Zimbabwes' Tariro NeGitare to perform in Senegal

Tariro NeGitare, Zimbabwe's guitarist, singer and song writer is scheduled to perform in Senegal this week. Her performance in Senegal is facilitated by Hunnar Management Agency, the Embassy of Zimbabwe in Senegal, Senegalese Groupe Atom and Musician Baaba Maal. A call of submission was sent out earlier in April by Hunnar Management  Agency , and from those Zimbabwean musicians that submitted links to their works, the agencys' decision was Tariro NeGitare. Because of her background, energy and talented soul, it was an appropriate decision to send her off. Her first performance will be at Les Acousti'Coeur Festival, an event on Orientations and Strategies for the Employment of the Young in Africa. This festival has a series of seminars with the final activity being a concert where Senegalese Baaba Maal performs with guest artist. This year the festival will feature 12 African Musicians, amongst them are Steven Bedi (Ghana), and Naneth Nghoke (Gabon).  NeGitare is the first Zimbabwean Musician to grace this event and she will share a session with Baaba Maal during the festival, to be held from the 4th – 6th of June 2014.

While in Senegal, Tariro will also perform on the 8th of June at FESTA2H, Africa's biggest Hip Hop festival. The festival showcases talents from lots of countries such as, Belgium, Mauritania, Brazil, Gambia, Spain, Morocco, Senegal, Switzerland, USA, Denmark, Canada and now Zimbabwe, amongst many. The festival mobilizes more than 20 000 spectators and has made it possible for more than 150 groups to be familiarizes with the Senegalese audience. The event mobilizes many youth, leaders and influential members of the Hip Hop movement underlining the importance of rejuvenating and partnering with other actors in order to produce significant actions. Another set of missions comprises, first, to promote female and handicapped people who are quash absent in the musical programming, second, to decentralize a part of the festival and support the access to the culture for all, and finally, to support social and cultural diversity. The festival features various artistic disciplines such as rap, graffiti, dj-ing, slam, beat box, breakdance, unplugged performances and roller. Also performing at this festival is Gerald "Synik' Mugwenhi, another fellow countryman.



As she is already known for her performances and relationship with the Germany Society, Tariro will also perform on Saturday the 7th of June at the Goethe Institute in Dakar.

Note from Hunnar Representative, "We are excited to have partnered with the Embassy of Zimbabwe in Senegal, Groupe Atom and Baaba Maal in this project. Tariro was just appropriate for this trip and she has kicked off one of our International Projects we will be working on this year. Our next activity involves 3 Zimbabwean designers that will be showcasing in Canada, and Zimbabwe's support towards such projects is greatly appreciated. It only helps us take our country's talents to the outside world. It is through this that we get good ambassadorial of Zimbabwe and get people asking more of whom we are as a people.'

4 – 6 June 2014 – Les Acousti' Coeur Festival, Dakar, Senegal
4 – 8 June 2014 – FESTA2H, Dakar, Senegal
7 June – Goethe Institute, Dakar, Senegal


Tariro NeGitare's Profile



Tariro neGitare (loosely translated, Tariro and the guitar) is a guitarist, singer and songwriter based in Harare, Zimbabwe. Her music has a strong afro soul feel and exudes evident influences from artists like Oliver Mtukudzi, Sara Tavares, Tracy Chapman amongst others. Born and bred in Zimbabwe, she started playing the guitar at the age of 13 at St. John's High school, where she was taught by a German Sr. Elizabeth Wedeking. She played regularly at church as well as at school. A friend of hers, Charmaine Chitate, invited her to a Sistaz Open Mic event held at the Book Café, by Pamberi Trust under the FLAME project. It was at this platform that she linked up with Edith weUtonga (then called Edith and So What?!) and became the guitarist for the band. She continued to gain experience and played for other artists including Diana Samkange and Cathy Mhlanga.

Tariro has shared the stage with Zimbabwean artists such as Oliver Mtukudzi, Stella Chiweshe, Jah Praiza, Victor Kunonga, and has even warmed up the stage for South African accapella group Ladysmith Black Mambazo at the Spring Strings Festival. She has also collaborated with German bands Favo and Jamaram, of which she has toured Germany in 2013 with the latter.

2013 ended in a high note where she had collaborations with South African Simphiwe Dana and Zahara, and early 2014 she curtain-raised for legendary Bryan Adams. HIFA 2014 also presented an opportunity for her to collaborate with UK based guitarist and vocalist Josephine.

Tariro is passionate about the arts and has created a platform for other solo artists called the Wildfire Acoustic Night, a music and poetry event that has been running for the past 3 years through a partnership between her company Wildfire Events and the Zimbabwe German Society. This event has groomed and exposed different artists and continues to be Harare's premiere entertainment event. Running parallel to the Acoustic Night are the Business of Art workshops that promote artists to monetize their passion by operating their art like a business so as to gain maximum profits.

Tariro is a holder of a diploma in personnel management and an honours degree in Sociology and Gender studies. Tariro neGitare, her self-titled debut album is a celebration of every experience that she has gone through to date, and how each experience has made her the young, vibrant woman she is today.