Minutes from the March 12th meeting of the Zimfest Association board of directors have been posted.
Zimfest News Blog
February Board Meeting Minutes
Minutes from the February 12th meeting of the Zimfest Association board of directors have been posted.
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March Music!
March Music!
As we gear up for Zimfest 2023 (August 3-6 in Corvallis, OR), let us take a moment to revisit our wonderful Zimfest Online 2022 concert, and celebrate our friend Draze (aka Dumisani Maraire Jr.) with his new single and music video! Read on for more info on both.
Mazvita – Emmy Award-Winning Songwriter-Rapper “Draze” Drops New Hip Hop Single “Mazvita”
Mazvita is a single from Draze’s upcoming album, “African American.” Dubbed “Ancestral art,” the single blends rich African melodies with raw hip-hop energy to create a fresh, yet familiar sound that feels like “home” to fans in America and abroad. The album is dedicated to his father Dumisani A. Maraire, and his mother Lora Chiorah-Dye, in gratitude for all they instilled in him.
You can find the music video here, and learn more about Draze and his music here.
Zimfest Online 2022 – In December, Zimfest released on YouTube a live viewing of a collection of incredible pre-recorded performances and presentations. That video is still available!
You can register and get the link at Zimfest Online 2022.
Artists featured are: Ntswai Ntswai Arts, Tawanda Mapanda, Anesu Ndoro, Tafadzwa Matiure, and Napoleon Jambwa and Pangea.
We hope you are having a good (early) spring, and please enjoy some March Music!
– Zimfest
Music Dancing Across Borders
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Introducing the Zimfest 2023 Artwork
Greetings Zimfest Community,
We are pleased to present the winning Zimfest 2023 graphic by Penny Martindale of Olympia. It appears on the Zimfest website homepage in the form of a banner, and in a downloadable Save-the-Date card on the 2023 Overview page.
Zimfest applications for teachers and performers closed on February 28. Thanks to all who applied. The Organizing Committee has plenty of work to do in the weeks ahead and we look forward to putting together a program including old friends we have not seen in several years, as well as introducing exciting new teachers and performers from North America and Zimbabwe.
Here’s to the end of winter,
Zimfest OC
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COVID-19 Policies for Zimfest 2023
Dear Zimfest Community,
The board has developed a set of policies and recommendations related to COVID-19 safety at Zimfest 2023, which are now available here.
We wanted to make sure that this information was available ahead of the of upcoming deadline for teacher and performer applications. As a reminder, applications are due in just over a week, on February 28th!
Thanks,
Alex Weeks
Zimfest Board President
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November, December and January Board Meeting Minutes
Minutes from the November 13th, December 11th and January 8th meetings of the Zimfest Association board of directors have been posted.
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AmazonSmile Winding Down
Dear Zimfest community,
Just a note to let you know that AmazonSmile, the charitable arm of Amazon.com that has allowed customers to direct donations to charitable organizations when they shop online, will be winding down as of 20 February 2023. For the past decade, you have been able to choose the Zimfest Association as the organization you would like to receive 0.5% of the price of your eligible Amazon purchases (see Support Zimfest). At times just pennies, these amounts have added up to significant donations to our non-profit Zimfest Association over the years.
We will be sad to see AmazonSmile go. Perhaps if you have been thinking of making an online purchase, make a point to visit AmazonSmile before Feb. 20th and direct your donation to the Zimfest Association.
Thank you!
Claire Jones, Zimfest Coordinator
Music Dancing Across Borders
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Zimfest 2023 News
From the ZA Board and OC
We are excited to announce that all Zimfest 2023 concerts, daytime and evening, will be OUTSIDE on a stage in the OSU Lower Campus, also called McNary Field. This decision was made for several reasons: the main concert venue at OSU, LaSells-Stewart Center, will be unavailable because of renovation, and both alternative ballrooms (in the Student Union and Alumni Center) were judged to have shortcomings such as minimal backstage space and no loading dock.
Our concert production team suggested several years ago that we have our evening concerts outdoors, but none of our recent hosts allowed music outside after 10 PM. The music (noise) curfew in the OSU Field will be 11 PM, allowing us plenty of time for music-making under the stars!
This is the year! One big advantage to us is that we will be able to make all concerts open to all performers regardless of visa status! (No “visiting Zimbabweans perform in the afternoon only” this year!) Admission will be by donation, with pre-concert ticket sales beginning when registration opens (targeted for May 1). Those of you who have registered for workshops by donation in the past should be aware that requesting donations for events that are effectively free allows us to pay honoraria to Zimbabweans who come here on a B1 visitors visa (see Workshops by Donation, scroll down). We ask that you support our visiting artists, and support Zimfest’s move to Evening Outdoor Concerts, by donating as much for your concert tickets as you paid in previous years.
Of course, none of this will happen unless we receive more applications for performing and teaching! Remember, the application deadlines for Zimfest 2023 are coming soon, February 28.
Performer applications here
Teacher applications here
ZA Board and Organizing Committee
Music Dancing Across Borders
To those of you who might be worried about getting rained on during outdoor concerts, please note that there is historically a 3% chance of rain that first weekend in August, the lowest for the entire year. This is the year!
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Nematambudziko: Mbira Queen Stella Chiweshe Passes
Mbuya Stella Chiweshe, renowned Zimbabwean musician and pioneering female gwenyambira, passed away at her home in Kuwadzana on 20 January. Born Stella Rambisai Nekati Chiweshe on July 8, 1946 in Mujumi Village, Mhondoro, Mbuya Stella Chiweshe was undoubtedly Zimbabwe’s Queen of Mbira and one of the country’s foremost cultural ambassadors. Married to German national Peter Reich, Mbuya Stella had returned to Zimbabwe telling relatives that her days were coming to a close and she needed to settle back home (more info is available here).
North America students of mbira may be familiar with Chiweshe’s many pre-independence mbira singles, the first of which, “Kasahwa,” went gold in its initial 1974 release. For four years following independence, she was the featured mbira player in the Zimbabwe National Dance Company. In 1986 she formed the Earthquake, a mixed band which included three Zimbabwean-style marimbas and hosho played by her daughter Virginia Mukwesha. Mbuya Chiweshe recorded several albums, performed numerous times in Europe and the WOMAD festival and took at least two tours to the US, participating in Zimfest 2007.
I met Mbuya Chiweshe during my first visit to Zimbabwe in 1980-81; she performed on mbira in a 1st Anniversary of Independence show, opening for Dumi Na Maraire Marimba (an ensemble featuring all Zimbabweans plus myself). Following my return to Zimbabwe in 1985 I discovered that Mbuya Stella and Virginia were living a short distance away from my place in the Avenues area of Harare. I became a frequent visitor and thus was around and able to lend a helping hand when she formed the Earthquake – with some of the same marimba players from St. Peter’s Kubatana that I had gotten to know five years previously! It has always seemed like each time I have been in Zimbabwe, Mbuya Stella and her music was just around the corner. I know her spirit will endure, and her music continue to inspire in the many memorable recordings she made.
Steadfast in her musicality and strong spirituality, there was no one like Mbuya Stella. She will be sorely missed. My condolences to her daughter Virginia Mukwesha-Hetze and the entire Chiweshe family. Nematambudziko.
Stella Chiweshe and the Earthquake – Harare 1990
With love,
Claire Jones, Zimfest Coordinator
Music Dancing Across Borders
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Zimfest 2023: New Dates (August 3-6), Teacher/Performer Applications Open!
Dear Zimfest Community,
We previously announced a July date for Zimfest 2023, at Oregon State University in Corvallis, OR. However, after more planning and consultation with our host, we have made the decision to change the dates to August 3rd-6th. We apologize to anyone who is negatively impacted by this change, but feel that it is the best decision for the festival, for the reasons listed below.
The primary reason for this change is that significantly more suitable classroom space is available later in the summer, especially for marimba, hosho, and drumming classes which require sound isolation. Furthermore, we will have exclusive use of our preferred dorm/dining center, because most other conferences on campus wrap up before these dates.
Finally, I am pleased to announce that teacher and performer applications are now open! The application deadline is February 28th.
Please visit teacher application information, and performer application information for details.
Thanks,
Alex Weeks
Zimfest Board President
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Call for Artwork Zimfest 2023
Greetings Zimfest Community,
Zimfest 2023 will retain the festival theme “Music Dancing Across Borders,” given our awareness that circumstances for immigrants and visa applicants remain difficult both here in the United States and in Zimbabwe. We are steadfast in the knowledge that music and dance are unifying forces and look forward to creating togetherness at the festival! We are inviting you to submit designs and artwork related to this theme for use on the Zimfest 2023 poster, tee shirts and other promotional material. Your design could reference Zimbabwean performing art in one or more of its many manifestations: marimba, mbira, dance, etc. Be aware, however, that we loved the simplicity and soaring feel of the heron originally created by Carrie Rodlend for the 2020 live festival (see below).
- Please submit your designs electronically to claire[at]zimfest[dot]org by January 15, 2023. The organizing committee will make its selections by February 15, 2023. Send your artwork via e-mail as a high-resolution image in digital format (JPG preferred); do not embed the image into a Power Point or PDF. Please include your full name and telephone number with your submission. If your image is chosen as the principal design for this year’s festival, you will receive an honorarium of $100 and a Zimfest 2023 t-shirt. The winning artist will be featured either on the website or in the festival guide.
- Graphics artist volunteer – must have expertise in working with image files to format them for mailers, posters, etc. It would be great if the creator of the chosen artwork can do it themselves, otherwise we need a separate person. Write to Claire or volunteers[at]zimfest[dot]org if you can help with graphics.
- Legal Considerations: By submitting your work to the 2023 Organizing Committee, you grant the Zimfest Association an irrevocable, perpetual license to reproduce the submitted work in whole or in part in any medium, electronic, physical or otherwise. You must be willing to modify or allow a graphic artist to alter the winning entry for use on our printed materials. The original work will become the property of Zimfest Association, who will assume all rights to future reproduction of the work for promotional and fundraising purposes.
See you in Corvallis July 21-23!
Zimfest 2023 Organizing Committee
Migrating South for the Final Time
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Zimfest Online 2022
Zimfest is excited to provide another opportunity for our community to support Zimbabwean artists and view some incredible performances and presentations! Join us on Saturday, December 17th, 2022 at 11am PST (2pm EST, 9pm in Zimbabwe) for a live viewing of a collection of pre-recorded performances and presentations. This will be streamed on YouTube, so there will be a chat feature for live discussion of the content! With registration you will get access to the video on December 17th, which will be available to watch for several months afterwards.
Find more information here and register here. (There’s a discount for Zimfest members! Sign up here.)
The artists that will be featured are:
Ntswai Ntswai Arts – Ntswai Ntswai Arts is a traditional and afro musical band that specializes in Zimbabwean traditional music, playing Mbira, Marimba, Ngoma and Hosho.
Tawanda Mapanda – Tawanda is a Marimba master and coach, Mbira player, percussionist, saxophonist and composer. Tawanda’s performance will be a fusion between marimba, mbira, ngoma, and saxophone to make a unique sound through looping.
Anesu Ndoro – Telling Ngano: Learning By Doing. In this session, we will explore the interesting process by which ngano folktales (and indeed most of Zimbabwe’s arts, visual and performance) are learned through doing. As a demonstration, Anesu will share three folktales, and will ask you, the viewer, to participate as this is the way you learn how to do it!
Tafadzwa Matiure – Musician and traditional music teacher, Taffie will present Gwindingwi rine Shumba soprano Marimba tutorial: a rendition of Thomas Mapfumo’s Gwindingwi rine Shumba traditional song demonstrated on the soprano marimba.
Napoleon Jambwa and Pangea – We are a group of Zimbabwean musicians who are based in Cape Town and met with one goal; to do music across the border. We play Zimbabwean traditional music using Mbira, Marimba, Ngoma, Hosho and traditional dances.
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