Dearest Zimfest Association Members and friends,
Once again, we’ve found ourselves at the end of another full year. In addition to wishing everyone a happy holiday season, we wanted to share a few things. First, while it’s always hard to go a year without seeing all of you and playing our favorite music, we have been hard at work planning the future of the festival, and we are so excited to announce that Zimfest 2025 is officially a go! For the first time, the festival will be held at Central Washington University in beautiful Ellensburg, WA, August 7-10. For more information, please check out our blog https://zimfest.org/blog/2024/zimfest-updates-2/.
And now, please allow me to take a minute to appreciate the Zimfest Association members who are reading this. There are now well over 100 active members, all of whom allow us to continue working to provide an annual festival while maintaining our connection to the music of Zimbabwe throughout the year. We cannot thank you enough for your continued support.
“Hey, I want to be appreciated, too!” you might say, and rest assured, anyone reading this is OK in my book, but if you really want to take it to the next level, it’s easier than ever to join the Zimfest team. Simply go to https://zimfest.org/about/membership/. From there, you can follow instructions to become a member, renew a membership, or verify your membership status by plugging in your email address. We now have the option to auto-renew so you can contribute every year without even having to think about it! Perks for members include skipping the festival registration fee, and early access to workshop registration.
Already a member, but want to contribute even more? There are lots of other ways to do so. Consider making a tax-deductible donation of whatever amount works for you. If you’re selling stuff on eBay, you can choose to donate a percentage of the final sales price to the Zimfest Association. Please visit https://charity.ebay.com/charity-auctions/my-causes/ and search for Zimfest! Finally, if your company supports matching donations, find out from your supervisor or Human Resources department how your company can match your contributions!
Whatever you may be celebrating this year, we hope you have a wonderful holiday season, and we look forward to seeing you all in Washington!
Membership questions? Please contact us at: za-members(at)zimfest{dot}org
Warmly,
Daniel Lockley, ZA Ex-Membership Queen
Maria Minnaar-Bailey, Interim President
Zimfest Association Board
I’m so glad Zimfest is on! All my appreciation goes to those who made it happen and continue to work to hold the festival.
My one concern about it is COVID safety. There was a COVID outbreak at the previous Zimfest. When I applied and was accepted as a teacher, the stated policy was that workshops would be masks-required. However, this was subsequently changed to depend on the teachers choice, which meant my students were not necessarily prepared to wear them. The infrastructure was not in place to easily supply them at the beginning of my workshop; students would have had to go back to another building, using valuable time, so I did not insist on it.
Regarding 2025, the evening concerts being indoors increases the risk compared to 2023, and we cannot reasonably predict that local national or global rates will be lower. So, all other things being equal, it is sensible to expect another outbreak. The one in 2023 was not a fluke; there was another last year at Nhemamusasa North as well. This will keep happening unless policy is changed.
What measures, then, will Zimfest implement to decrease that risk? And, how will it be ensured that Zimfest follows through on those plans?
These questions come from a place of love. COVID safety measures are an expression of care for the community. Anyone who gets COVID risks developing long COVID symptoms, especially when contracted repeatedly. The acute infection holds particularly significant danger for disabled members of our community, making this a matter of accessibility and inclusion.
Zimfest is often the event I look forward to most in the year, and many people I love attend. I want everyone to remain healthy so we can continue to hold it for many years to come.
Again, thank you all for your tireless efforts to keep the festival happening.
Thanks Heron, We will discuss at next ZA Board meeting.
Claire