NOBUNTU DEBUTS IN HARARE

This International Women’s Day on Saturday 8 March, Pamberi Trust, the Book Café and audiences of Harare extend a warm welcome to Bulawayo’s ‘NOBUNTU’ – a spirited acapella group of five beautiful young women, making their debut in the Zimbabwean capital. 
 
Nobuntu are to feature at the International WOMEN’S DAY CONCERT from 8pm, celebrating some of our country’s best and dearest women’s voices, alongside afro-jazz-fusion with PRUDENCE KATOMENI and RUTE MBANGWA, in an exciting performance to celebrate the special day which is being recognized in countries throughout the world.
 
The name ‘Nobuntu’ is an African concept that values humbleness, love, purpose, unity and family, from a woman’s perspective.  The five talented young women present an exciting fusion of traditional Zimbabwean-rooted music, afro jazz, gospel and crossovers – celebrating through song and dance their identity as African women.  Nobuntu represent a new generation of Zimbabwean women who celebrate and preserve their culture, beauty and heritage through the arts.

Formed in 2011, the group believe that music is the most important and original wheel of change, with the ability to transcend racial, trial, religious, gender and economic boundaries.  The purity of their voices and energy on stage communicates with the ‘human side’ of everyone, and the urban culture and lifestyle publication Deck Magazine described it as “something about their music which makes one’s soul smile”. 

 

In a 2013 interview with the Financial Gazette founding member Duduzile Sibanda said: “Our vision is to see an interracial world where everyone knows each other’s culture and appreciates it; a peaceful world that has love and harmony.”
 
Since the release of their debut album ‘THINA’ in 2013, Nobuntu has been performing widely in the ‘City of Kings’ (and Queens!), participating in the Bulawayo Culture festival, Roots Festival, Bulawayo Comes Alive Festival – among others.  The have already ventured beyond Zimbabwe’s borders, with a one-month tour of Austria and Germany, playing in concert halls, theatres and festivals including “Voice Mania” in Vienna and “Trans--‐Vocal” in Frankfurt.  The group is excited about their first performance in Harare, and ready to deliver!
 

NOBUNTU

Headliners for the final show featuring Nobuntu on Saturday 8 March at Book Café are PRUDENCE KATOMENI – darling of stage and screen in Zimbabwe, with a rich and long-running career in the arts since childhood, dabbling in film and establishing a solid reputation as a highly skilled and gifted jazz deliverer who has performed with many of southern Africa’s great artists, and is now a household name in Zimbabwe.  Prudence is joined on stage for this occasion by RUTE MBANGWA – another delightful afrojazz singer who has performed at the Book Café many times in the past few years, and been a strong participant of  Pamberi Trust’s FLAME programme.
 
The IWD events at Book Café will also honour the upcoming work of researcher and writer JOYCE JENJE MAKWENDA, and her upcoming book “Women Musicians of Zimbabwe 1930s-2013: A Struggle for Voice and Artistic Expression” – the first documentation of its kind.

 

International Women’s Day celebrations at Book Café are presented by arts development organisation Pamberi Trust’s gender programme FLAME, working with artists and partners to bring women artists into the mainstream of the arts in Zimbabwe. Pamberi Trust programmes are funded in part by Hivos, Africalia and the EU, among others, and the organisation enjoys strong links with artists of Bulawayo.