Bulawayo celebrates World Music Day with Canadian singer

Today is World Music Day, and Alliançe Française de Bulawayo is hosting a concert titled “Fête de la Musique”, featuring performances by Canadian and local musicians in its honour.

World Music Day is an international event that celebrates the beauty and diversity of music. It transcends boundaries, cultures, and genres, encouraging people from all corners of the world to embrace music and its profound impact on our lives.

On this day, musicians and music enthusiasts alike come together to perform, share their talents, and spread joy through the universal language of melody.

The Canadian artiste, Mélissa Laveaux is in the country as part of her residency in Southern Africa.

She was in Matopos on Wednesday and will today perform alongside Nkwali, Ezimnyama Dance Ensemble and Skyblue as part of the World Music Day free concert at Alliançe Française de Bulawayo.

In partnership with the French Institute in South Africa and the network of Alliances Françaises in Southern Africa, Mélissa Laveaux is touring Zimbabwe and its neighbouring countries to create and be inspired by diverse cultures.

This will lead to the creation of her future music album. In Matabeleland, she will be meeting female artistes to find inspiration.

Laveaux said that she is on a journey of self-discovery.

“I aim to work on my own forgotten personal history. In the past few years, I’ve begun to recover memories of my childhood where I have had close brushes with death. From a complicated conception and birth, to surviving a drunk truck driver, or my very first asthma attack meeting the Caribbean ocean, all these episodes have left their mark.

“Naturally, I felt compelled to begin a body of work that told the tales of these chance meetings through autobiographical short stories and songs. As I make my way through select cities in Southern and Eastern Africa, I will be meeting with different artists and musicians and community leaders about their experiences with death and grief and the music that it may have inspired. Drawing parallels and connections with musicians from across the Atlantic (and Pacific), I aim to delve deeper into these universal themes,” she explained.

In an interview, Alliançe Française de Bulawayo director, Guillaume Ripaude expressed excitement with the festivities lined-up.

“I’m excited for what we have lined up for this day as we have the World Music Day Concert as well as the “Lost in translation” 8-series animation by Left Hand Animation and Cosmas Roinuj.

“The team who conceptualised and designed this web series asked me to do a voice over of a character that I’ll be playing which was a really cool thing to do,” he said.

He reiterated his earlier promise from earlier this year, expressing his desire to see young talent flourish and utilise the resources provided by Alliançe Française de Bulawayo.

@MbuleloMpofu