Ellington’s Sacred Concert at the Mannenberg
2008 MARKS 200 YEARS since American president Thomas Jefferson signed the bill abolishing the slave trade in 1808.
In 1965 jazz master Duke Ellington, himself descended from slaves and recognized as one of the most influential figures in jazz, was moved to write three massive works that combined elements of jazz, classical music, choral music, spirituals, gospel, blues and dance. He called them his “Sacred Concerts,” and they were performed in churches and cathedrals around the world. He said it was the most important thing he’d ever done.
Because of the scale of the music and the sheer number of artists needed to execute each work, Ellington’s sacred concerts have rarely been performed in the 30 years since his death in 1974. Read more
I pray
I pray for tomorrow,
Cause today is a day to forget,
Riddled with hurt and misfortune,
My spirit is restless and frail,
I pray that things get better,
And my tears stop falling like rain,
Unable to deal with the sadness,
That torments my soul everyday,
Antigone
Dear Friends
I have done a draft translation of Antigone into Shona.
Is there anyone with theatrical ambitions to help develop it further.?
Farai
To my dear brother
looking back in my mind’s eye
it’s all a haze now like a
flurry of feathers on a cloudy morning
the days we spent together
careening in the corridors of this life
are now lost and locked
in deep, dark sockets of time
and just outside you’re
entombed in the greatest
mother of all: earth Read more
Triumph against all odds is possible
“When I look at Mary McLeod Bethune, a Black Woman, who built a college at a time when even white men weren’t building colleges, I am inspired and reinforced. She actually came to buy a piece of land for the college with $1. 50 in her pocket and nothing but a dream, and an indomitable spirit and said upon that land she would raise an image and structure for Black people and contribute to the forward flow of human history.
“ When we see models like that, people who are outnumbered, surrounded, who have no idea of when this will end, but nevertheless taking a stand and standing for the future; when we see those things in history then we understand and are compelled to dare emulate and honour them” Read more
Thank God It’s Friday
These days, Fridays are not as ‘kicking’ as they used to be. However, Zimbos are ‘fun-loving’ people. Regardless of the escalating cost of the ‘wise waters’, and soft drinks, Zimbos just buy.
Go to any joint in Harare, check the number of people present…and buying. Talk of Mereki, Globe Trotter, Mtangaz, and the many clubs, bars, bottle stores and beerhalls. Zimbos love their ‘peace of mind’.
Zimbabwe Inflation at 10.2 Quadrillion Percent!
I found this article interesting:
Zimbabwe is the first country in the 21st century to hyperinflate. In February 2007, Zimbabwe’s inflation rate topped 50% per month, the minimum rate required to qualify as a hyperinflation (50% per month is equal to a 12,875% per year). Since then, inflation has soared.
The last official inflation data were released for July and are hopelessly outdated. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has been even less forthcoming with money supply data: the most recent money supply figures are ancient history—January 2008. Read More Here
Some solutions for health and education in Zimbabwe
Practical ways to Help Zimbabwe- Education and Health, just for now!
EDUCATION:
Problem: there is a severe shortage of teachers in schools as many are leaving for the informal sector due to poor salaries. My nephews in Form 3 at a boarding school outside Bulawayo are supposed to be taking 9 classes, but only have 4 teachers out of 9 teachers needed for the classes showed up this semester- 5 classes are without teachers. Furthermore, there is a great shortage of books.
Current efforts: We have established links with book publishers in Zimbabwe to print copies of the books used in the local examinations. On average a book costs no more than US$20 if we buy in bulk for many schools. We are raising money to pay for student tuition fees, but it is not enough to only support students. Our partner foundation in the US already sends books to Zimbabwe about twice a year to a group of 75 schools. Read more
Haiku muchiShona
Haiku rudzi rwekudetemba muChiJapani. Mitemo yacho yehaiku [kuhaika] muChiJapani yakaoma asi vanyori vemimwe mitauro yakaita seChiHingirishi vari kutamba nemanyorerwo ehaiku nenzira dzino pindirana nemitauro yavo.
Inonyorwa iri mitsetse mitatu chete. Chimwewo ndechekuti zvinotoda kuti pave nongedzo yemwaka. Read more
I am not afraid
Today’s message is from Maria Woodworth-Etter.
He has shown me we are in the last days.
He has poured out his Spirit in all my meetings. Praise God, no matter how the Holy Ghost came, I knew the Lord was leading. How did I realize this? It is “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord” (Zech. 4:6). Read more
On The Zimbo Jam- Alick Macheso- Lucky Guitarist or Musical Genius?By Memory Chirere Although many Zimbabwean music lovers are agreed that Alick Macheso is the King of Sungura, the Zimbabwean brand of Rhumba, that is as far as the agreement will go. As Masimba Kuchera admits in an article on the Chesopower website, ‘there have been many schools of thought on the (real) strength of Macheso- some arguing about his skills with the bass guitar, some contending that it is his vocals and others proffering his dancing skills, it is generally agreed that the musician is of immense talent.’ When people agree that you are extremely talented but go on to debate hotly about exactly whether your strength lies in theway you walk or the way you run, then that is a mark of genius. You actually put people in a crisis of naming aspects of a phenomenon.
- A Dance Farewell for Isabel MatolaBy Ruvimbo Hope Masike Here is one of the most beautiful things about Zimbabwe. It is inimitably Zimbabwean. We Zimbabweans love peace, of course, among other things. We love fun, joy and we are naturally celebratory people even when there isn’t much to celebrate about. For instance young children jump around joyously chanting “Ndege! Ndege!” when an aeroplane passes over them. Now when there is something worthy of the celebration, the joy is electric, understandably so, considering how almost everything else around us is seemingly dull and confusing and uninspiringly so. As a result, when Isabel Matola’s Mozambique Dance Festival came by, it turned out to be one of the brightest lights in town, which was a well deserved acclaim.
- Kanda Bongo Man Lands in Harare With One Guitar[Herald] France-based rhumba maestro Kanda Bongo Man had just one guitar when he set out to perform at the Harare International Conference Centre on Wednesday evening, and his day was saved by a local musician who offered him his instruments on the 11th hour to avert what could have turned out to be an international disaster.
- Alick Macheso- Lucky Guitarist or Musical Genius?
