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‘From Bulawayo to the word’: Songs of Queen Lozikeyi set for Dubai showcase

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BY OWN CORRESPONDENT

The exciting and colourful 30-minute-long musical production from Bulawayo – ‘Songs of Queen Lozikeyi’ – is headed to the United Arab Emirates for the on-going world famous Dubai Expo this week, courtesy of the government of Zimbabwe for a performance on  March 14 – Zimbabwe Day.

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A music collaboration by artists of Bulawayo, Songs of Lozikeyi which made its debut at the annual festival in ‘the City of Kings’ in Zimbabwe last year as the opening act for the official opening by President Emmerson Mnangagwa celebrates the powerful Queen Lozikeyi Dlodlo, senior wife of the great King Lobengula, and later queen regent of the Ndebele people; warrior queen of the 1896 Anglo-Ndebele war, champion of women and justice.

From October 2021 to February 2022, the Dubai Expo hosted more than 13,000 heads of state, presidents, prime ministers and ministers, including presidential visits from Tanzania, Cyprus, Uruguay, South Sudan, Turkey and Kenya.

Expo 2022Dubai’s virtual visitation numbers have crossed 150 million, driven by the diverse entertainment available via Live@Expo.

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With vibrant performances in song, dance and poetry, the production offers a vivid musical tribute to the life and history of the great queen.

Guided by the writings of acclaimed Bulawayo historian Pathisa Nyathi in Lozikeyi Dlodlo: Queen of the Ndebele and other research, the production was written by Noma Damasane (‘Lady Tshawe’) and Thabani H Moyo, conceptualised and directed by Saimon Phiri, with Josh Nyapimbi, executive director of Nhimbe Trust as executive producer.

The cast includes lead singers Nomathamsanqa ‘Nkwali’ Mkwananzi and Thandeka ‘Thandy’ Dhlana Jele; backing vocalists Laura ‘Katso’ Ngwenya and Nomatshawekazi ‘Lady Tshawe’ Damasane (poet); dancers Cheryl Mabaya, Dorcas Ngwenya, Alice Guru and Makhula Moyo.

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All these are backed by musicians Raymond Takawira (lead guitar), Caleb Mujere (drums), Paul Maseko (bass), Samuel Mabhena (keyb), Gomez Dube (percussion) and Vuyile Qongo (saxophone).

The production is an initiative of Nhimbe Trust.

Its executive director  Nyapimbi said: “We are honoured to represent Zimbabwe with the Songs of Queen Lozikeyi, working with some of Bulawayo’s finest musicians”

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“We believe the music will cut a niche for itself on the world stage both live and digitally,” he added.

Zimbabwean musician and producer Clive ‘Mono’ Mukundu said of the Harare show on International Women’s Day: “Artists from Bulawayo have always been known for their excellent stage presence and confidence.”

“This is exactly how this group performs. It’s a group that is sellable on any world stage,” Mukundu.

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Bulawayo provincial arts manager Cleopatra Dube told a local publication that the artists should go and showcase their talents and represent the country in a way that will uplift its banner.

“Performers, go out there and represent Zimbabwe and Bulawayo as you are the window, face and the voice of the city in the arts industry,” Dube said.

“Let’s showcase the beauty of our culture, let there be joy in our dances, singing, and may our conduct bear long-lasting fruits for the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe.”

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The send-off programme was facilitated by the Bulawayo City Council in partnership with the Nhimbe Trust.

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Gilmore Tee makes it to the Forty under 40 Africa list

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BY OWN CORRESPONDENT

Global Citizen, Curator, Forbes 30 Alumni and Media Practitioner – Gilmore Tee made the Forty under 40 Africa List for 2023, alongside some outstanding personalities such as BBc’s Nyasha Michelle, South Africa’s Yershen Pillay, Vumile Msweli and Algeria’s Toumiat Lakhdar.

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Gilmore is known for his works with Paper Bag Africa which houses the PAN African lifestyle and cross-networking event – The PiChani, European Film Festival Zimbabwe, I Wear My Culture and eMoyeni Digital Storytelling.

The 33-year-old is known for his work in the creative industry and brands such as Jameson, Fastjet, Food Lovers Market, GQ South Africa and Glamour Magazine.

Earlier this year the organisers of the Forty under 40 Africa initiative, Xodus Communications Limited, shortlisted 126 nominees from 24 African countries. The initiative is aimed at recognizing and celebrating emerging leaders under the age of 40 who demonstrate or impact personally and/ or professionally through their exceptional leadership.

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The personalities nominated this year cut across countries such as; South Africa, Egypt, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Cameroon, South Sudan, Morocco, Benin, Mauritius, Algeria, Swaziland, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Algeria, Botswana, Tunisia, Eswatini, Lesotho and Gambia.

At the event which was held on the March 25 at the Leonardo Hotel in Sandton City, South Africa, Gilmore was announced as a winner and part of the 40 lists, alongside other 39 outstanding practitioners from across the African continent.

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Across Zimbabwe, British scones are the taste of home

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HARARE – A sweet doughy treat from Britain has become a beloved part of Zimbabwe’s national cuisine, where despite the country’s colonial past, mothers and chefs alike now claim the pastry as their own.

The scone, which Brits normally enjoy with afternoon tea, is ubiquitous in Harare, the southern African country’s capital.

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A breakfast favourite in these parts, it can be found everywhere from high-end eateries to the market stalls of impoverished townships.

“We love scones. They are not British, they are ours, our local scones,” Nyari Mashayamombe, a rights activist, says as she leaves an upmarket restaurant in Harare’s Belgravia district, its garden dotted with open umbrellas

Dense yet airy, Zimbabwean scones are the result of the intercultural mix that came with colonisation, says Mashayamombe, a red-haired 42-year-old who is also a singer and media personality.

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In “fancy places like here… a beautiful scone goes as high as six bucks,” she said, referring to the American dollars that have become Zimbabwe’s parallel and preferred currency.

“It’s worth it.”

A few kilometres away at a market in Harare’s oldest township of Mbare, scones are impossible to find after midday.

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“We sold them all this morning. They move quickly,” one vendor says.

 

The main communal bakery in Mbare, a bustling working-class district, opens at dawn.

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Tawanda Mutyakureva, 26, arrives at around five in the morning to his work station, measuring two square metres, where he has to bend over to spread the dough on a knee-height countertop.

Every day he cranks out around 200 scones in an overheated room with cinder-block walls, lit by two bulbs hanging from a wire.

Brandishing a cookie cutter, he works quickly to whip out one batch after another, with each scone selling for 25 American cents.

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In the hot, humid atmosphere redolent of yeast, his wife – with their baby strapped to her back – helps him with buttering the pastries and clearing plates.

Resellers come in to buy 10 or 20 pieces that will be sold at small grocery stores.

Memory Mutero, 46, was at the bakery to buy bread, since she makes her own scones at home.

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“I make scones for my three kids. It takes about 45 minutes,” she tells AFP.

Her ingredients are simple: flour, salt, yeast, sugar, butter and milk.

But at the Bottom Drawer, an upscale tearoom in Harare, cook Veronica Makonese is unimpressed after tasting a scone brought back from the township.

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“There is no milk in those, they used water!” the 46-year-old claims.

A white kerchief on her head, Makonese says she makes her own buttermilk for her scones, to control temperature and acidity levels, and uses only real butter to ensure the proper taste and softness.

Her boss, Sarah Macmillan, a 53-year-old Zimbabwean, says she longs for the scones she would eat as a child.

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Back then, two shops in the centre of Harare, now closed, competed for the crown of best scone in the country, and Macmillan wanted her tearoom to make some that are “just as good”.

Macmillan says the secret of the little cake’s enduring success, in a country struggling with endemic poverty, is simple: “It’s very filling and affordable.” – AFP

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South African rapper AKA gunned to death

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BY CHRIZELDA KEKANA

Rapper AKA, real name Kiernan Forbes, has died.

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TshisaLIVE confirmed that the 35-year-old rapper was shot dead outside a popular restaurant on Florida Rd in Durban.

Police confirmed that a 35-year-old male and another unidentified male had been shot dead on Friday.

Speaking to TimesLIVE, ALS paramedic Garrith Jamieson explained that just after 10.15pm this evening they responded to a shooting incident where two men sustained multiple gunshot wounds.

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“On arrival, paramedics met total chaos and a scene where two men, believed to be in their late 30s, sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Paramedics assisted the men and unfortunately the first male had sustained multiple gun shot wounds and showed no signs of life and was declared deceased at the scene.”

He said a second male was found in critical condition and died despite advanced life support intervention due to extensive injuries.

It remains unclear what the motive for the shooting was. SAPS and Metro were on scene and closed the road to assist with the investigation.

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AKA is among SA’s best rappers and has produced and written many hit songs including Fela In Versace, Baddest and others since he broke into the industry over a decade ago.

He shares a daughter, Kairo, with DJ Zinhle and was in a relationship with rapper Nadia Nakai. TimesLIVE

 

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