About the publication
Development defined from below
zenzomoyo-development.org examines development across Southern Africa, starting from the people who live it. We publish critical analysis for funders and practitioners who want ideas that are relevant, meaningful and sustainable.
Our position
Communities set the terms
Standard donor frameworks often begin with a predetermined problem and a fixed solution. We start elsewhere: development is legitimate only when people living in a place define its priorities and judge its results.
Locally shaped change tends to outlast external programmes because it is rooted in relationships, knowledge and decisions that communities already hold. That is the resilience we examine and argue for.
Foundations
Three analytical commitments
Local self-determination
Priorities, evidence and success are set by the communities concerned, not assumed in advance by external actors.
Institutional accountability
We ask who holds power, who answers for outcomes, and whether those affected can hold institutions to account.
Structural critique
Political analysis examines the structures that shape poverty and civil society space, rather than treating symptoms alone.