Zimfest 2005 Welcome

Greetings to all of you in the ever-growing community of Zimbabwean music lovers!! We, the 2005 Festival Planning Committee, are pleased to invite you to Bellingham, the city in the upper-left hand corner of the US map, for the 14th annual Zimbabwean Music Festival.

As usual, this event will bring together an international community of teachers, students, performers, and lovers of Zimbabwean music and dance for four full days of fun and festivities. This year we are especially excited to welcome our northern neighbors, the many Canadian groups who live just across that imaginary line. In fact, we have chosen “Music Crossing Boundaries” as the theme for our festival and you’ll find it woven throughout the program.

Please use this web site to peruse the many workshops, cultural presentations, community conversations, jam-sessions, concerts, and other opportunities for exchange that we have planned.

Each year the festival is a chance for us to celebrate and revitalize our connections to the music and to one another. We hope you will be inspired by this year’s program. Although we’re from the “City of Subdued Excitement,” we are excited about hosting Zimfest and hope to see lots of you here this summer.

About Western Washington University

The natural setting of Western Washington University provides us not only a beautiful place to make music but also a place to come together as a community with many shared interests. Fairhaven College, where we will be centered, is nestled into the side of the Arboretum at the south edge of campus. Afternoon concerts and the Marketplace will be nearby and the evening concerts will be in the brand new King Student Rec Center, a short walk away.

Music Crossing Boundaries

Living near Canada, most of us “cross the border” frequently and some of us have made deep friendships with our neighbors to the north who also love Zimbabwean music. As we thought about the powerful ways in which music often serves to bring people together we decided that we wanted to emphasize that in our programming. We have worked to inter-twine this theme throughout the program — music helping to build unity across diversity, uniting people of different countries and cultures, of different ages, of different backgrounds.

As we watch Zimfest grow a bit each year we also have a fear, shared by many that we consulted with, that it will become “too big” or “too institutional” so we’ve intentionally tried to be sure that there are lots of opportunities for sharing and interchange with others, for spontaneous jamming, and for working together as part of the festival family.

Zimbabwean Guests

We were happy when four young Zimbabweans moved to Canada a couple of years ago and after meeting and hearing them play, we knew that we had to try our best to bring them to Zimfest: Garadziva Chigamba, Pasipamire Gunguwo, Kurai Mubaiwa, and Kokani Mzite. In addition, as we were planning this year’s festival we heard that the whole Chigamba family is going to be in the US so of course, we’ve invited Tute Chigamba, Irene Chigamba, and Julia Chigamba. In addition, they will be bringing cousin Ronnie Daliyo. Michael Sibanda and Jane Matiure will be joining us for the first time this year from Africa and Peta Axelsson will be coming from Sweden. Not to be underestimated, our old friends Maria Minnaar-Bailey, Musekiwa Chingodza, Beauler Dyoko, Lora Chiorah-Dye, Tendekai Kuture, Cosmas Magaya, Zivanai Masango, Paul Mataruse, Sheasby Matiure, Lucky Moyo, and Fradreck and Fungai Mujuru will all be returning. And finally, Sydney Maratu and Benita Tarupiwa are both hoping to return after too many years absence. Quite a line-up, don’t you agree?

New this Year

Teacher Track

This year Zimfest is including, for the first time, a program specifically for school music teachers. Teachers can receive continuing education credit or regular college credit through Western Washington University (WWU) by registering for and taking Schoolteacher Track workshops, as well as other Zimfest experiences.

The goal of this program is to give teachers direct access to Zimbabwean master musicians, so that they can gain a deeper understanding of Zimbabwean music and its cultural and historical context. Just as importantly, we hope that by coming to a festival with concerts, dancing, participation, musicians’ workshops as well as teachers’ workshops, marimba jams, a youth concert, and much more, they will come to experience and feel what this music is and carry that energy back to their classrooms. And with the school music community and the Zimfest community getting together, who knows what else might happen?

This year we are very fortunate to have many great Zimbabwean teachers and performers coming! As in years past, Zimfest hosts these friends by paying for all accommodations and meals while at Zimfest. This year we would like to offer the opportunity for individuals and groups to help sponsor the Zimbabwean teachers by paying for all or part of their housing and meal costs. For a single teacher this will be $250 for 4 nights with all meals. We encourage groups and bands to sponsor one teacher — for example, 8 people could come together and contribute $31.25 each to sponsor one teacher for the whole festival. See the Registration page or contact us at registration@zimfest.org if you have questions.

Marimba Jam

We heard from several folks that they would like more time to just hang out and play with others without the pressure of a class so we’ve arranged to have a special jamming spot with some times for beginners, intermediates, and advanced levels of players to get together informally to see what happens. This will have a facilitator but the idea is that it will be a place to try out what you know and play with others (rather than a place to learn a new part).

Instrument Clinics

Since instruments seem to be the backbone of our music, we want to help you know how to get them made and keep them going. We are hoping to have a marimba-building workshop with demonstrations and to serve as a place for exchanging ideas. A buzzer tweaking workshop is also on the agenda for those who want to get a “good buzz”... in a musical way. We also hope to have an Mbira Clinic where you can bring sick mbiras to be cared for.

Other Great Stuff Happening

Pre-Fest: Thursday August 11

Each year there are many attendees and groups who would like to have private lessons or sessions with a specific teacher and we have set aside space and instruments for this on Thursday, August 11th.

The following teachers have indicated their willingness to teach on this day: Ric Alviso, Peta Axelsson, Erica Azim, Michael Breez, Garadziva Chigamba, Ona Connon, Beauler Dyoko, Marilyn Kolodziejczyk, Tendekai Kuture, Joel Laviolette, Cosmas Magaya, Paul Mataruse, Maria Minnaar-Bailey, Lucky Moyo, Fradreck Mujuru, Fungai Mujuru, Dean Samuel, Michael Sibanda, and Wanda Walker.

If you are interested in having one of these special workshops or lessons, please let us know and we will put you in touch with the teacher of your choice to make arrangements. Also, if you have instruments that need surgery, let us know and we’ll try to connect you with a repair-wizard.

Opening Ceremony

We heard many requests to have an opening ceremony that will allow us to call the spirits, honor those who have come before us, prepare ourselves and our place , and open our minds and hearts to the music. This year’s opening ceremony will be on Friday night during the evening concert. We have some special plans in place for this (with the help of Cosmas Magaya and Beauler Dyoko) so be sure not to miss it!

Zimbabwean Dinner

We are honored that Ruth Nemarundwe Warren has agreed to provide an authentic Zimbabwean meal for us all on Friday evening. A professional caterer from Portland, Ruth has delighted Zimfest attendees in previous years with her delicious cooking several times over the years since she and her late sister Mai Chi cooked for the first Zimfest in 1995.

Dinner will include both chicken and vegetarian options, sadza, two side vegetables, Peanut sauce, and a drink. The cost will be $12 with children 12 and under paying $6. Please plan to join us for this fun, community meal by purchasing your ticket on the Registration page. Please note: the cafeteria in the dormitory will NOT serve a meal on Friday evening.

The Marketplace

Again this year we will have an outdoor market where you can purchase goods and talk to friendly people from nonprofit organizations involved in Zimbabwe. If you would like to have a booth, the vendor information and application is available here on our website. Please keep in mind the following criteria: items to be sold should be made in Zimbabwe or, if not, should be appropriate to the spirit and intent of Zimfest. If you have questions about the Marketplace, please e-mail market@zimfest.org.

Village Meeting

We will be coming together as a whole on Saturday from 12:30 to 2:00 to discuss issues of interest to us all.

Over the years this setting has provided the opportunity for many meaningful discussions, allowing us to get to know each other better, share common concerns and work on plans for change. We have shared our views on the ethical issues facing those who perform or teach music from another culture; we have talked about how to be respectful of each other, and we have looked at the various ways we can be involved in giving something back to Zimbabwe.

We feel that this discussion is so important that we have not scheduled any workshops or concerts at that time so that we may all participate. One topic of interest, of course, is what community will host the next festival. If you are interested in possibly hosting Zimfest in 2006, please contact the Zimfest Association board at board@zimfest.org to discuss this more.

Giving Back to Zimbabwe

Understandably, our involvement in Zimbabwean music inspires us to give something back to Zimbabwe in gratitude for the gift of its music and people and in recognition of the ways in which these have transformed our lives. As the situation in Zimbabwe worsens, we feel it is important that we be well informed both on the situation there and on ways in which we, as musicians, can help. Several non-profit organizations involved in relief work in Zimbabwe will have information available and we urge you to become informed both about the situation and about how to support the people of Zimbabwe.

Late Nite Parties

Mbira playing, singing, and partying into the early hours of the morning are a tradition at Zimfest. This year we will be using the Fairhaven Auditorium, a quiet space where we can play without worrying about anyone else hearing us except the hoshos.

Volunteering

We want to emphasize that this festival could not happen without the hard work of lots of people, all of us, really. It is “our” festival... totally put on by volunteer effort. So this year we are asking you to participate in that by volunteering a minimum of 2 hours during your stay. More about this inside.

Beyond Festival Opportunities
with Zimbabwean Guests

Most of the Zimbabwean artists and teachers will be in the US or Canada for an extended stay. They are likely available for both teaching and performances in your local community before or after Zimfest. This is yet another way that you can help “sponsor” a Zimbabwean and make this festival work. It is also an excellent way to learn more about Zimbabwean music and culture and to provide your community with unique cross-cultural experience. Please contact us at 2005@zimfest.org if you are interested in learning more about this opportunity.

Community Events

The Zimbabwean Music Festival hopes to foster an appreciation not only of Zimbabwean music, but also of Zimbabwean people — their language, culture and history. In addition, we aim to provide information about the current crises in Zimbabwe and about ways in which we can help out, both individually and as a community. We also want to provide forums of general interest.

To this end, several classes are offered “by donation” (with the suggested donation being $10). By creating the donation system, we hope to make these offerings available to more people. Most of these classes still have size limits so they will fill on a first-come first-served basis. You cannot pre-register for these classes. For a full description, see the Workshop Descriptions for presentations & lectures.

Special Note to Parents

See Special Note to Parents.

About Zimbabwean Music

The Festival offers a unique opportunity to explore complex and dynamic musical traditions. The mbira, an instrument common to many African cultures, consists of metal keys mounted on a wooden soundboard. In Zimbabwe, mbira music is part of a tradition that has remained strong for over a thousand years among the Shona people of Zimbabwe. Mbira pervades all aspects of Shona culture, both sacred and secular. Its most important function is to communicate with both deceased ancestors and tribal guardians, at all-night bira ceremonies. At these ceremonies, vadzimu (spirits of family ancestors), mhondoro (spirits of deceased chiefs) and makombwe (the most powerful guardian spirits of the Shona) give guidance on family and community matters and exert power over weather and health. While this role is still integral to Shona culture, the mbira is also increasingly used in the pop music of Zimbabwe. The marimba’s use in Zimbabwe dates back to the 1960’s, when the instruments were adapted from various southern African traditions to form a uniquely Zimbabwean instrument at the Kwanongoma College of Music, a teacher training college in Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia).

Marimba came to the West in the late 1960’s in the hands of Dr. Dumisani Maraire, who taught Kwanongoma-style marimba music and his own compositions to students at the University of Washington, Evergreen College, and later others. Today communities of people playing Zimbabwean-style mbira and marimba exist across North America and the world. Since the first Zimfest, which took place in Seattle in 1991, each year the festival has attempted to reflect a cross-section of Zimbabwean cultures. The festival also includes offerings from Ndebele and other cultures in addition to those of the Shona people.

How to Contact Zimfest 2005

For General questions by E-mail: 2005@zimfest.org
For Registration questions (workshops, housing, meals, etc.): registration@zimfest.org
For Alternative Housing questions: housing@zimfest.org
For Volunteer questions (including childcare): volunteers@zimfest.org
Phone messages and FAX: 360-738-4336
Postal address: Zimfest 2005, PO Box 30066, Bellingham, WA 98228

Who We Are

This year’s planning committee members are Bellinghamsters: Marie Eaton, Bela Foltin, Stephen Golovnin, Julie Ishihara, Tedd Judd, Rose Orskog, and Bobbie DeBoard. But, of course, we don’t work alone... we want to acknowledge help from many others in our own and nearby communities PLUS lots of help and advice from last year’s committee, Erica Azim, Beauler Dyoko, Larry Israel, Marilyn Kolodziejczyk, Cosmas Magaya, Aimee Nassoiy, Petra Siemion, Ross Thompson, and many others.