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Zimfest 2022 is On in June

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News

Dear Zimfest community,
After a nail-biting final weekend of teacher and performer applications, we are happy to announce that Zimfest 2022 will take place June 24-26 in Mount Vernon, Washington. Fewer in-person applicants than in non-pandemic years means that we will have a slightly shorter festival, with two days of workshops and afternoon concerts instead of the usual three. Festival activities kick off with a ticketed evening concert at the Lincoln Theatre on Friday evening June 24, with the African Marketplace and daytime activities at the Skagit County Fairgrounds through the weekend. 

  • Offers to volunteer are also fewer in number this year. We still have desperate needs for assistance with our Concerts team and website research. Write to volunteers{at}zimfest{dot}org to offer your help.
  • Vendor applications are now open for Marketplace vendors of musical instruments, art and craft items; food vendors need to be licensed by the state and county and will be handled separately. See the Vendor Information page for links to the application and PayPal for payments. Application deadline for vendors is May 28, 2022. Please direct any questions to marketplace{at}zimfest{dot}org.
  • We have had a robust response to our request for pre-recorded performances, and look forward to scheduling some fabulous hybrid evening concerts at the Lincoln Theatre!

Stay tuned for an update from the Zimfest Covid Safety Committee.

We hope to see you in the beautiful Skagit Valley this summer!
Claire and the Zimfest Organizing Committee

Heron taking wing, by Rachel Edson

 

Take Flight at Zimfest 2022!

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Zimfest in the time of Covid-19: A perspective

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News

Posted on behalf of OC member Mark Swift

I am fairly new to Zimfest, having attended my first festival in 2019.  I am really excited about returning to an in-person event this coming June!  I understand that there is some hesitation about committing to performing and teaching due to uncertainty about health safety in the time of Covid-19.  No one can predict the future, but things are looking up.  I fully understand that everyone’s comfort level is different, and different people have different levels of risk. I just wanted to share my perspective as someone who lives in western Pennsylvania. 

From where I sit, the Pacific Northwest has done a great job dealing with Covid-19.  Our local vaccination rate is only 60%, a full 10% lower than Washington State.  I would estimate only 1 in 10 people bother to wear a mask indoors in public places.  Bars and restaurants are full.  Cases in my county are currently sky high.  And yet, at the college where I work, we have successfully kept the total number of cases down to 1 or 2 per week since students returned to campus in Fall 2020. In 2020-2021 everyone on campus was tested at least once every two weeks and that helped keep the case load low, with a small bump in the post-holiday surge in January/February 2021.  Through the Omicron surge, cases have increased somewhat, but positive tests results remain in the low single digits every week. How? Simple, we made the campus a near Covid-free bubble.  We required students, faculty, and staff to be vaccinated, and masks are required indoors.  Students are living together in the dorms, working in the community, coming and going from their homes, but still, on campus, masks and vaccines have allowed us to keep our rates low.  We are having normal classes without social distancing.  And though people are aware of their personal space and are washing their hands often, we are mostly “back to normal.” 

I present this story as evidence that with a little mitigation like vaccine requirement and masks, it is possible to create a safe “bubble” in which we can all gather and enjoy Zimbabwean music together.   For those who are at greater risk, by all means, stay home and stay safe!  I am sympathetic to the anxiety you must feel and hope the world becomes a safer place for you as soon as possible.  But if you are in reasonable health, vaccinated, and willing to mask, I really hope to meet you at Zimfest 2022! 

Mark Swift
Zimfest 2022 Organizing Committee

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Zimfest Applications Close in Five Weeks

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News

Dear Zimfest Community,

A reminder that applications for Zimfest 2022 close on February 28, a month away!

The OC feels the uncertainty as the Omicron variant continues to rage, but sees hope on the horizon as data shows the infections starting to decrease, and there are predictions that the peak will be past by mid-February. 

We welcome your applications now to teach and/or perform despite the uncertainty. Dreaming into summer by applying for Zimfest can be an expression of hope and resilience.

Information and the application button for (live) performers is here. 
Information and the application button for those wishing to submit pre-recorded performances or presentations is here. 
Information and the application button for teachers is here.         

Keep track of Zimfest Covid Safety requirements here.
Stay well,

Claire and the Zimfest Organizers

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Zimfest 2022 Applications Are Now Open

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News

Greetings Zimfest community,

Applications for teaching, performing and presenting at Zimfest 2022 in Mount Vernon, WA are now open. Applications close February 28, so please get your applications in soon! We are aware that the omicron variant of COVID-19 is raging across the country, but we are forging ahead with the work of organizing an in-person festival June 24-26 with fingers crossed. Please read the current COVID Safety precautions provided by the ZA Board. 

Information and the application button for (live) performers is here. 
Information and the application button for those wishing to submit pre-recorded performances or presentations is here. 
Information and the application button for teachers is here. Once you have submitted a teacher application, you will be sent a link to propose one or more (in-person) workshops.

Things to keep in mind:

  • Performers may be accepted either for free daytime concerts at the Skagit County Fairgrounds or ticketed evening concerts at the Lincoln Theatre. The theater’s COVID health and safety policy appears here.
  • Individuals who are accepted as teachers will be asked to complete a background check if they did not teach at Zimfest in 2019.
  • We love to see workshop proposals for theoretical topics (e.g. African rhythms, song structure and improvisation), songs, and cultural presentations of all sorts – in addition to the ever-popular marimba and mbira.
  • Workshop times: participant feedback indicates that hosho and dance workshops of 90 minutes work well. Many intermediate marimba students have requested longer workshops, and we can schedule a few for 2  1/2 hours. See detailed Workshop Proposal information here (scroll down the page).
  • The Zimfest Organizing Committee is still looking for individuals with expertise in graphic design and concert production (both big jobs!). Please write to volunteers{at}zimfest[dot}org to volunteer or make suggestions!

Claire Jones, Festival Coordinator

Zimfest 2022: Music Dancing Across Borders

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Zimfest 2022 OC Plans

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News

Greetings Zimfest community,
Happy New year!

Zimfest 2022 is scheduled to take place June 24-26, 2022 at the Skagit County Fairgrounds (daytime events) and Lincoln Theatre (ticketed evening concerts) both in Mount Vernon, WA. We are painfully aware that the omicron variant of COVID-19 is raging and could threaten to derail our plans, but if we don’t prepare now for the in-person festival that so many people want, we may all be sorry. The Organizing Committee (OC) wants to let you know some of the details as they currently exist to help you make your plans.

  • Workshops, concerts and an expansive marketplace will take place Friday to Sunday June 24-26. We will need assistance setting up on Thursday afternoon June 23, and final clean-up on Monday June 27 – you can sign up as a volunteer for those tasks when registration opens.
  • ZF 2022 will be primarily a camping festival! The Fairgrounds has ample space for camping and up to 40 RVs; you will be able to register for spots with us any number of nights between June 23 and 26. For those not interested in roughing it, we hope to arrange for a limited number of dorm room-style accommodations within easy driving distance, and will be publishing the availability of nearby motel lodging on the website. A quick search of Air BnB and VRBO shows many possibilities to book for yourself in Skagit County, which is a wonderful vacation area.
  • Since Zimfest is not being hosted by a college this year, there will be no dining service and you will be on your own for meals. However, there are no rules against food sales onsite, so we look forward to lining up a number of food vendors. Downtown Mount Vernon with many restaurants to explore is also within walking distance.
  •  Due to the uncertainties of the COVID epidemic, travel restrictions, visa delays and the lack of an institutional sponsor, Zimfest regrettably will not be sponsoring guest visas this year. We would be happy to accept touring Zimbabweans on P or Q visas, but sponsors applying for those probably need to have their applications already in process at this date.
  • We are pleased to announce that the ticketed evening concerts at the Lincoln Theatre will feature both live bands and pre-recorded performances in streaming format. In this way we will be able to feature Zimbabweans who we are unable to bring here this year because of the pandemic.
  • As always, those wishing to help Zimfest 2022 happen by volunteering their time, please write to volunteers{at}zimfest{dot}org.
  • Look for applications to open very soon for: teachers and workshop proposals; live performances; and pre-recorded performances and presentations.

Stay safe and well!

Claire Jones and Zimfest 2022 OC

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Zimfest 2021 Workshop Access Ends

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News

Dear Zimfest community,

Registration for access to the Zimfest 2021 Live Workshop recordings closed September 30, and we thank all who participated. The Zimfest Organizing Committee is now in its resting phase, with no news to report on plans for Zimfest 2022.

Posting on behalf of Blessing Chimanga
Musician and producer Blessing Chimanga, who oversaw recordings of performers in Harare for Zimfest 2021, has announced plans to record his third album. He intends to put out a message of Hope in both chiShona and English, and is seeking sponsorship for his project. If anyone would like to assist Blessing, please write directly to him at Dreams TV, legendbled{at}gmail{dot}com.

Stay well and stay safe,
Claire and the Zimfest Team

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Zimfest 2021 Live Workshop Recordings

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News

Greetings Zimfesters,

A belated Thank You to all who attended or participated in Zimfest 2021! Those who tuned in for the weekend were wowed by the number, diversity and quality of Zimbabwean performers and presenters! 

For those of you who missed one or more of the Live Workshops (on Zoom), we are providing on-demand access to the video recordings on a donation basis. Registration is now open for all of the workshops, and the recordings will be available through September 2021.  

Check out complete descriptions of all the workshops along with teacher biographies on the Live Participatory Workshops page. Once you register for a recording, you will be able to view it at any time you wish during the month of September.

Claire Jones, Zimfest Coordinator

(PS – Reminding you that the 2021 concerts are still viewable on Zimfest’s Facebook Live Videos page.)

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Zimfest Reminders and Village Meeting Zoom Link

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News

Greetings Zimfest-ers,

Zimfest 2021 starts tomorrow – Friday July 30! We kick off at 2:00 pm PDT with two Live Participatory Workshops on Zoom.

  • The Friday evening concert, taking place on Zimfest Facebook Live opens with tributes to Sekuru Cosmas Magaya and Matemai Newton Cheza-Chozengwa at 5:30 pm PDT.
  • There are plenty of openings in all Workshops – take a look at the offerings here. The link to registrations (required) is at the top of the page.
  • We encourage you to tune into the timely and important Live Workshop with Māhealani Uchiyama and former Zimfest Board member Rujeko Dumbutshena discussing engagement in Zimbabwean music through a lens of racial and cultural appreciation/appropriation issues: Sunday 2 -3 pm PDT.
  • The Zimfest Association Village Meeting takes place at 3:15 to 4:15 pm PDT on Sunday in its own Zoom room – registration not required, open to all interested parties.

Join Village Meeting on Zoom (room opens 3 pm)

(Zoom meeting access info was posted here)

Hope to “see” you at Zimfest!
Claire and the Organizing Committee

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2021 Zimfest Message from the OC

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News

Hi Zimfest Fans,

As I am sure most of you are aware, the Zimfest Organizing Committee has been busy putting together an awesome show for this year, with some great favorite players like mbira master Musekiwa Chingodza, and some totally new folks to Zimfest, like dancer Ndomupeishe Chipendo.

The OC has been hearing from folks that they would much prefer a live event instead of the online show that is being presented.  We get it and completely agree that seeing folks up close and personal would be the best, and we would much rather have a live event as well.  However, it was obvious that we would not be able to get anyone into this country from Zimbabwe by July.  Sadly, the situation is getting worse now, very few Zimbabweans have been vaccinated and Covid is spreading rapidly through Zimbabwe, so our crystal ball was correct.  We also did not know what the situation would be like in July in America either, and the Covid cases have been climbing here as well. 

However, we equally know that our Zimbabwean friends could really use a cash infusion, so let’s support them in any way that we can, which in this case is supporting their efforts to provide us with some great performances and workshops.  On the bright side, this year we are able to present some folks that we have not been able to bring to Zimfest due to cost constraints, but we are able to include them in our online presentation.  So check out our great program schedule for the weekend of July 30 – August 1 and join us.  If that weekend does not work for you, the concerts will be available on demand and you can view them later at a time of your convenience. 

The full schedule and concert lineups have now been published on our website and on our Facebook page.

So let’s enjoy this awesome show and see you all in person in 2022!

Thanks,
Jim Levine and the Zimfest Organizing Committee

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The Make It Grow Project

Posted on by Zimfest Association Board Posted in Festival News

Make It Grow: Supporting community-based food initiatives in Zimbabwe to fundraise using participatory video proposals

[Posted on behalf of Pamela Richardson-Ngwenya and the Make it Grow project]

In an attempt to empower communities to alleviate increasing food and nutritional insecurity, especially during the pandemic, the Make It Grow Project has been running online capacity-building workshops with community groups and NGOs in Zimbabwe to equip participants with the skills needed to create their own video proposals, using smartphone technologies. These video proposals pitch home-grown ideas for community food projects and can be used by the community groups and NGOs as a fundraising tool. The intention is to increase the accessibility of start-up funds for implementing community-based, sustainable food projects, while at the same time building up local video-making and project planning skills.

We devise learning resources for community groups and facilitators, to support straightforward ways of enhancing the social inclusion, production and dissemination of video proposals. We also work with the United Nations Development Programme’s Global Environment Facility (Small Grants Programme) and other donors to support and pilot the integration of video proposals into their grant management and application process, making it more inclusive for all. Following the workshop series, we continue to support our participants and their fundraising campaigns through ongoing public events and online publication of their video proposals.

We are now asking for YOUR help! Please support our community partners in Zimbabwe to fundraise for their sustainable food projects by donating to their crowdfunding campaigns and promoting their videos on your social media networks. Make It Grow is a Knowledge Exchange project from the University of Sheffield’s Institute for Sustainable Food, supported by the UKRI’s Economic and Social Research Council. You can visit our website at www.makeitgrow.org.

You can see some of the participants’ videos here: Video Proposals :: Make It Grow

Pamela Richardson-Ngwenya
Project Leader, Knowledge Exchange Research Fellow and Learning Facilitator
Make It Grow

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Zimfest 2021 Updates – Workshop Registration is Open

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News

Dear Zimfest community,

Zimfest 2021 is less than two weeks away, taking place from July 30 to August 1. The Organizing Committee has been hard at work and has the following updates for you:

  • The Festival Schedule gives an outline of activities for the weekend. Detailed lineups will be posted soon.
  • See Festival Overview for an introduction to the amazing performers and presenters who will be joining us online on Facebook Live.
  • Live Participatory Workshops will take place on Zoom; registrations are required and donations requested. Workshop descriptions, teacher biographies and a link to the registrations are here. 
  • The 2021 Virtual Marketplace is now open, featuring vendors and importers selling instruments and wares made by Zimbabweans.
  • Emcees needed: why not get a buddy to hold a viewing party with you, enjoy the show for a 2 to 3 hour block of time, and get paid to engage with the music together! Write to volunteers{at}zimfest{dot}org for info. 

Zimfest mourns the loss of Gwenyambira Matemai Newton Cheza-Chozengwa, who passed away on Saturday. We extend our condolences to his family and friends, and all the mbira lovers whose hearts he touched. Enjoy the recording of Matemai singing with Rattletree Marimba at Zimfest 2009 on our homepage (lower left corner).

Zimfest Organizing Committee

Zimfest 2021: A Quilt of Local Events… Stitched Together

 

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Zimfest 2021 Village Meeting

Posted on by Alex Weeks Posted in Festival News

Dear Zimfest Community,

Zimfest 2021 is now only 2 weeks away! (Friday July 30th – Sunday August 1st). Thanks to the work of this year’s Organizing Committee—headed by Claire Jones—a final schedule comprising three days of workshops, performances, and presentations will be posted in the coming days. Many performances will be by musicians in Zimbabwe who are new to Zimfest.

The last two years have required unprecedented changes to how Zimfest is structured and organized, and we hope that you will attend these sessions to learn from, and enjoy, some of the most talented teachers and performers of Zimbabwean music in the world.

In addition to attending the Festival, one of the most important ways you can support our community is by participating in the annual Village Meeting.

This year, it will be held virtually (by Zoom) from 3:15–4:15 PM PDT (08:15–09:15 UTC) on Sunday, August 1st. A Zoom link will be provided in a subsequent blog post and on the Zimfest Facebook page.

The Village Meeting serves as the required annual public Zimfest Association business meeting. It also provides an opportunity for us, the members of the Zimfest Association Board of Directors, and Organizing Committee, to hear from our community, and for you to voice your opinions about the Festival and how it is organized. This meeting is usually where the seeds of next year’s Festival are planted.

In particular, because we are planning for an in-person festival next year, your participation and ideas will be vital to putting on a safe and successful Zimfest 2022.

Finally, if you are interested in volunteering or learning more about volunteering, either as a member of the Organizing Committee, or Board, the Village Meeting is a great place to meet us and voice your support.

Looking forward to seeing you soon at Zimfest 2021!

Sincerely,

Alex Weeks
President, Zimfest Association Board of Directors

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