The first day of TEXPO 26 at the Zimbabwe Academy of Music in Bulawayo broke from tradition and left the hackers surprised. In previous years, teams would head straight for the Hackersroom and dive into code. This year, organisers met them at the door with a different plan.

Before a single line was written, the ten student teams were ushered into a presentation led by Mrs Chipo Chikara Nyoni.

She introduced herself with a grin as an “introverted clown, diva, sidekick” and, professionally, a teacher. From 8am to 1pm, she had the room.

Mrs Chipo’s message was direct a great idea dies if you can’t communicate it. She challenged the teams, all selected to compete in this year’s flagship “Move! Farm to Market” hackathon, to think about how they work together.

In every group, she said, you’ll find three types of people: the doers, the tellers, and the wordsmiths.

The hackers wrestled with the difference between a doer and a talker. Some argued talkers are the ones who find the words, while doers say less but act more.

It wasn’t about right or wrong. It was about seeing each other clearly. To drive it home, Mrs Chipo called one member from each team to the stage. They rated their teammates from 1 to 3 in each column, with 3 as the highest. She stressed it wasn’t judging or critiquing. It was acknowledging and recognising each other’s strengths and ability before the pressure started.

TFrom 20–24 April 2026, these young innovators from across Zimbabwe will present Raspberry Pi-powered solutions designed to transform smallholder agriculture.

The “Move! Farm to Market” challenge asks them to build a low-cost, Raspberry Pi-based digital traceability system. The goal is practical help smallholder farmers prove the origin, quality, and handling of their produce, and unlock access to regional markets that have long been out of reach.