Vosvika muAmerica mazuva ano
Filed under: Books & literature, In Shona, Short Stories
Mbeu yevanhu vosvika muno yati siyanei neyedu patakasvika. Isu taivinga chikoro, kana kuzotora twumakosi twekutiwanisa mabasa ane musoro, toshanda kwemakore, tichironga kuzodzokera kumusha takagukuchira upfumi. As ava vouya ava, huwi-i, mabasa chaiwo.
Pane mukomana akasvika mwedzi wapfuura. Hameno kwazvakanhongana nemukadzi weChirungu anenge ane dzakadambuka dzose. Mungadai mavaona nhasi pavasvika pano kuzopemberera Zimbabwean Independence Day nesu, chikara chichizvidhonza haikona, hanzi ndine wangu, isu tikati, “Tamuona!” Ndamutarisa mukomana uyu ndikanzwa misodzi yoda kudonha. Nhai shiye zvayo, mwana akakurira kuruzevha, kunozvuviwa nechembere zvayo. Anga ashayei kumusha? Chero mumaruzevha zvamuzere vasikana vanogona kutsvoda wani. Read more
Pfumo nemuridzi waro
Iyi ngano iyi ndakainzwa musuuno. Yakandifadza chaizvo ndikati zvimwe pane anga nakidzwa wo nayo .
Zvinonzi musuuno, VaTsvangirai nekufamba famba kwavarikuita, vaifamba zvavo muAddis Ababa. Vainge vari kutevedza mumvuri we stubhu vachitaura zvavo nevamwe vaiva vava shamwaridza muguta imomo. Vakaerekana vadzivirirwa pamberi pavo nemumwe murume. Aive mukuru asi asati achembera - sezvatakangoita wo isusu. Aive ne mhumhu mudiki asi akakombama kombama musana. Muruwoko rwerudyi maive mune mubhadha murefu uri mukobvu, waito enzana kureba naVaTsvangirai. Kufamba aito zendamira mubhadha uyu onzvizvuva. Tsanda dzemumaoko dzaive dzakakura dzakati tande kurakidza kusimba chaizvo. Read more
The Rastafarian Christmas
Filed under: Inspire & motivate, News you won't find elsewhere, Religion, Spirituality for such a time, Topical issues
The following articel was originally published in the 24th December 2006 edition of The Sunday Mirror, Harare. The video depicts an Ethiopian hymn celebrating the Birth of Christ.
በተሳብ ቂዱስ The Blessed Virgin Maryam and Her Son
Lidät – the Rastafarian Christmas
Christmas as the saying goes, means different things to different people.
Even so, being the only Rastafarian in my wide circle of friends and family, my way of marking this occasion remains something of an enigma. I get many cards, and presents, but I never return the gesture. I also decline to attend Christmas parties. Then, in the first week of January, those of my people that are online get e-cards with the Amharic Greeting, Inkwan lalidätu baal badahna adarrasaw (lit. “Congratulations, to the Birth of Him the feast in safety He has brought you”)
And so, it emerges that Rastafarians do celebrate the Birth of Christmas, except that it’s not called Christmas and it’s not celebrated on the 25th of December. It is called Lidät, an Amharic word meaning “Birthday”. Because the Amharic language has its own alphabet, you will sometimes find this spelt as Ledet or Lidet as there is no standard transliteration in Western letters.
Already, it is clear from the name that the origin of this custom is Ethiopia, the spiritual home of Rastafari. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church, one of the oldest Christian Churches in the world, has been celebrating the Birth of Christ on the 7th of January long before European Christendom even came up with its own version of Christmas. In the light of the on-going controversy about the exact date, let me hasten to mention that the Orthodox Church does not claim that this was the day Jesus was born. Rather, the Feast was instituted by the Three Kings who arrived in Bethlehem on this day and paid homage to the Infant Christ.
“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him,” Gospel of Matthew 2:1-2.
Further testament of the particular importance of Lidät is found in a prophecy of the visit if these Three Kings, dating from the time of the Patriarch Adam, who was given their gifts as a consolation after his expulsion from Eden. Read more
The Book Cafe & Mannenberg, 12-20 December 2008
Filed under: Entertainment, Arts & Culture, Events, Music & Dance
SPECIAL THIS WEEK
SAT 13, 2-5pm, SISTAZ OPEN MIC – Reflections 2008 & Resolutions 2009. Come on out Sistaz - This is UR space, come do UR thang! Song, Dance, Poetry, Whateva - An open mic platform for women artists, in the safety of daytime! - Register with Rudo B4 2pm on 793182, 792551.
A project by Pamberi Trust, supported by Hivos.
MON 15, 7pm, BOCAPA XPOSURE presents EDENE – R’n'B - young, funky, soulful, hip. A Pamberi Trust youth project supported by Hivos
WED 17, 5.30pm, LITERARY DISCUSSION – ‘BOOK OF NOT’ by Tsitsi Dangarembga. Speakers: Mandi Chikombero (Ohio Univ) and Josephine Muganiwa (UZ), chaired by Ruby Magosvongwe (UZ).
SAT 20, 2-5pm, BOCAPA XPOSURE OPEN MIC afternoon – your chance to shine! A platform for aspiring artists to show off their talent & potential. To perform, Register B4 2pm with Mandla. A Pamberi Trust Project supported by Hivos
SUN 21, from 6pm-1am – YOUNG ARTISTS UNITE on Unity Day Eve – A 7-hour spectacular featuring hot young groups on the block - Josh & Daniel Meck, Victor Kudakwashe, Reverb, Hope Masike, Tendai Manatsa, Chabvondoka!
MON 22 , BOOK CAFÉ & MANNENBERG CLOSED FOR UNITY DAY Read more
Deliver us from Facebook, amen
Filed under: Family, Friendship, Community, I was just thinking
I have nothing against social network sites having been on MySpace for close to a year now but I have always had this thing for Facebook. To say I hated it would be an understatement; I loathed it perhaps more than I hate AIDS. The dislike went on to the extent that I would give everyone who was on the network a long good lecture. Whether it was too my disadvantage or not I dont know, but soon everyone got the hang of it and stopped telling me they were on facebook. Can you believe that even my best friend hid it from me for two years?
Whenever I surfed the net, I would make sure that the site was nowhere near my URL address bar and I would groan and moan especially in internet cafes where every Tom and Dick would be logged on. You know, its as irritating as walking out of your house with a confident gait in your new Guccis, Prada and Armani only to find that everyone is putting on the same thing. Correct me if I am wrong but isn’t Facebook supposed to be used by people of a certain social standing who are in a certain age group? What then happens if a granddad is the number one user? Read more
HIFA 2009 Call for Artists!
The Harare International Festival of the Arts is now accepting artist applications for the 2009 edition of the festival. HIFA celebrates its 10th anniversary next year and the internationally acclaimed festival is set to put on its biggest event ever.
Artists from all artistic disciplines are invited to apply. Forms are available from the HIFA website. (www.hifa.co.zw). They can also be collected from
- National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, Harare, Bulawayo, Gweru, Marondera, Gwanda, Chinhoyi, Bindura, Mutare, Masvingo
- National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Harare, Bulawayo and Mutare
- The Zimbabwe College of Music
- Dance Trust of Zimbabwe
The deadline for artist form submissions is 29 December 2008.
HIFA 2009 will be held from 28th April to 3rd May.
Switching on of Christmas Lights, Sam Levy’s Village
Young children dressed in nativity constumes during the switching on of Christmas lights and singing of carols at Sam Levy’s Village on Friday 5 December 2008 (Photo: Jekesai).
Zim- Dog Eat Dog Nation
Last weekend, I happened to have got the recently introduced $100 and $50 million dollar notes. I went out of Harare. Just as I got back into town, the following day, I wanted to board a kombi home but failed to, for a possible 2hrs. Not that there were no kombis, but the hwindis (conductors) wanted only people with smaller denominations. I thought of buying airtime so I could get change for transport, but the vendors said they had no change. I went into the shops, and tried to get something to eat, but they had no change. Finally, someone hinted- if you go by Chinhoyi St and Speke Ave, you will find guys selling ‘change’. You give them Z$50 million, they give you Z$40 million in smaller denominations. If you give them Z$100, they give you Z$80 million as ‘change’. Though not suprised by that move, I still wonder where we are going. In areas like Greendale, Mandara, Mabvuku, Tafara, Glen View, other people with access to water, sell it per litre to desperate Zimbos.
Zimbabwe is now a nation whereby individuals who have ’something’ which will be in shot supply, try to gain as much as possible from that through selling it to others at exhorbitant prices.
Jestina Mukoko Still Missing
Kubatana.net- Zimbabwean human rights activist Jestina Mukoko was abducted from her home in Norton, outside Harare, around 5am on Wednesday 3 December.
Reports indicate that a group of at least 12 men in two unmarked vehicles came to her house. She was taken by force still barefoot and in her pyjamas. More than 24 hours later, there is still no sign of Mukoko, nor any indication of her whereabouts or who might have abducted her.
Amnesty International issued an alert yesterday, demanding that Zimbabwean authorities guarantee Mukoko’s safety. Mukoko is the director of the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP), a local human rights organisation that monitors and documents human rights violations.
Phone the Norton Police station and demand that they investigate Jestina’s disappearance: +263 (0)62 2120. Be persistent! It can be hard to get through.
Civic leaders arrested in Zimbabwe
SWRadio Africa-
Wellington Chibebe (Secretary General) and Lovemore Matombo (President) have managed to hand the ZCTU petition to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor.
Soon after handing it over, Chibebe proceeded to address workers but was arrested while in the process of addressing the workers. He was arrested together with 9 other people including Tonderai Nyahunzvi, Canwell Muchadya, Hillarious Ruyi, Cde Tarumbira and Joseph Chuma.
Another 10 in Harare were heavily assaulted by the police. These included Getrude Hambira (General Agricultural and Plantation Workers’ Union - General Secretary), Angeline Chitambo (Zimbabwe Energy Workers’ Union - President), Tecla Masamba (Communications and Allied Workers’ Union of Zimbabwe), Martha Kajama (National Engineering Workers’ Union of Zimbabwe) and Mirriam Katumba (Vice Chair Women’s Advisory Council).
Meanwhile, Japhet Moyo (ZCTU Deputy Secretary General) Ben Madzimure (The Worker Editor), Fungayi Kanyongo (The Worker Intern), Raymond Majongwe (Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe - General Secretary), James Gumbi (Zimbabwe Rural District Council Workers’ Union - General Secretary), Osward Madziwa (PTUZ) were also arrested in Harare.
In Gweru more than 25 people have been arrested. Amongst those arrested are the ZCTU Central Regional chair Charles Chikozho, Isaac Thebethebe (Central region secretary), Moses Mhaka and Wilbert Muringani (both PTUZ) and Benard Sibanda.
In Zvishavane town 6 people were arrested while at Barclays Bank. The six are Elinas Gumbo, Ndodana Sithole, Nicholas Zengeya, Isaac Matsikidze, Sarudzai Chimwanda, and David Moyo. They are being held at Zvishavane police station.
On The Zimbo Jam- Emeline Michel - Haiti's Queen of Song Set for HIFA 2010She has been hailed as the “Joni Mitchell of Haiti” and has catapulted to global renown with concerts and albums that have seen her recording and performing all over the Caribbean, Europe, North and South America. Recently she performed at Hope for Haiti Now - A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief. Now, Emeline Michel comes to Zimbabwe.
- Why We Don't SucceedWe received this in an email titled "Why We Don't Succeed" last week and found it quite hilarious. Are we really that bad that we think someone who is intelligent "akangwarisa" or that an extrovert is someone "akavhengedzera?" or even that someone who is free spirited is a "nzenza?" Hameno. Read on for more wild and whacky "Shona perceptions"...
- Power FM Top Twenty- 20 March 2010Presented by DJ Chilli (Hazvine Sakarombe) on Power FM. 10:00-12:00hrs, 20 March 2010 Position Song Artist 20 Battle Field Jordin Sparks 19 If We Ever Meet Again Timberland ft Katy Peri 18 Falling Underdog 17 Emperor’s State of Mind Jay Z 16 How Low Luda Chris
- Emeline Michel - Haiti's Queen of Song Set for HIFA 2010