Pamberi Trust (Harare) with its sister organisation African Synergy (Johannesburg) made Zimbabwean and probably African arts history in May and June 2010, staging, within one 20-day period, an unprecedented 21 major arts events across 8 countries involving African festivals, venues, arts development programs and African productions touring Europe.

 

Some of the biggest names in African music and arts were involved like Zimbabwean superstar Oliver ‘Tuku’ Mtukudzi, world acclaimed Mozambican singer Mingas, and South African legend Tu Nokwe, poet Chirikure Chirikure as well as the finest emerging creative talents in the region: Dudu Manhenga, ‘Outspoken’, BABU, Lira, BLK JKS, Mashasha, Mphumie Twala, Dhitini Mbali, Denton Chikura and Tonderai Munyebvu.   

 

The schedule, cutting across theatre, poetry, film, music and graphic design included a pioneering intra-African female music collaboration in gender, a youth arts project launched in South Africa, Pamberi Trust’s first European arts tour in Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, Book Café UK in London and shows that performed on the African circuit in Harare, Maputo, Swaziland and  Johannesburg.

 

Rehearsals for the play GREAT ESCAPE by Andrew Whaley started at the beginning of May, bound for 3 countries in Europe.  Rehearsals for the FLAME regional tour, born out of Pamberi Trust’s gender programme, the ‘Female Literary, Arts & Music Enterprise’ started a week later in Maputo, bound for 4 countries in Southern Africa up to 6 June.  Rudo Chakanyuka left Harare on 31 May to present a film and the graphic exhibition ‘CREATIVITY & CRISIS’ in Berlin, Germany, and the phenomenal South African jazz group BABU landed in Harare at The Mannenberg on 8 June as part of their SADC tour.

 

And while this was happening in South Africa we developed a youth arts project BAS Rootz, based on Pamberi’s own BOCAPA model and our UK associates continued their Book Café UK Paw Paw jam series with a Benin-Zimbabwean collaboration. 

 

Creative director Paul Brickhill said Pamberi Trust, working in collaboration with South African sister arts organisation African Synergy Trust “was stretched to its limits but are proud to say that we did it! A small piece of history has been made, pushing the boundaries of African arts and development a little further and fuller.”

 

GREAT ESCAPE: Harare, Amsterdam, Mechelen, Antwerp, Berlin – 22 May-4 June

Operations Manager Ian White, with a rich history in theatre, directed the play with actors Denton Chikura and Tonderai Munyebvu, and after a first exclusive performance at The Mannenberg in Harare on 22 May took the play, with a special appearance by Tongai ‘Outspoken’ Makawa, to de Balie Theatre, Amsterdam, Netherlands on 26-27 May, where it was presented by Dutch-agency and funding partner HIVOS; t’Arsenaal, Mechelen, Belgium on 01 June and WCC Zuiderpershuis, Antwerp, Belgium on 2 June - (presented by Belgian partner Africalia); then performed on 3 June at Berlin’s Zimbabwe Arts Festival 2010 at The Babylon Theatre, facilitated by the German Federal Foreign Office and the Humboldt University. 

 

The Berlin festival included a performance of the legendary Chiwoniso Maraire and Max Wild, a discussion on the state of the Arts in Zimbabwe ‘My name is not Money but Mind’, followed by screenings of the films ‘Spell My Name’, ‘Kare Kare Zvako’  and ‘Nyaminyami’ with Tsitsi Dangarembga and Angelina Dimingo of the Women Filmmakers of Zimbabwe; ‘Word and Fire’ – an explosive concert of the Spoken Word, Hip Hop and live music with Chirikure Chirikure, Cde Fatso and Outspoken, backed by Tendayi Manatsa and Josh Meck.

 

Across the world in London on 28 May the young Zimbabwean musician and arts producer Tomas Brickhill staged another successful ‘Paw Paw Jam: Original organic African produce’ at The New Empowering Church, featuring live music from ‘Benin City’, Zimbabwean bass and drum duo Mashasha & Sam, and rising pioneers of the new wave African music scene in London, Trenton & Free Radical, with DJs Koichi Sakai, and Mr Brett.  The ‘Paw Paw Jam UK’ is supported by ‘Friends of Pamberi Trust’ and Zimbabweans in different parts of Britain, and is an extension of the Pamberi Trust project in Harare which promotes and celebrates cultural diversity.

 

The FLAME regional tour included 4 women artists at 4 venues in 4 cities of  Southern Africa.  The legendary Mozambican icon ‘Mingas’ took to the regional platform with leading young singers - Zimbabwe’s Dudu Manhenga, and South Africans Mpumie Twala and Ndithini Mbali (sax) – a powerful foursome who became firm friends and humbled themselves to each other to produce an exciting, colourful performance, spiced with all the flavours of southern Africa, and backed by gifted artists of Maputo, with Zimbabwean drummer Blessing Muparutsa.

 

After a week of intensive rehearsals, the tour started with an explosive performance on 29 May at the huge Centro Cultural Franco Mocambicano concert venue in Maputo, the women went on to a stunning delivery at Bushfire Festival, Mbabane, Swaziland on 30 May, on to Johannesburg’s famous Bassline venue on 2 and 4 June, and The Mannenberg in Harare on 5 and 6 June.  CD sales hit record highs, and the region loved them!

 

The FLAME tour was the second-level expansion of the local gender project ‘Female Literary Arts and Music Enterprise’ by Pamberi Trust, after a first meeting of Mingas and Dudu in 2009.  Pamberi’s arts administrator Penny Yon, who started out with the FLAME project in 2006, accompanied the tour and was amazed by the power of the women within the artistic collaboration.  ‘It was hard, it was fast, it was powerful: it brought out everything that is good among women, and resulted in a strong and highly visible profile for women artists in the Southern African region.  Before the dust of the tour has settled, there are already positive indications for further expansion in the continent’.

 

Rudo Chakanyuka presented the ‘Creativity & Crisis’ exhibition, launched on Friday 4 June at the Department of African Studies, Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany, which ran into the month of June, attracting interest from the media, general public and African Studies students of the University in particular.  Graphics and artwork were created by Rudo herself for publicity by Pamberi Trust’s Arts Factory project, and portrayed positive images and messages on Creativity, Celebration, Diversity, Passion and Expression, and the sheer energy of the arts in Zimbabwe.  The film included interviews with Zimbabwean artists, also filmed and edited by Rudo.  Other photographs included work by Zimbabwean photographer Jekesai, and artwork included some graphics by Johannesburg’s 2BDesign.

 

Rudo said “It was good to be able to give a different impression of things in Zimbabwe; the international media often portrays the country in the negative, and yet something positive is happening, especially in the arts and particularly at The Book Cafe!”

 

 

The renowned South African Indian/Jazz ensemble BABU closed a hectic period for Pamberi Trust on 8 June, stopping over in their extensive SADC tour for a workshop and one-show-only.  Fusing the complexity and vibrancy of jazz with the long-standing improvisational practices of Indian classical music in a stunning performance at The Mannenberg, the group comprised award-winning South African drummer Kesivan Naidoo, together with Reza Khota (guitar), Shane Cooper (bass), Ronan Skillen (tabla, extended percussion & didgeridoo).  The group were pleasantly surprised by and very much enjoyed the discerning and appreciative Zimbabwean audience, the ‘feel’ of Zimbabwe, and the unique sound qualities of The Mannenberg.  “We wanna come back!” said Kesivan.  

 

While artistic productions were unfolding from Maputo to Amsterdam, Pamberi Trust projects team led by Mandla Ncube, and venues managed by business development manager Themba Sigauke continued to roll-out 21 scheduled music events, 1 spoken word event, 3 CD launches, 1 literary event, 1 poetry slam, 1 Bocapa Open Mic, and 1 jazz workshop.

 

Meanwhile, our sister organisation African Synergy in the same period launched “Africa Night” with Pops Mohamed at Bassline in Johannesburg on Wednesday May 26, with an epic two night run of shows from world acclaimed Zimbabwean superstar ‘Tuku’ on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 May.

 

The following week the massively successful youth arts project, BAS Rootz, modelled on Pamberi Trust’s BOCAPA program, was launched in Johannesburg on Monday 31 May, featuring South African superstar Lira and jazz guitarist Bheki Khoza (who both performed for free) to a packed audience in Bassline. A week later on 7 June the legendary Tu Nokwe, also donating her performance to the youth, joined a dozen youth artists at the second edition of BAS Rootz which has now quickly grown into the most important youth arts initiative in Johannesburg.

 

On Friday June 11, African Synergy ‘announced’ the world cup in South Africa with a performance of South African mega rock band BLK JKS (“the best new rock band in the world” Rolling Stone magazine 2010). 

 

Pamberi Trust and African Synergy Trust would like to thank all its partners: Africalia, MMINO, HIVOS, The Doen Foundation, the German Federal Foreign Office and the Humboldt University (Berlin), Centro Cultural Franco Mocambicano (Maputo), Bushfire Festival (Swaziland), Moshito (SA), Nandos (SA), Bassline, The Book Cafe, The Mannenberg, Book Cafe UK and most of all, the 95 artists involved.