Zine and heard

05 : 11 : 2015 Zinester : Magazine : Digital Dead Zone

Nairobi – Zinester is a social initiative helping the marginalised find a voice through print’s most independent platform, the zine.

  • For those living in poverty, internet access can be an unaffordable luxury
  • Zinester is on a mission to give people living in digital dead zones a voice
Zinester, Nairobi Zinester, Nairobi
Zinester, Nairobi Zinester, Nairobi
Zinester, Nairobi Zinester, Nairobi
Zinester, Nairobi Zinester, Nairobi

The company’s first project took place at the Wings of Life School in Kibera, Africa’s largest urban slum. Students underwent a series of workshops that taught interview techniques, camera skills and editorial practice to enable them to create their own zines.

‘The kids we work with don’t present as victims. They’re kids. They have crazy ideas, blend fact with fiction and laugh a lot,’ says Zinester co-founder Harrison Thane. ‘Despite all the chaos and stress their environment puts them under they are confident in it and hopeful about the future.’

The completed zines were digitised and sent to independent printers to be distributed to independent book shops around the world.

‘It would be amazing to take commissions from papers around the world and run workshops that allowed those on the ground to give their own version of events,’ says Thane, who is raising funds for the next Zinester series via Kickstarter.

The Big Picture

The return of zine culture and independent publishing is enabling a wide range of stories to be told. Find out more in our Neutral Culture macrotrend.

Discover More Daily Signals
SXSW 2026: Why boring brands are borrowing from entertainment to break the internet

Daily Signals

SXSW 2026: Why boring brands are borrowing from entertainment to break the internet

On day two of SXSW 2026 speakers challenged a long-held assumption in marketing: that so-called ‘boring’ categories must produce dull advertising.
Global Events : SXSW : Advertising & Branding
Why WhatsApp is launching pre-teen accounts

Daily Signals

Why WhatsApp is launching pre-teen accounts

Instant messaging service WhatsApp is expanding its user base by introducing pre-teen accounts, lowering access to include users aged under 13 for ...
Social Media : Parental Control : Online Safety
Stat: How to appeal to each generation through visual design

Daily Signals

Stat: How to appeal to each generation through visual design

New research from Adobe reveals a widening generational divide in how UK consumers perceive design, with younger audiences placing significantly gr...
Design : Branding : Marketing
Creators, community and culture take centre stage at SXSW Austin 2026

Daily Signals

Creators, community and culture take centre stage at SXSW Austin 2026

A central question echoed across discussions on the first day of SXSW 2026: how can brands tap into culture in a way that feels genuinely relevant?
Global Events : SXSW : Marketing
How Tipping Point East is redefining circular construction in London

Daily Signals

How Tipping Point East is redefining circular construction in London

A new hub in east London aims to rethink how cities build by embedding material re-use directly into the construction supply chain.
Construction : Sustainability : Future Spaces
Stat: The enshittification of TikTok is creating a widening trust gap with Gen Z

Daily Signals

Stat: The enshittification of TikTok is creating a widening trust gap with Gen Z

Global – Growing scepticism is beginning to reshape how Gen Z engage with the social media platform TikTok.
Social Media : Advertising : Statistic
Pinterest reveals how parents are designing tech-free childhoods

Daily Signals

Pinterest reveals how parents are designing tech-free childhoods

Parents are increasingly seeking ways to raise children away from screens, according to a new parenting trends report from Pinterest.
Parenting : Technology : Childhood
M&S turns compliments into a marketing strategy

Daily Signals

M&S turns compliments into a marketing strategy

Retailer Marks & Spencer is building its positioning around positivity and everyday affirmation with a new campaign encouraging shoppers to sha...
Marketing : Celebrity Endorsements : Retail
Stat: China’s record travel surge signals opportunity for outdoor brands

Daily Signals

Stat: China’s record travel surge signals opportunity for outdoor brands

China’s 2026 Spring Festival generated record-breaking travel and spending, underscoring the scale of domestic mobility and the country’s growing a...
China : Travel : Statistic
Iga Węglińska explores the power of sensory restraint

Daily Signals

Iga Węglińska explores the power of sensory restraint

Designer Iga Węglińska’s Perfect Sense explores how design can recalibrate human perception. The project comprises a series of six masks that inves...
Design : Transhumanism : Senses
You have 2 free Daily Signals remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN