August 6, 2023 ZA Membership / Village Meeting Minutes

Members in Attendance: Chris Halaska, Daniel Lockley, Alex Weeks, Mandy Walker-LaFollette, Tendai Muparutsa, Jacqueline Fallon, Heather Steele, Maria Minnaar Bailey, Janis Weeks
Members Absent: Cloud Petayi
Non-voting members in attendance: Claire Jones, Zimfest!

Review Agenda Pre-Meeting (All)

Welcome (Alex)

• Read mission/vision statement.

Introduce Board Members (Alex)

• Each board member introduces themself, and role on board.
• Plug for new board members.

Recognitions (Alex)

• Organizing committee
• Tech committee
• Sound people
• Volunteers in general
• People in general

Registration Numbers (Mandy)

• ~300 registrants in RegFox.
• Many workshop signups on-site.
• More than half of all workshops were full, many remaining only 1 or 2 slots open.

Treasurer Report (Heather)

• Present the 2022 budget
  • We’re in the black. We took a hit last year. Spent ~$18,000 more than we got at the festival, but thanks to Claire we got a grant of $22,000.
• Thank Gary S. for taking over the financial management so capably.

Membership Report (Daniel)

• https://zimfest.org/about/membership/
• 147 total members.
• New members? Benefits include registration fees waived, early access to registration.
• New membership system (thanks to tech committee).
  • Auto-renew available (~30 people signed up).
• Membership dues are tax deductible.

Zimfest 2023 Thoughts (Claire)

• Thanks to Shelly Signs, university events coordinator.
• University Sponsor
  • We need academic sponsorship to be considered an academic conference (important for paying Zimbabwean visitors and a main reason it’s very useful for us to be located at universities).
• This year has been very difficult to organize.
• Claire thanks the OC (names each).
• Specific volunteer need: Markup person to generate festival guide.

Introduce Zimbabwean Teachers and Performers (All)

• Mudavanhu Magaya introduced himself, Michael Sibanda introduced himself
• Danmore Kusaya spoke. Othnell Mangoma Moyo (grateful for this community encouraging traditional music & voices – not always encouraged in Zimbabwe), Blessing Chimanga (inspiring to see – said with love – a bunch of white people playing and loving and committing to this music), Pasi (Clayton) Gunguwo, Tsitsi Magaya, Obert Muchineripi, Helen Masango (“thank you for holding space”), Tsungai Tsikirai.
  • Theme among speakers: we all are in this together, on the same journey, it’s inspiring to see everyone come together as a community and celebrate the music and traditions. Exhibit Ubuntu, care for each other. Part of Zim culture is remembrance.
  • Tendai Muparutsa – recruit Zimbabweans to the board!
    • These people are here because of our country’s culture, let’s participate, “why can’t we walk the journey together?”

Future Plans (All)

• Unknown where it’s happening next year.
• Ultimately, it depends on the community whether we can have a festival every year.
• Claire proposes every other year. Alternate with Nhemamusasa North?

Community Input / Discussion (Alex)

• Community input is extremely important. Speaking here, but also the survey at zimfest.org/survey.
• Lucas Earl: Having Zimfest every other year allows the opportunity for other smaller and/or location-specific individual events (a la Nhema North, Camp Batidza).
• Idea: put a link on our festival to other events and festivals?
• Comments from people involved in non-profits and people and fundraising for Zim projects:
  • Erica Azim: The mission of Mbira.org is to support Zimbabwean artists. Currently paying teachers to go to schools in Zim that they’ve donated instruments to. Big donation that allowed them to do that is running out – donate!
  • Paul Hayes – quilt raffle, raised $10,000 this year.
  • Erin Ely – Kutsinhira’s Oregon bottle drop account is raising money for Kutsinhira/ZCDP (Zimbabwe Community Development Project).
  • Sheree Seretse – plug for being a sustaining member of Zimfest. $20/mo? Encourage 5 other people to do the same? She has a prize for anyone who donates 10x her challenge.
  • Tsitsi Magaya – Humwe: the Cosmas Magaya Cultural Arts and Education Center. Preserving arts and culture, also supporting education and food. Give hope, something to look forward to, hope for a future/better life. Humwe.org, monthly donations welcome!
    • 1st Saturday in October celebration & fundraiser in honor of what would have been Cosmas Magaya’s 70th birthday.
  • Jaiaen Beck – Ancient Ways, Nhimbe.
  • Micah Petrich – Rubatano.
• Leo: As a first timer he feels welcome but also like he is 25 years late to the party – everybody knows each other and it’s a family reunion.
• Larry: SO much work and Claire does most of it.
• Claire: My original proposal was 2 co-coordinators of the festival. A second problem was treasurer/financial tasks not getting done. We got a very reliable bookkeeper in Gary Spalter, but still have the desire/need for a second co-coordinator.
  • We need a 5 year plan so that everyone can plan better. Alternate every other year, also alternate states (OR and WA).
• Idea: Chamber of Commerce banners along the main drag; could we add our own? People in town don’t necessarily know. (Note from the secretary: lots of ideas for ways to market better, but we don’t have the personnel to do it!)

Plug for New OC & Board Members & Tech Committee (Alex)

Marimba Load-out Request (Lucas)

Marimba wrangler requests assistance loading out marimbas after the last session.

Thanks!