Sistaz Open Mic Goes to Bulawayo

Nancy ‘Blackheat’ Mkondyo on trumpet, a spoken word artist who took her first steps at Sistaz Open Mic and now fronts the band Blackheat, they play a fusion of poetry with mbira and other traditional sounds. 

It’s been over five years now since the first monthly event bringing female artists together was held at the Book Café in Harare. Half a decade and a full complement of talented artists who have been bred on this platform later, the mic is still open and the fire of creativity is still burning.

It’s known as the Sistaz Open Mic and its invitation to female artists is simple; “Music, dance, poetry, theatre, mime, comedy, wateva, come do your thang.”

The event which takes place place on the second Saturday of every month at the Book Cafe will this weekend, 22 Sept take the bus to Bulawayo where FLAME is partnering with Intwasa Arts Festival.  Sistaz Open Mic will be held at the Bulawayo City Hall car park from 3-5pm.  It's FREE and all women artists in Bulawayo are invited to take part.


Many artists have found their feet, or should I say voice, on this platform.  These include singers Clare Nyakujara and uZanele Manhenga and poets Aura Kawanzaruwa and Linda Gabriel, among many others.
Sistaz Open Mic is a free space were women come together in the safety of daytime and do their thing  and one of the few artistic venues where mothers are encouraged to bring their kiddies to have fun too while they bask in the light of new Zimbabwean creativity.

The monthly event was established under FLAME (Female Literary Arts and Music Enterprise), a Pamberi Trust project.

Children welcome! Toddlers dance at a recent Sistaz Open Mic event at the Book Café BATSIRAI CHIGAMA.

This is not the first time FLAME has partnered with Intwasa Arts Festival.  Last year FLAME took the Sistaz Open Mic Workshop to Bulawayo.  Along with performance and promotional opportunities, FLAME runs a series of Workshops for established and emerging women artists, collectively entitled “Workshops For Women Artists By Women Artists", in which experienced professional women artists tackle key issues in the industry with emerging women artists. Topics usually include Stagecraft, Professionalism/Discipline, Roles in the Band, Understanding PA Systems, Copyright issues, Publicity and the Internet, and open discussion on HIV/Aids focusing on the social responsibility of the song-writer or performer.