methodologies for climate education, with a specific focus on recycling plastic waste and bottle caps to create sustainable clothing, games and other functional products. By engaging students in hands-on creative work, the project demonstrated how artistic expression can help address the growing challenge of improper waste management in Malawi, which contributes significantly to climate-induced disasters.
The Future Proofers pilot successfully demonstrated:
Luso Labu and Green Gen are calling for support from stakeholders who share the vision of nurturing a climate-conscious generation and building more resilient communities. We welcome:
Future Proofers represents an innovative intersection of arts education and environmental action. We believe this model can be replicated across Malawi to address both creative skills development and pressing environmental challenges.