Nguva Yedu – Thuba Lethu – Our Time!

March 11, 2009 by Pamberi Trust ·
Filed under: Art life, Entertainment, Arts & Culture

Pamberi Trust – Book Café presents the first edition of its festival of youth – a thrilling 5-day multi-disciplinary arts program featuring Zimbabwe’s top young contemporary artists alongside young artists and arts writers from Senegal, Ghana, Uganda, South Africa, Swaziland, Kenya, Ethiopia and Cameroon.

‘Nguva Yedu – Thuba Lethu – Our Time’ is a celebration of African youth and renewal, creativity and a vision for a future Africa - through music, poetry, comedy, workshops, arts journalism, open discussion and cultural exchange.

Headlining the performance program is South Africa’s Gang of Instrumentals with their power-house mix of Afro-hip hop, soul, reggae and rock. This trio, Tumi ‘Lady Naturelle’ Masemola, Mandla N-Pimville and ‘Bongo’ Riot Zungu, backed by their 4-piece band, is one of the most successful groups in Africa, having received 2 SAFTA Golden Horns for best soundtrack in 2006 and 2007, 2 Channel-O nominations for best group and best video 2005, and a SAMA nomination for record of the year 2008. This year they are up for best African band at the Kora Awards in Nigeria.

From Uganda, Joseph Mayanja aka “Chameleone” is revered as one of East Africa’s most creative and dynamic stage performers. He has toured Africa, Europe and USA, has been nominated for Kora Awards, Golden Awards, MOBO Awards, has won two Pearl of Africa Awards for Best Afro Beat Artist and Best Afro Beat single. His upbeat style fuses Ugandan traditional music with rumba, zouk and ragga. He is a member of the Musician’s Community, a coalition of musicians who use their fame to help eradicate poverty and create HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns.

The Zimbabwean line-up features Afro-beat guitarist and singer Victor Kunonga, a regular at Harare’s Mannenberg Jazz Club and a household name in local jazz circles, tipped as a massive future star in Africa. Soulful singer songwriter Dudu Manhenga performs her Afro-jazz favourites. Not to be missed is the soaring vocals and stage presence of fast-rising reggae star Mic-Inity. Local favourites Cde Fatso and Chabvondoka have been winning fans in South Africa and are set to tour Senegal and USA this year after successful performances in Swaziland, Reunion, Zanzibar and Europe. Charismatic Sam Mtukudzi has performed to critical acclaim locally and in South Africa, Swaziland and further afield in USA.

Nomad-yi (The Nomads) are a powerful Jozi-based Senegal, Ghana and Zimbabwean Afro hip-hop fusion backed by djembe, doum-doum and Ghanaian talking drum, and will feature alongside Zimbabwean Tomas Zhidhina’s colourful soul punk dhindhindi solo - fresh to Zimbabwe music-lovers! Other Zimbabwean counterparts include Bongo Love, Alexio Kawara, Edene Timbe & Fire, John Pfumojena & Mnandi, Pachena Kids of Mbare, young artists of the Initiative Arts stable, from Bulawayo, The City of Kings. The jazz component features the hot jazz collaboration Afrodiziak with Filbert Marova and Q Montana, and popular Afro-jazzists The Other Four with Clare Nyakujara.

The poetry and comedy line-up presents the much-loved figure of fun, comedian Michael K (’The Guests’) and fiery, free-thinking Zimbabwean poets including Outspoken, Cde Fatso, Xapa, G.O.D.OBORI, Linda Gabriel, The Voice, and Blackstar Mutasa, among others. Swazi praise poet Msandi Kababa, the first recorded poet in Swazi history and the only young official praise poet to the people, brings a message of hope and respect for Africa’s traditions in a unique collaboration with Ghanaian talking drum.

A major component of the festival is the creative youth forum styled Mindblast: Young Zimbabweans Talk – an exploration into the spirit of Zimbabwe led by young artists and cultural activists with searching questions on identity, values and their vision for Africa and its future. Pamberi Trust is delighted to welcome home from USA Philip Machingura, who initiated the original Book Café “Open Mic” sessions 10 years ago, to coordinate the discussion program alongside film-maker Rumbi Katedza and arts journalist Ish Mafundikwa.

Arts writers from the Ethiopia, Cameroun, Kenya, Zimbabwe and South Africa under Marimba Media will join in programs sharing their perspectives with Zimbabwean artists and writers. The events, collaborations, artists’ workshops and discussions will be filmed and beamed to the world by internet webcast and so shared with the Zimbabwean Diaspora and friends of Zimbabwe throughout the continent.

With a media and public launch on Thursday 26 March the festival culminates in a 10-hour open-air concert on Saturday 28 March, bringing together music and performance from the region with Zimbabwean artists in an explosion of young creative expression.

The event is organised by Pamberi Trust – Book Café in collaboration with African Synergy, a pan-African network of African arts and festivals. Our goal in bringing this festival to Zimbabwe is to create impetus to the spirit and creative energy of youth, and recognise that Africa’s hope for future lies in the hands of its young generation. Their time has come. They stand astride the present and future, the global world of internet and home-grown identity and values. Young minds are ever-searching. They are our renewal.

Pamberi Trust and African Synergy would like to thank the Danish Centre for Cultural Development (DCCD), the National Arts Council, as well as its many friends and partners in this effort.

We especially welcome our media partners to participate in all forums and events and so bring the zeal and enthusiasm of the young African minds into the public dimension. Zimbabwean and African artists, writers, cultural activists and visitors will be available for interviews through the Pamberi Trust office at Book Café.

All across Africa the youth are saying “Nguva Yedu – Thuba Lethu – Our Time!” And now it is time for us to listen to what they have to say. The youth are our tomorrow.

Pamberi Trust
The Book Café
Tel 793182, 792551
www.zimbabwearts.org

Tell the world: