Poetry & Rock

Date & Time: Saturday, July 30 from 5:00pm – 8:00pm
Location: Mannenberg, Harare

Poetry And…Rock a continuation of the Poetry And Events. Poetry And…Rock will feature Poets and will be accompanied with live music. This is an event that wants to establish commercial poetry. We want to blast poetry into your minds with some rock and roll and the cast is the same but some surprises are in store with the presentation. A battle between POETS and some HARD ROCK MUSIC. Featuring a hot, up and coming band, THE MONKEY NUTS! The war has been waged, now let’s get ready for some rock and roll.

See you there!

Pamberi Trust in collaboration with the British Council and The Prince Claus Foundation re-launched their Mind Blast series last week. The aim of the Mind Blast discussions is to serve as a networking platform, and as a forum to discuss and debate the opportunities and challenges faced by the creative industry. The first of the discussions involved artists, civic society organisations and arts administrators and took place at the Mannenburg. The discussion was opened by an emotive and poignant performance of two Harare Files monologues by Tonderai Munyebvu.

A number of issues arose during the discussion, most significantly was the relationship between artists and civic organisations and the art that was created as a result. In a previous interview with Kubatana Rumbi Katedza said:

The challenge that has arisen here in Zimbabwe is that it seems to be the only direction that art has been taking over the last decade because that [civic organisations] is where much of the core funding has been coming from. Individuals and organisations will do art depending on what the key word is for that day. We’re stuck in a rut; we need to get out of that and create art for art’s sake.

During the discussion several artists echoed this sentiment and also expressed concern over the emergence of NGO agenda driven art. While it is noble to want to create art for its own sake, many artists noted that they too had to make a living and because of this, their art was subject to corruption for the purpose of delivering a message. Civics, it was noted, often demanded that art be explicit in conveying their message. Another artist expressed frustration that while local artists were forced to produce this kind of art, conversely, artists from the home countries of some donors and organisations were treated completely differently, and given the space to create and or perform their art without interference. Participants moved on to agree that art was created in response to the artist’s environment, and thus art was important in examining social issues.

There is in general a need to find alternative means for supporting art, and teaching artists and arts administrators’ sustainable business models. An oft cited example of a commercially successful Zimbabwean artist who has managed to stay true to his artistic voice is Oliver Mtukudzi, another example is Dominic Benhura. Their models for creating commercial viability vary but the outcome is the same: they are able to live on their art.

I stumbled upon the information that Oliver Mtukudzi is the highest selling artist in Southern Africa. I knew he is well respected the world over, but the highest selling? It made sense; the man is a musical genius.

I remember when I was in South Africa a few years back I noticed that all the good music stores had a whole shelf of Oliver Mtukudzi music and his CDs were much more expensive than those of say Hugh Masekela. Oliver Mtukudzi sings entirely in Shona. That means the majority of his fans do not understand him, at least on a lyrical level. His musical arrangements are so brilliant; I would love instrumentals of his if he released an instrumental album.

But his genius is in his lyrics:

mhiripiri ine munakiro wayo/kana sugar inemanakiro ayo/munyu une manakiro awo/kuvava kuvava hayo mhiripiri, inga ndomanakiro ayo/kutapira kutapira hayo sugar inga ndomasikirwo ayo/kuvavira kuvavira hawo munyu nokuti manakiro  awo…mukurarama katifanani/kana chimiro hachifanani/kana mhuka dzesango hadzifanani/ndomasikirwo acho/saka tisashorane mukurarama/tisasekana mukurarama/tinzwisisane mukurarama/

Roughly translated the Shona lyrics are: chilies are delicious in their own way/sugar is delicious in its own way/salt is delicious in its own way/chilies are hot and they are delicious that way/sugar is sweet and it’s delicious that way/salt is delicious in its own way…in life we are not the same/we are not the same in build/even wild animals are different/ that’s the way they were created/so let’s not look down upon each other in life/let’s not laugh at each other/let’s live in harmony together…

It’s a song that speaks directly to Zimbabweans; we are highly intolerant of each other’s divergent views, opinions and differences along tribal lines, political lines and so on. We have taken on the bad habits of our leaders who go to extreme lengths to eliminate political opponents and this has led to bloody elections all the time. It’s a vicious cycle that will continue long after we have gotten rid of the current leadership.

There is another song of Mtukudzi’s that has got a message along the same lines:

Buda pachena munun’una vagoziva zvaunofunga/ asika wochinzwawo zvavanofunga/kubudirana pachena muzukuru kuteera nekuteera/ naivo vachanzwawo/torawo mukana wokuteera zvinotaurawo vamwe/ worega kuropodza/ kuropodza zvisina maturo / chinonzi hurukuro/ kutaura tichinzwana/ votaura iwe uchiteerera/wotaurawo ivo vachiteerera…

… Come out young brother so we can know what you think/but also listen to what they think/being clear with each other is listening and listening/they will hear you/take time to listen to what others say/ stop rumbling on and on/ rumbling on senselessly/conversation is understanding each other/others talk while you listen/you talk and others listen…

One of our biggest weaknesses is talking down to people and not giving a damn about what they have to say. When was the last time your local MP listened to what you had to say? When was the last the time the people of Zimbabwe openly criticised the president without everyone in the vicinity scurrying for cover and fearing for the speaker’s life?

Oliver Mtukudzi’s songs are so full of meaning and I have enjoyed them for decades; ever since I was a little boy. Songs like Nhava talk of the Diaspora in a very enlightening manner. Songs like Bindu are just brilliant! Those who did not grow up listening to Tuku, as he is affectionately known, think he got onto the music scene in 1998 with the release of the highly successful album Tuku Music, but the man has been around. Remember Mbombela? Remember the soundtrack to the Movie Neria? I was born in the Ghetto, my mum in the Ghetto, my heart in the Ghetto, so you can call me the Ghetto boy…

PAMBERI TRUST PRESS RELEASE: Immediate release

‘Hokoyo naChi’ at Book Cafe
Saturday 11 June, 8pm
The Book Café, Harare

On Saturday 11 June The Book Café welcomes the return of Zimbabwe mbira star Chiwoniso Maraire, taking up the prime spot every Saturday from mid-June, to the delight of her fans.

Born into music and forged in the fires of Africa and the world over the last two decades, the feisty artist now enjoys the freedom to explore every corner of her musical being, from pure mbira magic with long-time acoustic ensemble Vibe Culture, to new electric fusions with rock, blues, and a rainbow of genres, in collaboration with various artists.

Those lucky to have caught Chi’s collaboration with artists from Togo, Cameroon, Korea and Japan in the November 2010 ‘Suki Africa’ Tour will have had a taste of the power of such musical diversity.  Zimbabweans also witnessed her HIFA collaboration with Dutch rock group Moke, which later led to her appearance at the Netherlands’ Freedom Festival where she performed both solo and with others, to an audience of some 160,000 people.  Back home, Chiwoniso continues a colourful collaboration with the popular Victor Kunonga, which again wowed audiences recently at the May Castle Tankard.

What she’ll be bringing to the stage is an open embrace to these and all music styles, spiced with impromptu fusions and surprise guests – in the words of songwriter Carole King, ‘an ever-changing view’.   Saturday nights at Book Café promise to be an exciting series of unforgettable experiences, each one unique, free flowing and unfettered, anchored only by the mesmerizing voice and mbira of Chiwoniso.

Chiwoniso is by no means a new-comer to the Book Café stage, having performed as a little-known artist in the famous Monday Open Mic back in her early years, and later claiming the Tuesday night slot before stepping out into the international arena.  Since then she has graced Book Café and Mannenberg stages between many tours.

This Saturday marks the start of a new season of world-class music at Book Café with Chiwoniso, ‘a bright new star in Africa’ and ‘an icon in Zimbabwe music today’.

Raviro, a Kubatana member, recently shared her experience of having her first kiss:

Saturdays were always a girl’s day out. I had planned the day before with my friends that we would go out to Avondale to watch a movie and later get a quick snack at Nandos.  I woke up as usual on that Saturday and did the household chores because that was the only way my mother would give me pocket money and also permission to go out.

I finished my household chores and made a few phone calls with the landline on the logistics with my friends since cell phones weren’t a popular device back in 2002in Zimbabwe. I got ready for the outing and I dressed in my black paddle pushers and a spaghetti top as it was the fashionable clothing at that time.  I got a lift from my neighbour hood and dropped off at the Copacabana bus station to get another lift, which would take me to Avondale Shopping Complex. I dropped off at the Avondale bus stop. I met up with my other friends and went to the 7 Arts movie house and watched the Juwwanna Mann, a romantic comedy that was the talk of most high school students. During the movie one of my friends who had a cell phone at that time had made frequent calls to some of the boys that we were at school with. We were not aware of what she had told the other guys. But we enjoyed the movie and it ended in a very romantic way that even my feelings were aroused.

We went to Nandos food court and grabbed some snacks. Whilst we were eating one of the boys that I learnt with whom I had a deep crush on came and we chatted. Whilst we were chatting I realised that all my friends had given us space and I was left alone with him. He asked if I could escort him to his brother’s car to meet his brother. Little did I know that I had been fooled. The brother was nowhere in sight. We sat on the backseat of the car and continued with our chat. However we ran out of stories and within minutes we were cuddling. I couldn’t control myself however as my feelings had been aroused by the movie that I had been watching.  I just found myself on top of him kissing him. At first I thought I was dreaming. I pinched myself only to realise it was true. “I HAD MY FIRST KISS”. All my dreams had been shattered because I had always dreamt of giving my first kiss to the man who would marry me, and walk me down the aisle.

My crush with this boy ended that very day because I failed to trust him since he had lied to me that I was going to see his brother. Even though I put the blame on him I also failed to control my feelings.

Solidarity Peace Trust’s film, Part of the Solution, is a retrospective look at the political events in Zimbabwe in 2001 culminating in the SADC Troika memorandum of April 2011. The short film takes a look at the issue of the manipulation of the COPAC Constitutional Outreach programme and intimidation of villagers in the rural areas. It goes further to suggest that the outcome of the process may not have the people at its heart. The DVD moves on to examine incidents of politically motivated violence, particularly those in Mbare and Downtown Harare involving the youth. In view of the objectives of the Inclusive Government and the Global Political Agreement, these events are disheartening, leaving many Zimbabweans wondering if it is possible that the impending elections will be marred by violence and voter intimidation.

If you would like a copy of this DVD please email your postal address to: products [at] kubatana [dot] net