Club Shanga realises dream

this Friday.
The tour almost failed to materialise after it turned out that six members of the group still had not acquired passports by March 25, which was the deadline for visa applications.
It would have been a big blow for Club Shanga, who were also crowned the Chibuku Road to Fame national winners last year.
Music Crossroads Zimbabwe director Mathias Bangure confirmed yesterday that the group members now have passports.
“Music Crossroads International managed to bail out Club Shanga by topping up money for their passport applications at the Marondera Passport Office.
“The visas for the European tour have already been processed and the group is currently in camp rehearsing for the tour,” said Bangure.
Club Shanga won the inter-regional finals in Bagamoyo, Tanzania, after beating other groups from the host country, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia.
The affected group members had travelled to Tanzania using Emergency Travel Documents, which are invalid in Europe.
Farai Baramasimbe, Trust Mutombo, Vongai Makonde, Musa Maruva, Georgina Mutenda and Peserverence Mataranyika were all using ETDs.
The European tour itinerary will include holding concerts in larger and smaller venues as well as workshops in schools and cultural centres. The countries ton the itinerary are Spain, Holland, Belgium, Ireland, Sweden and Austria. The trip was organised by Music Crossroads International in conjunction with the non-profit Jeunesses Musicales network.
Music Crossroads started way back in 1996 and today incorporates Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia.
It has grown to become the largest and most popular youth cultural initiative in sub-Saharan Africa offering unique opportunities for young people aged between 15 and 25 from marginalised backgrounds.
Through 40 annual festivals, workshops and competitions in the five target countries, one band among a thousand is selected at the annual Inter-Regional Festival for a European tour the following year.
Club Shanga, as the inter-regional winners in 2010, will not only act as musicians during the European tour, but also as cultural ambassadors for Zimbabwe.
They will interact with young people in the European countries to be visited during the tour and will share the important cultural heritage of our country and inform young Europeans of the beauty that is Zimbabwe.
Previous regional winners from Zimbabwe – Bongo Love from Bulawayo and Mokoomba of Victoria Falls – have since won worldwide recognition after their European tours.
Other local winners from Music Crossroads Zimbabwe include Ihawu Lesizwe, First Farai and Progress Chipfumo who have gone on to make a name for themselves locally.