Cde Fatso & Chabvondoka with Rina Mushonga & The Zimfellas

THURSDAY 16 JULY, 8.30pm

The Mannenberg Jazz Club

Fife Ave Mall, Harare

(Cde Fatso - Rebel Poet)

On Thursday 16 July from 8.30pm, the popular Fife Avenue live arts venue, The Mannenberg Jazz Club, will host another exciting “PAW PAW JAM”, a colourful event by Pamberi Trust that celebrates Zimbabwe’s cultural diversity and promotes understanding and tolerance between the peoples of Zimbabwe.

Culture plays a pivotal role in social development and is a powerful tool in behavioral change.  It has become an axiom that music is a ‘universal language’: it brings diverse audiences and artists together and in so doing celebrates diversity and tolerance across all political and ethnic lines.

This month’s Paw Paw Jam event features an exciting double-bill of artists who have challenged the idea of cultural homogeneity, breaking out of the Zimbabwean music ‘box’ to explore and enjoy modern trends and fusions – a creative process which is employed by artists throughout the world, and now effectively brings their music into the reality of the popular urban Zimbabwean mainstream.

CDE FATSO & CHABVONDOKA

Samm Farai Monro, better known as Comrade Fatso, is one of the most explosive and controversial acts in Southern Africa today. Comrade Fatso calls his poetry Toyi Toyi Poetry, radical street poetry that mixes Shona with English and mbira with hip hop. ‘It’s an art form that is an uprising against oppression’ he says on his website www.comradefatso.com.

2008 saw Comrade Fatso and Chabvondoka launch their much-acclaimed album, House of Hunger, banned in Zimbabwe but praised internationally, labelled ‘undeniably alluring’ (Mail & Globe, Canada), ‘irresistably danceable’ (Songlines Magazine, UK) and ‘the most revolutionary album since Thomas Mapfumo's music in the 1970’s’ (Agence France Presse).  House of Hunger is now on sale through different record labels in Europe and the USA.

Fatso and Chabvondoka have performed extensively, having been invited to perform their riotous music at festivals in the USA, France, the UK, Portugal, Holland, Reunion, Tanzania, Kenya, Botswana, Malawi, Swaziland, South Africa and, of course, Zimbabwe. Fatso's poetry and music have appeared in print and broadcast media in over fifty countries around the world. At just 28 years old his poetry is already being studied at universities in the UK and South Africa.

RINA MUSHONGA & THE ZIMFELLAS

The Mannenberg extends a warm welcome, for the first time, to Rina Mushonga and the Mutare-based ‘Zimfellas’.   Dutch-Zimbabwean singer songwriter Rina Mushonga returned to Zimbabwe late 2008 for two reasons…to explore and connect with her musical heritage and to further immerse herself in the Zimbabwean cultural scene.  What she found was a group of talented young musicians carving their own niche in the local scene and equally searching for new musical horizons.

Fusing together their different musical experiences - Rina’s residing mainly in folk pop and the Zimfella’s cool brand of traditional Zimbabwean music - they have managed to find common ground and create an altogether vibrant new sound.  Their quest is to write catchy, sensitive and relevant music reflecting the worlds from which they come, and the future they hope for.  Their efforts so far has produced music that is fresh and new to the ear, delights in the beauty and strength of Zimbabwe as well as seeking to put traditional music in a new jacket.

The Paw Paw Jam will be well mixed on Thursday 16 July, with Cde Fatso & Chabvondoka (from 10pm), and Rina Mushonga & The Zimfellas (from 8.30pm) – a great show, not to be missed!

 

Penny Yon

Pamberi Trust