SISTAZ OPEN MIC COMES OF AGE

It is with no doubt that Sistaz Open Mic, a performance platform for emerging women artists held every second Saturday of the month, has become the most popular space for women artists to grow their art in Harare.  This Saturday a host of established and emerging artists are expected to converge at the Book Café, 2-7pm as they celebrate seven years of mentorship, business arts workshops, performance opportunities and individual growth that has been witnessed from the platform over the years.

 

 Sistaz Open Mic owes it’s popularity to the fact that it is a guarded space, allowing women artists to even bring their children and that it is organised and run by a crew of women artists working with and associated with Pamberi Trust’s F.L.A.M.E(Female Literary, Arts & Music Enterprise) who are sensitive to the issues affecting their fellow sistaz.  Another encouraging thing is the continued support from established women artists such as Clare Nyakujara, DJ Naida, Patience Musa, Tariro NeGitare, Edith WeUtonga, Dudu Manhenga, Kessia Masona, Diana Samkange, Cynthia Mare, Tina Watyoka , Roxanne “Xapa” Mathazia, Cynthia “FlowChyld” Marangwanda, setting standards and mentoring the upcoming artists.

Rudo Chigudu performs at the16 Days Commemorations joined by daughter on stage:PAMBERI TRUST PHOTO

“Sistaz Open mic has had a strong impact on my music journey, and I value it as a performance platform.  People don’t realize that to improve as an artist, you just need to be able to perform in public, experiment with new music, meet and interact with other artists, professionals that you can learn from.  You don’t get that opportunity every day,”  said  Tariro NeGitare one of the many who have gone professional and is now mentoring  other young women artists.

Fatima Katiji with Tariro NeGitare

Started in 2007 by Pamberi Trust under the F.L.A.ME Project, Sistaz Open Mic has seen tremendous growth not only in attendance but great achievements by women artists who have used this platform to improve on their confidence, stage presence as well as branding themselves into formidable artists holding their own in a male-dominated industry.  The platform has since spread it’s wings across the country with performers coming from as far as Bulawayo, Chegutu, Zvishavane and Mutare.

Confirmed to perform is the 2013 Cross Music Roads Winners band Were,  Bulawayo-based poet Primrose Koketso Mpofu, Tracy “Pah Chihera” Mbirimi, Clare Nyakujara, Tariro NeGitare and two Jibilika Dance Crews.  Sistaz Open Mic welcomes Gary Tight, Munya Nyamarebvu – not new to the platform and Leonard Mapfumo for the first time ever, as brothers supporting sistaz.

Cindy Munyavi rocks the MIC at Sistaz Open Mic, Nov 2013: PAMBERI TRUST PHOTO

Cindy Munyavi popularly known as Cindy who has been working closely with the Open Mic the whole of 2012 will bring the curtain down on the birthday celebrations starting 530-7pm.

Prepared by Batsirai E Chigama
Gender Project Officer
Pamberi Trust

January Feature: Tariro NeGitare

Tariro "Wildfire" Chaniwa now affectionately known as Tariro NeGitare first came to Sistaz Open Mic platform on the occasion of its first birthday where, encouraged by a friend, she played for the first time publicly, a beautiful rendition of the famous Bob Marley classic ‘Redemption Song’, which brought her to the attention of the music world in Harare, and prompted afrojazz star Dudu Manhenga to introduce her to afropop bandleader Edith Katiji who happened to be looking for a guitarist at the time.  They played together on that same day, and by the following weekend Tari was performing her first show with Edith weUtonga in the city - and the rest is history.   Tari and Edith WeUtonga both participated at Sistaz Open Mic regularly and steadily for the first two years and have continued to support the platform since, joining in whenever available.

 

Tariro NeGitare: Photo Courtesy of Macpherson Photographers

She said “Sistaz Open Mic has had a strong impact on my music journey, and I value it as a performance platform.  People don’t realize that to improve as an artist, you just need to be able to perform in public, experiment with new music, meet and interact with other artists, professionals that you can learn from.  You don’t get that opportunity everyday.”  

 

She grew quickly while working with Edith weUtonga who was an all-round mentor, teaching her to sing (while playing), stage performance and band administration, and they performed regularly at the Book Café and other venues around the city. 

At Sistaz Open Mic: We are proud to have worked with these four phenomenal voices

She had been instrumental in the setup of the ‘Acoustic Night’ platform at the Zimbabwe-German Society, where she met many different musicians and eventually formed her own backing band from these interactions.  Her backing vocalists Vera and Rufaro also emerged from the Sistaz Open Mic platform. 

 

Welcoming the opportunity to play her own music compositions which she calls ‘afro-soul’, Tari stepped up to a solo career in 2012, and released her debut album ‘Tariro neGitare’ in April 2013.  The track ‘Uripi’ is doing well on the airwaves, and she will be releasing a single and video, which also features popular artist Jah Prayzah, on 31 January at Book Cafe.

 

Tari’s star has been rising swiftly, 2013 having been an exciting year with her first tour to Germany with German group Jamaram in March-April 2013, a May collaboration with The Noisettes (UK) at HIFA, sharing the stage in Harare with SA’s Zahara + Zimbabwe superstar Oliver Mtukudzi, and with acclaimed afrojazz singer Simpiwe Dhana in South Africa in December 2013. 

ENDS

PAMBERI TRUST

FLAME PROJECT