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
Niod’s anti-facial disrupts beauty’s clean narrative

Daily Signals

Niod’s anti-facial disrupts beauty’s clean narrative

Deciem’s science-led skincare brand Niod has launched a new campaign video subverting the polished conventions of beauty marketing by replacing ser...
Beauty : Advertising : Environment
Singapore moves to regulate blind boxes over gambling risks

Daily Signals

Singapore moves to regulate blind boxes over gambling risks

Singapore is set to become the first market to require blind box products to disclose the probability of obtaining specific items, as authorities a...
Retail : Toys : Blind Boxes
Stat: ‘My employer’ emerges as the most trusted institution

Daily Signals

Stat: ‘My employer’ emerges as the most trusted institution

The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer, based on a survey of nearly 34,000 respondents across 28 countries, shows insularity reshaping how people re...
Work : Trust : Employers
The Salvation Army launches world’s first digital thrift store on Roblox

Daily Signals

The Salvation Army launches world’s first digital thrift store on Roblox

The Salvation Army is extending its resale model into gaming with the launch of Thrift Score, translating the charity’s bricks-and-mortar thrift fo...
Fashion : Retail : Digital
Lyma builds an integrated operating system for skincare

Daily Signals

Lyma builds an integrated operating system for skincare

British medtech company Lyma has launched an AI-powered wellness app that extends its skincare proposition into a fully connected digital ecosystem.
Beauty : Wellness : Medtech
Stat: How Chinese and Indian travellers are driving Asia-Pacific outbound travel

Daily Signals

Stat: How Chinese and Indian travellers are driving Asia-Pacific outbound travel

Outbound travel from Asia-Pacific is accelerating, but not all markets are growing at the same pace, according to new research from MMGY.
Travel : Hospitality : Tourism
Nothing turns retail into a community engine in Bengaluru

Daily Signals

Nothing turns retail into a community engine in Bengaluru

Consumer electronics brand Nothing has opened its first Indian retail space in Bengaluru, drawing more than 2,000 people to queue on 14 February 2026.
Retail : Technology : Design
OpenAI retires GPT-4o, prompting digital grief among users

Daily Signals

OpenAI retires GPT-4o, prompting digital grief among users

OpenAI has removed access to GPT-4o, sparking backlash from users who say the model was more than just a productivity tool.
Technology : AI : Connection
Stat: Vinted becomes the UK’s third-largest fashion retailer amid second-hand boom

Daily Signals

Stat: Vinted becomes the UK’s third-largest fashion retailer amid second-hand boom

New data from SpendMapper shows Vinted is now the third-largest fashion retailer in the UK, behind Primark and Next.
Fashion : Sustainability : Vinted
Depop taps Kelis to spotlight resale’s everyday returns

Daily Signals

Depop taps Kelis to spotlight resale’s everyday returns

Depop is doubling down on the everyday value of secondhand fashion with the launch of Depoponomics, a new US campaign championing resale as a means...
Sustainability : Depop : Resale
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