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Gender Forum Discussion |
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News -
The Book Cafe
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Thursday, 10 December 2009 11:22 |
The Book Café, Fife Ave Mall (upstairs)
Tuesday 15 Dec 2009 – 5.30-7pm
WOMAN to WOMAN: for better understanding
Speakers: Roxanne ‘Xapa’ Mathazia, Zanele Manhenga, Carmen Hwarari, Nonku ‘Blackbird’ Vundla and Larry Kwirirayi
Chair: Sally Dura
Women performing artists are often perceived – by other women - to be dangerous competitors for the attention of men, and who purposefully set out to attract and seduce male audiences for their own benefit.
Such beliefs are often misconceptions, which are damaging both to the reputations and careers of these women artists, and to good relations between the two groups of women. The damage may include boycotting of shows, gossip which destroys the image of the artist, and can even extend to refusal to spend money on CDs of women artists who are seen as a threat, and banning of the music in the family home.
The image is extremely damaging to their careers, and will only serve to hold Zimbabwean women artists back from developing to their full potential and making a meaningful contribution to the nation.
More than anything else, such attitudes against women in the arts rip apart the fabric of society, creating distrust and divisions in the powerhouse of our nation – it’s women.
In fact, the art of performance and stagecraft skills demand that a performing artist on stage should be attractive, endearing, welcoming, appear to be friendly and accessible in the course of delivering a song, for example. She has to be beautifully dressed and deliver a great performance in order for people to continue to pay money to watch her or buy her CD. That is her profession. She is doing her job. Off stage, she must balance her performance with reality, and in so doing there are many struggles she faces.
The Gender Forum discussion on Tuesday 15 December will hear from women artists who are single, single mothers and married women, who will share some of their experiences to bring light to the situation and make a start towards better understanding between women of Zimbabwe in 2010.
All women (and men!) are invited to a platform which has been specially created by Pamberi Trust at The Book Cafe to facilitate the interaction, development and advancement of women in Zimbabwe society.
The discussion is free, and all are welcome.
ENDS
Pamberi Trust |
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Mokoomba returns from 5 Euro-nation tour |
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News -
The Book Cafe
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Tuesday, 24 November 2009 07:55 |
Wednesday 25 November 2009
The Book Café, Harare
From 8pm
Book café to host first Mokoomba gig
Young Music Crossroads winners MOKOOMBA return to The Book Café on Wednesday 25 November 2009, the first show after their 5 Euro-nation tour in October and November, where they were warmly welcomed.
Mokoomba originates from Victoria Falls and has an electrifying blend of modern Afro-pop fused with the unique inflections of traditional Tonga music. The name ‘Mokoomba’ stems from the deep respect that the Tonga people have for the Zambezi River, sighting it as a river of blessing and crossing it brings vibrant life to their music and culture.
The six-piece outfit sings in ChiTonga, and comprises keyboard, guitar, bass and a dynamic showcase of Tonga percussion instruments like Tonga Jemba (drums), whistles and bells, and other Zimbabwean instruments. Mokoomba blends the distinct rhythms and music styles of the Tonga people of Zimbabwe with a West African flair.
Pamberi Trust project officer Hector Rufaro Mugani, who is also a musician and student of music, said “They have managed to give a modern twist to Tonga traditional music culture, giving it a chance to survive in the new musical climate. Their stage performance is lively and colourful, vocals are excellent - they are just brilliant!”
Mokoomba won the first prize for the 2008 inter-regional festival held in Malawi. The Music Crossroads Inter-Regional Festival is arguably one of the biggest youth festivals in Africa and Mokoomba having won the first prize they were given a privilege of getting the Europe tour.
The band also won the “Africa unsigned auditions” project by UpToYouToo Foundation, an African arts development project. They spent a week in the Netherlands to record an album with Dutch DJ/ Producer Gregor Salto as part of a campaign against poverty in line with World Poverty Day. .
In what was a dream-come-true, the group traveled between Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Norway and Spain to perform in front of huge, ecstatic crowds who were happy to finally witness the long awaited performance from this unique group of artistes.
They had been denied the opportunity to tour Europe after visa bureaucracy forced the cancellation of their 8-country European Summer Tour (supported by the Swedish International Development Agency, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and UNESCO), but thanks to the ACCESS DENIED campaign, they finally succeeded.
“The concert served as a powerful reminder why this work is of urgent importance - for a few hours, the Galician Cultural center was transformed into a Zimbabwean Cultural center. The artists teamed up with Excantina's chef to create a special and delicious Zimbabwean menu. Everyone was completely immersed in Zimbabwean discovery and appreciation,” reads the Zimbabwe Cross Roads website.
It continues “…The crowd was composed of people of all ages. Mokoomba performed 2 sets during the event, the first attended primarily by the older generation of parents with young children, and the second attended by the younger generation who danced until the air hung thick with energy and rhythm!” Mokoomba overcame age and language barriers in Europe and touched the hearts of many.
Mokoomba is back in Zimbabwe and scheduled to perform at The Book Café every Wednesday from 25 November until the end of December. The Book Café will be blazing hot every Wednesday. Come feel the Tonga energy.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Music Crossroads
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.music-crossroads.net |
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A Literary evening with Owen Sheers (Wales) |
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News -
The Book Cafe
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Thursday, 19 November 2009 11:04 |
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LIT DISCUSSION: MYTHS & LEGENDS:
The Book Café
Mon 23 November 2009, 5.30-7p.m
 Picture: Owen Sheers
The British Council presents renowned U.K poet and author, Owen Sheers at the Book Café on Monday 23 Nov, 09 for a literary evening starting at 5.30-7p.m.
Owen Sheers is a poet, novelist, playwright, actor and BBC TV presenter from Wales. He is best known in Zimbabwe for his semi-fictionalised account The Dust Diaries, recounting the life of his great-great uncle, Arthur Shearly Cripps, maverick missionary to Southern Rhodesia. Owen has had close links with Bulawayo – he has a poem published in the ’amaBooks collection Short Writings from Bulawayo III, a short story in Long Time Coming: Short Writings from Zimbabwe and five poems in Intwasa Poetry. Owen also participated in the Intwasa Arts Festival koBulawayo 2006.
In a discussion to be chaired by Zimbabwean renowned children’s writer, Blessing Musariri, Sheers will largely speak on why he is keen on myths and legends: their origins and how they reappear in modern-day storytelling as reflected in his publications, Dust Diaries, White Ravens, Resistance and others. He will be joined by Joseph Tirivangana an expert on myths and legends and lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe
After presentations by the two speakers the audience will be invited to participate in a lively discussion.
Together with Owen Sheers, Ethel Kabwato, Julius Chingono, Batsirai Chigama, Phillip Chidavaenzi and David Mungoshi will read or perform some of their works.
The audience will have a chance to meet the speakers as well as network
The discussion is FREE, and all are welcome.
Batsirai E Chigama
For Pamberi Trust
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