Debut CD by Zim’s youngest mbira recording artist

LAUNCH of ‘DESTINY’

 

On Friday 30 May, the youngest mbira recording artist in Zimbabwe, the 13-year-old TENDAI MAVENGENI, launches her debut album ‘DESTINY’ at Harare’s arts hub, the Book Café. 
 

The six-track ‘traditional jazz’ album is a result of passion and discipline, along with good guidance and mentoring of the teenage girl by several local musicians and the full and unwavering support of her parents. 

 

Her music is influenced by a broad spectrum of traditional mbira and other music styles she has encountered in her young life, and lyrics include social concerns about the plight of children and how moral decay impacts negatively on children, especially girl children.   The album comprises Tununurei, Spirit of My Destiny, Wakaronga, Pfuma, Africa, and a bonus instrumental track.

 

Background

Born in December 2000 in Harare, Tendai is a form one student with a passion for music - particularly traditional music - which she grew up listening to.  She started performing at pre-school; at primary school her passion led her to start playing Mbira (Nhare) at the very young age of 9, taught and mentored by respected mbira players Trymore “Guchi” Jombo and Brezhnev Guveya.  She went on to she win a number of awards and medals at primary school level.

 

Today Tendai is one of the finest young female Nhare Mbira players in the country.  Tendai draws her inspiration from famous Zimbabwean women mbira players Ambuya Stella Chiweshe and the late Chiwoniso Maraire, and singers like Claire Nyakujara, to mention a few. 

 

Since 2012 Tendai has been a regular participant of Pamberi Trust’s Sistaz Open Mic platform, which has significantly helped her by offering workshops and stage performances which are of paramount importance in shaping her career. 

 

She said, “The first time I played for the public at Sistaz Open Mic, I felt great, although nervous, but when I got into the music I didn’t feel nervous.  Since then I participated quite often, my nerves went away as I was getting used to stage performance.  I got a lot of encouragement by other sisters to keep working hard, and I’ve worked for about a year with a backing band to get to this recording stage, and I’m so glad the day I had worked hard for has finally come”.
 

Along with appearances at Book Café, Tendai has performed at the 2012 Protest Arts Festival, UZ World Theatre Day, Women Arts Festival, Zimpapers (Kwayedza) Poetry Awards, Zimbabwe International Book Fair, Mbira Schools Festival, and the Mbare Boys Scouts Festival.

 
Singer/songwriter Clare Nyakujara, who has been one of her mentors said “Tendai is doing great.  She still has a lot to learn and go through, in terms of music, so this album launch is the start not the end.  We still have a long walk.  But she has been so easy to work with.  Her lyrical content, brain, capacity of thinking is greater than her age, you wouldn’t think it’s a 13-year old.  I encourage her to keep looking forward, to grow, and believe in herself.  We’ll help her to face any hiccups, but she should not be distracted, just look straight ahead to the goal.”

Tendai’s first goal was to make songs of her own then to grow and record.  Her next goal is to grow in the music industry in Zimbabwe and travel around the world.  She said “I think I’ve got something to share, and want my music to be listened to worldwide.” 

On her Facebook page artists from Zimbabwe and different parts of the world have made contact and offered a lot of encouragement. 

 Family support is everything for an artist of any age, and the supportive father who accompanies Tendai to every show, Boniface Mavengeni identified from an early age that Tendai was ‘intelligent and very musical’.  He was encouraged by her teacher’s comments after her first lesson.  “He said even he once ran away from mbira as a child because his fingers were sore.  He was very moved by Tendai asking for a second lesson.” 

 

Of possible reservations about his daughter entering the music industry, Boniface said “Why should I stop such a good thing?  I have always admired Dorothy Masuka, Miriam Makeba and other local women artists, especially those who play instruments, who I feel have moved up a notch. In our family, many aunts play music in church, and grandfather Mavengeni was a mbira-player.  It’s encouraging to find it in our family in this generation.  I don’t see anything bad about girls going on stage, it is God-given, no one can take it away.  But where there is success they must learn to keep their cool.  I always instill in her the need for professionalism.”

Tendai is grateful for their support.  “He’s been with me since I started, up to now.  My mum also encourages me every day to keep working hard.  She’s happy that I’ve finished recording.  I know that I’m lucky and I’m thankful.”

 

For other girls who aspire to play music, Tendai says “I encourage other girls to keep working hard, ‘cos success comes after working hard.  They should also use platforms like Sistaz Open Mic.  It also depends on behaviour, if you misbehave, there is no support.  If they have issues with their parents, I encourage them to let their parents see they have great talent, until they say yes!”

 

Pamberi Trust’s gender programme FLAME (Female Literary, Arts & Music Enterprise) stages and manages the Sistaz Open Mic programme, which has contributed so much to Tendai’s growth.  Project officer Batsirai Chigama, said “We have always acknowledged the importance of  parental  support especially to the girl child not only in their academics but whatever it is they aspire for in life.  It is no doubt that Tendai has come this far, this fast because of the guidance and support she has enjoyed from her family and as the F.L.A.M.E Project we applaud them.  We witnessed a tremendous improvement in execution on stage since Tendai started coming to Sistaz Open Mic two years ago and this album is the beginning of greater things to come from this determined young lady.”

CONTACT:

Boniface Mavengeni (0772 319 688)

‘Re-Linking Communities through Culture’

HARARE & BULAWAYO

Saturday 24 May 2014

 

Book Café, 139 S.Machel Ave/6^th Street, Harare

Bulawayo Theatre, L.Takawira Ave, Bulawayo

 

 

On Saturday 24 May, Harare’s Book Café and Bulawayo Theatre come alive with an exciting artistic lineup of artists from different parts of the country, 17 diverse music and dance acts in 3 events, rounding up a week of spectacular local cultural diversity to commemorate Africa Day and Culture Week, under the theme “Re-linking Communities through Culture”. 

 

On Saturday afternoon 24 May the Book Café explodes from 3pm with lively young emerging artists in a ‘Music Factory Africa Day Special’ featuring 3 amazing young acts, ‘Were’, ‘Jam Signal’ and ‘African Pride’.

 

Later on Saturday 24 May at Book Cafe, powerhouse Alexio Kawara takes the stage back-to-back with Edith weUtonga, opening at 8pm with ‘Zimbabwe’s best kept secret (until now)’ the amazing Tanga Pasi from Gwanda who have garnered a steady rise to fame with their South Africa tours.

 

On the same night, over 400km from the capital at the Bulawayo Theatre in the ‘City of Kings’, another great event, the ‘Bulawayo World Music Concert’ features Jeys Marabini, Willis Wataffi, The Outfit, Eve Kawadza, Djembe Monks, Xmile, Bozoe,  and introduces emerging young singers Alaina, Luke de Luks and Thandy Dlana, alongside isitshikitsha and ballet from dance groups of ‘Umkhathi Theatre’ and ‘Studio 13’.  The concert is presented by Pamberi Trust in association with Born to Life Arts & Media, Bulawayo.

 

Eve Kawadza: Carrying the F.L.A.M.E Flag high

Edith WeUtonga: Always the F.L.A.M.E Ambassador 

 

The Africa Day theme and cultural activities have been devised in support of Zimbabwe Culture Week under the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, and in Harare as part of the Harare International Carnival in cooperation with Zimbabwe Tourism Authority.  

 

 

‘Re-linking Communities through Culture’

 

The theme ‘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. 

 

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 far from cities and from diverse rural cultures.  A kind of cultural fragmentation has occurred, and it is now more difficult and less common for bands and music to truly emerge from small centres and make it big nationally as Devera Ngwena once did (from Gaths Mine, Mashava).”

 

“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” he said.

Throughout the Saturday 24 May celebrations in Harare and Bulawayo, the single theme that unites all the artists performing is they represent a myriad of diverse Zimbabwean expressions and cultural origins and so remind us on Africa Day that our intangible assets in culture and our diversity are a “national treasure”.

 

These and other Pamberi Trust arts development programmes are supported by many local and international partners including Africalia and the EU Action Programme.

 

 

ENDS

 

WHAT IS CULTURAL DIVERSITY

“If man is to survive, he will have learned to take a delight in the essential differences between men and between cultures. He will learn that differences in ideas and attitudes are a delight, part of life's exciting variety, not something to fear.” ― Gene Roddenberry

This month's Sistaz Open Mic comes  almost a month after over 200 girls were abducted in Nigeria, a very sad development.  In support of articles 4, 5, 13, 16 and 26 of "The Universal Declaration of Human Rights which state:
 
Article 1.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 4.
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

Article 16.
(1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.

• (2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
• (3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

better societies can be built when/if all men respect each others spaces.  There are certain harmful cultures or practices which must be discarded, should never be imposed on unwilling individuals before communities and nations can fully progress. 
 
As we celebrate "Cultural Diversity" and also marking the beginning of Culture week running from the 17-24th of May, we are saying, let's come together and embrace our differences in a way that edifies each and everyone of us. Sistaz Open Mic spreading oneness, love and advancement for all, this Saturday joins Campaign for the Nigerian Girls “+263 for 234+” spearheaded by Nyasha Sengayi(Activist, One Billion Rising) and Judith Chiyangwa(Girls Legacy) - in solidarity with our Nigerian sisters.

 
 ON THE CULTURE WEEK

This year’s Culture Week theme is “Promoting Cultural Diversity and Inclusion” .The theme targets to:

·         Bring in the participation of women’s groups, the youth and people with disabilities

·         Raise awareness nationwide on the importance of intercultural dialogue, supported by   the inclusion in the constitution of all indigenous languages as official Zimbabwe languages

·         Promote cultural practices and improve understanding and cooperation among people from different cultures

 

In 2001 UNESCO proclaimed 21 May of each year the World Day of Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. Cultural diversity is a defining characteristic of humanity that when cultivated and respected can create a well-developed nation. It nurtures diverse human capacities and values and in the process promotes national growth that fosters unity and identity.
 
Compiled By Batsirai E Chigama
for FLAME PROJECT