Greetings

Welcome to the ever-growing community of Zimbabwean music lovers!! Summer is reaching out to us through the drizzle. Spring rain drumming on the window, budding branches rattling together, birds singing in the morning as the sun breaks through the clouds — all whisper to us of the spirit of mbira, the pulse of the marimba, the heart of our family. The Zimfest community in Eugene wishes to open our arms with joy and invite you all to a very special 15th Zimfest, “Dancing Under the Stars — Zimfest 2006.”

This year our gathering will be on the Oregon Country Fair site near Veneta, Oregon, 15 miles west of Eugene. Native Americans have laughed and danced on this land for centuries. Their spirits look over the river, the old oaks, and now we will call the spirits of Zimbabwe to join them as we celebrate the ancient beauty of their song, kept truly alive in our hearts and hands.

This event brings us together as an international community of teachers, students, performers, and lovers of Zimbabwean music and dance for four full days of fun and festivities beneath the sky.

Please use this web site to peruse the many workshops, 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. Come and be with your family.

The Oregon Country Fair Site

Zimfest Map (click to enlarge)

The Oregon Country Fair sits on hundreds of acres just north of Veneta, Oregon. The Long Tom River runs through the site and is the source of spring flooding that occurs most every year. From the beginning of May through early July, the site transforms from quiet woods and meadows to a bustling community of volunteers creating the magical city of colorful booths and joyful sounds that is the OCF.

Our Zimfest family will gather there just two weeks after the Fair’s conclusion. Our marketplace will sprout in front of the Fair Dragon, pictured at right, and the main stage will face a large, beautiful meadow dotted with old oaks. There will be RV parking (no hookups, though) just a few yards away where you can circle your land yachts with your friends or snug up to the shade trees. Tents will be happy in the woods, on the edges of the meadows, down secret trails, in little groups or secluded off by themselves. Workshops will be scattered around to provide sound separation. You’ll be doing some walking or you can bring your bikes. There’s no better place for a stroll than the Oregon Country Fair site.

New This Year

Besides holding our Festival outdoors and “dancing under the stars,” what’s new this year? Well, much of the food we’ll eat is being grown just for us! “Hey Bales! Farm” near Eugene is planting rows and rows of greens for our event. It will be fresh and healthy. More about the food on the Accommodations & Meals page. Yum.

We considered the idea of a “one price” festival, but instead created a cost structure that better reflects your needs. We believe it will be a little less expensive for most of you, especially those with kids. Everyone under 12 will be free, paying only for workshops. See Festival Packages & Prices.

The Main Stage is the Only Stage this year. Located just east of the Marketplace facing a large meadow, performances will take place from 11:00 am until 11:30 pm. Be sure to bring your lawn chairs and blankets and your dancin’ feet. Dance Under the Stars!

Zimbabwean Guests

Our community began with a master musician from Zimbabwe, Dumisani Maraire, and his successors continue to nurture our community with their presence. Joining us this year will be Garadziva Chigamba, Irene Chigamba, Musekiwa Chingodza, Rujeko Dumbutshena, Paul Mataruse, Sheasby Matiure, and Alport Mhlanga. Read about them on the Workshop Teachers page.

Pre-Fest — Thursday, July 20th

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, July 20th. The following teachers have indicated their willingness to teach on this day: Erica Azim, Jaiaen Beck, Garadziva Chigamba, Irene Chigamba, Musekiwa Chingodza, Rujeko Dumbutshena, Kite Giedraitis, Stephen Golovnin, Marilyn Kolodziejczyk, Paul Mataruse, Sheasby Matiure, Alport Mhlanga, and Maria Minnaar-Bailey.

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 — Thursday, 9:00 pm

Plans are underway for a truly special 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. Our opening ceremony will be Thursday night around the fire, with a shorter version included in Friday night’s concert. Native Americans, Zimbabweans, and members of the Fire Dancer Tribe will call the ancestors with sound and light. Be sure not to miss it!

The Marketplace

Again this year we will have an outdoor market where you can purchase goods and talk to friendly people from non-profit organizations involved in Zimbabwe. Located in Dragon Plaza, the marketplace will include food and snack vendors and some will stay open for the evening concerts. If you would like to have a booth, vendor information and applications are available on our website. Please keep in mind the following criteria: craft 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.

Late-Night Parties

Mbira playing, singing, and partying into the early hours of the morning are a tradition at Zimfest. This year we will gather around a fire pit where we can play without worrying about being too loud. Of course, you are free to party just about anywhere this year.

Village Meeting — Saturday, 1:00–2:30 pm

We will be coming together as a family on Saturday from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm (Saturday workshops end at noon and resume at 3 pm) 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 one another, and we have looked at the various ways we can be involved in giving something back to Zimbabwe. One topic of interest, of course, is what community will host future festivals. If you are interested in possibly hosting Zimfest in 2008, please contact the Zimfest Board at board@zimfest.org.

Marimba Jam

We heard from several folks that they really loved having more time to just hang out and play with others without the pressure of a class. Again this year 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).

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, not only in general but for people we know and love, 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. We’re all in this together. Read the news at www.thezimbabweindependent.com.

Sponsor A Zimbabwean

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 their accommodations and meals while at the Festival. 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 $200 for 4 nights with all meals.

We encourage groups and bands to sponsor one teacher — for example, 8 people could come together and contribute $25 each to sponsor a teacher for the whole festival. See the Registration pages or contact us at registration@zimfest.org if you have questions.

Beyond Festival Opportunities
with Zimbabwean Guests

Most of the Zimbabwean artists and teachers will be in the U.S. or Canada for an extended stay. They are likely available for both teaching and performing 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 a unique cross-cultural experience. Please contact us at 2006@zimfest.org if you are interested in learning more about this opportunity.

Volunteers 2006

As we all know, volunteers make Zimfest possible. Thousands of volunteer hours go into creating each year’s festival. Without US, there is no Zimfest!

This year, we expect and need all participants to volunteer at least 2 hours. Because of the change in venue, some of the volunteer options are a little different than in previous years. The opportunities abound! In addition to the regular tasks of moving instruments or being a workshop helper there are other fun jobs available this year at the OCF site.

In the registration forms and in online registration, you will find a list of volunteer options. We ask you to look it over and choose your areas of interest, then submit them with your registration.

You can sign up for shifts at the registration table when you arrive. Volunteer coordinators will be there to help you finalize your shift selections. Look for us — we’ll be looking for you!

About Zimbabwean Music

Zimfest 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 1960s, 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 1960s 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.

What About the Kids!?

See What About the Kids!?

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

We plan to make Zimfest 2006 as earth-friendly as possible. The Oregon Country Fair has a long tradition of embracing the concept of the “three Rs,” managing to keep the fair site as pristine as possible, even with 30,000+ feet moving through it each day! Having the benefit of this pre-existing infrastructure will make it that much easier for us to protect this precious resource. We ask that you join us in this endeavor during your stay by disposing of waste materials properly. Like Alice in Wonderland, just look for the signs!

About the Oregon Country Fair

It is the intention of the Oregon Country Fair to create events and experiences that nourish the spirit, explore living artfully and authentically on Earth, and transform culture in magical, joyous, and healthy ways.

Although the Fair is held only three days of the year (July 7–9 this year), we are always stewards of the land on which it is held. Our motto is, “Above all, reverence for the land.”

For 37 years thousands of people have made the party happen, selling handmade crafts and food, playing their own homemade music, sharing the rhythm of their hands with the air, and letting their freedom sing out. Just 2 weeks before this Zimfest 2006, the Oregon Country Fair will become the fourth largest city in Oregon for 3 days, with our own water and communication systems, security team, recycling service and much, much more. Recycling is a big part of taking care of the land. The Fair requires compostable or reusable as often as possible. We urge all people to think and live sustainably.

Fairgoers, Fair workers, and the OCF organization alike contribute to many non-profit groups through the Jill Heiman Vision Fund, the Bill Wooten Endowment Fund, and the Board of Directors.

The Oregon Country Fair, in collaboration with Eugene BioSource, has arranged to power all of its diesel equipment with 100% Biodiesel, a renewable fuel derived from vegetable oil which burns cleaner than petroleum diesel. The Community Village, the part of the Fair in which Eugene’s Kutsinhira Cultural Center will participate, is dedicated to education, information access, and networking for progressive social change.

In keeping with our policy of responsible land management through watershed enhancement our staff and volunteers have been working to enhance Indian Creek, which is a vital component of our landscape. This project has been funded by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board.

Other Fair site events include our summer camp for youth, Culture Jam, where teenagers can learn how to use their voice and energy to help build a better world.

We are all family. Welcome home.

How to Contact Zimfest 2006

For General questions by E-mail: 2006@zimfest.org
For Registration questions (workshops, meals, etc.): registration@zimfest.org
For Volunteer questions (including childcare): volunteers@zimfest.org
Phone messages and fax: 541-607-1008
Postal address: Zimfest 2006, PO Box 5315, Eugene, OR 97405

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