Entertainment / Shows
Bulawayo World Music Concert to celebrate Africa Day
20 May 2014 at 17:13hrs | Views
Bulawayo will come ablaze on Saturday 24 May 2014 from 6pm as its son Willis Wataffi shares the stage with the legendary Jeys Marabini in an Africa Day concert dubbed the Bulawayo World Music Concert which will be held at the Bulawayo Theatre. Curator and organiser of the show Butshilo Nleya said.
"I am extremely excited to announce that we have a once in a while show in Bulawayo that will see the legends of the music industry share the stage with young upcoming artists and weave isitshikitsha, ballet and contemporary dance into it. The special aspect of this show is that we are celebrating Bulawayo's talent in a bid to build an audience for world music and alternative arts activities. Our line-up of collaborations will include Jeys Marabini with XMile, Bozoe with The Outfit and Willis Wataffi with Djembe Monks. We will also introduce Alaina, Luke De Luks, Thandy Dlana, Eve Kawadza and a drumming quatro led by Erustus Nleya and Obey Mudiwa. Consider this our Africa Day gala", he chuckles.
World music is a musical category encompassing many different styles of music from around the world, including traditional music, neotraditional music, and music where more than one cultural tradition intermingle. World music's inclusive nature and elasticity as a musical category pose obstacles to a universal definition, but its ethic interest in the culturally exotic is encapsulated in fRoots magazine's description of the genre as "local music from out there".
"Through the organization, Born to life arts and media, we produced the Bulawayo Culture Festival and continue to present new and exciting arts to Bulawayo this year. We had the whirlwind which is ZimboIta leave our audiences spellbound and out of breath on 16 May and this week, we promise more fireworks. Dance choreography will also be part of the night with isitshikitsha presented by dancers from Umkhathi Theatre works, ballet and contemporary by Studio 13. "
The event will run under the theme, 'Relinking communities through Culture' and is part of a programme including a book launch on 21 May by Richard Mahomva, a poetry show and slam on 23 May and the Bulawayo Night Of 1000 Laughs scheduled for 30 May. The Bulawayo World Music and Dance concert is produced with assistance and support from the Pamberi Trust, Africalia, E.U, National Arts Council, Sound Kalcha, Mkhaya Music and KoMaseko Art and Ceramics and Aquastone events.
The theme of the concert, 'Re-linking Communities through Culture' is born from the concept of 'cultural inclusivity' in which we welcome and celebrate all the extraordinary cultural diversity, origins and also African and other influences that make up Zimbabwean arts today. Driven by Harare-based arts development organisation Pamberi Trust, the theme runs through a great programme which has unfolded in Harare at the Book Café, Pakare Paye Arts Centre in Norton, and Bulawayo, City of Kings.
Pamberi Trust creative director Paul Brickhill said, "The theme itself, 'Re-linking Communities through Culture', has really important issues at stake. Arts output nationally has become heavily concentrated in Harare (where so many artists have migrated). And yet the roots of many of Zimbabwe's great musical innovations originated outside Harare; mbira, mbube, chimurenga styles and others have their roots in diverse rural cultures, sometimes far from the cities. A kind of cultural fragmentation has occurred, and there is a need to rebuild cultural assets outside Harare where there are such rich and vital intangible cultural assets. This is about cultural decentralisation, cultural inclusivity and re-linking diverse communities through culture. "
"These institutions are contributing to the fibre of arts exhibition in Bulawayo in a time when artists are struggling worse than ever. We are proud to be associated with them and want to pass the statement that Bulawayo needs more support and encouragement like what we are seeing from these institutions. We opted to do a series of weekend events this year to organically grow an audience and understand what their tastes and preferences are in the arts."
"I am extremely excited to announce that we have a once in a while show in Bulawayo that will see the legends of the music industry share the stage with young upcoming artists and weave isitshikitsha, ballet and contemporary dance into it. The special aspect of this show is that we are celebrating Bulawayo's talent in a bid to build an audience for world music and alternative arts activities. Our line-up of collaborations will include Jeys Marabini with XMile, Bozoe with The Outfit and Willis Wataffi with Djembe Monks. We will also introduce Alaina, Luke De Luks, Thandy Dlana, Eve Kawadza and a drumming quatro led by Erustus Nleya and Obey Mudiwa. Consider this our Africa Day gala", he chuckles.
World music is a musical category encompassing many different styles of music from around the world, including traditional music, neotraditional music, and music where more than one cultural tradition intermingle. World music's inclusive nature and elasticity as a musical category pose obstacles to a universal definition, but its ethic interest in the culturally exotic is encapsulated in fRoots magazine's description of the genre as "local music from out there".
"Through the organization, Born to life arts and media, we produced the Bulawayo Culture Festival and continue to present new and exciting arts to Bulawayo this year. We had the whirlwind which is ZimboIta leave our audiences spellbound and out of breath on 16 May and this week, we promise more fireworks. Dance choreography will also be part of the night with isitshikitsha presented by dancers from Umkhathi Theatre works, ballet and contemporary by Studio 13. "
The theme of the concert, 'Re-linking Communities through Culture' is born from the concept of 'cultural inclusivity' in which we welcome and celebrate all the extraordinary cultural diversity, origins and also African and other influences that make up Zimbabwean arts today. Driven by Harare-based arts development organisation Pamberi Trust, the theme runs through a great programme which has unfolded in Harare at the Book Café, Pakare Paye Arts Centre in Norton, and Bulawayo, City of Kings.
Pamberi Trust creative director Paul Brickhill said, "The theme itself, 'Re-linking Communities through Culture', has really important issues at stake. Arts output nationally has become heavily concentrated in Harare (where so many artists have migrated). And yet the roots of many of Zimbabwe's great musical innovations originated outside Harare; mbira, mbube, chimurenga styles and others have their roots in diverse rural cultures, sometimes far from the cities. A kind of cultural fragmentation has occurred, and there is a need to rebuild cultural assets outside Harare where there are such rich and vital intangible cultural assets. This is about cultural decentralisation, cultural inclusivity and re-linking diverse communities through culture. "
"These institutions are contributing to the fibre of arts exhibition in Bulawayo in a time when artists are struggling worse than ever. We are proud to be associated with them and want to pass the statement that Bulawayo needs more support and encouragement like what we are seeing from these institutions. We opted to do a series of weekend events this year to organically grow an audience and understand what their tastes and preferences are in the arts."
Source - Byo24News
