SISTAZ OPEN MIC @ 8

Saturday 17 January 2015, 2pm

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

Forget January disease!  January is always the happiest month at Sistaz Open Mic, when women artists of Zimbabwe gather to celebrate the platform for women artists which has helped so many, under the vibrant gender programme FLAME (Female Literary, Arts & Music Enterprise) by Pamberi Trust.  This Saturday 17 January 2015 Sistaz Open Mic celebrates its 8^th birthday at the Book Café from 2-5pm – an awesome record of 8 years of work by a powerful team of women, to prepare and promote women artists into the mainstream of the arts in Zimbabwe.

There is always a lot of fun at Sistaz Open Mic

Confirmed to perform are Rudo Chasi, Vera, Duchess Rose, Tendai Mavengeni, D-Blok, Ammi Jamanda and many more.  Sistaz Open Mic is a welcoming space which encourages music brothers to come through in support of their sisters, and this month we welcome formidable young drummer Blessing Chimanga who has backed countless women artists in Zimbabwe and beyond.  Veteran Jazz singer-songwriter Dudu Manhenga - who was one of the original contributors to FLAME and is now a Board member of Pamberi Trust - will be the hostess, and the open mic will be followed by a separate event featuring Tariro NeGitare from 5.30pm.

Vera

Batsirai Chigama, Gender Project Officer with arts development organisation Pamberi Trust extends an open invitation: “Come join us as we celebrate how far we have come as women in the arts. The journey continues and we have witnessed some amazing talent come through the Sistaz Open Mic platform. We celebrate every artist who has supported and made this journey wonderful!”

Started in 2007 by Pamberi Trust under the F.L.A.M.E Project (Female Literary, Arts & Music Enterprise), Sistaz Open Mic has seen tremendous growth not only in attendance, but great achievements by women artists who have used this platform to improve their confidence, stage presence as well as learning to brand and prove themselves as formidable artists holding their own in a male-dominated industry.  The many success stories are reflected in the number of women artists who are taking their art to a new level, organising their own shows, performing at corporate functions, touring beyond Zimbabwe, recording their work and winning numerous awards.

2014 has seen several ‘Sistaz’ participants and mentors reaching new heights –

Hope Masike toured 8 countries in the course of this year, flying the Zimbabwe flag high in solo and collaborative performances around the world from Malaysia to Iceland and China to America.

Tariro Ruzvidzo aka ‘Tari neGitare’ joined the Acoustic Allstars for a tour in Germany and established herself strongly on the local Harare scene, both as featured artist in her own shows and as opening act for some of Zimbabwe’s top performers including Oliver Mtukudzi and the Black Spirits, who she joined in Botswana at Botswanacraft and in South Africa at the Macufe Festival. 

Tariro NeGitare

The group ‘Amawala’ comprising Edith Katiji, Rute Mbangwa and Tina Watyoka came together spontaneously at a Sistaz Open Mic performance early in the year and went on to develop the lively production under the Amawala brand, performing several times in Harare and at Intwasa Festival koBulawayo to wide acclaim, and later invited back to Bulawayo to grace the Community Human Rights Defenders Awards night. Edith was elected by her peers to the new Zimbabwe Musicians Union. 

Zanele ‘Uzah’ Manhenga enjoyed her first European tour with the Bulawayo accapella group ‘Nobuntu’, and older sister, acclaimed jazzist Dudu Manhenga performed once again in Italy where she captured the hearts of Italians, and the same in the Ghanaian capital Accra.

Poet Cynthia Marangwanda launched her first book ‘Shards’; Poet Wadzanai Chiuriri participated at the Poetry Africa Festival in Durban SA;  FLAME project officer Batsirai Chigama, herself a gifted and widely recognised poet, joined African poets from Ghana and Kenya in developing workshops for children in Zimbabwe and Denmark, and was first runner-up in the Stanza Digital Poetry Slam 2014 award.  A ZIMA award was won by Clare Nyakujara, and Cindy Munyavi won the ‘African Music Award’ in Nigeria. 

Last year alone the F.L.A.M.E project hosted the launch of three albums and a single, with CDs launched by Rudo Chasi, Tina Watyoka, and the youngest of them, Tendai Mavengeni who grew in confidence and delivery at Sistaz Open Mic over several months, and launched her album at the age of 13.  The gifted young Vera Chisvo (aka ‘Vera’) launched her first single in December. 

The Sistaz Open Mic platform has spread it’s wings across the country with performers coming from as far as Mutare, Marondera, Chegutu, Gweru, Zvishavane and Bulawayo.