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Kelvin Benjamin
THE curtain came down in the first edition of ‘Festival FAZ p’ARTE’ last week with organisers calling for more investment in the production of African traditional musical instruments.
Running under the theme, “Rescuing Traditional Instruments On The Verge Of Extinction”, the festival saw artists from Mozambique and Zimbabwe coming together in the port city of Beira.
Joshua Musvingi, Clayton Chigumira and Pedro Kwainola from Mutare conducted mbira lessons for college students at a private school in Mozambique.
The trio’s manager, Doity Mukonorwi, said:
“This is a noble move and we are looking forward to encouraging each other to embrace our cultures.
“We are setting the stage for more engagements and more cultural exchange programmes.
“As demand for indigenous technology is rising and local craftsmen are failing to supply wares, participants at the festival highlighted that the production process is not developed enough despite exhibitors and curators, who are searching for African art forms, providing a niche clientele base.”
Workshops on how to come up with traditional musical instruments such as xylophones, lamella phones and drums were also conducted.
The representative and head of the Portuguese Culture Centre in Beira, Dr. Celina Martins Santos, said:
“This project is a result of collaboration, cooperation and acceptance among the people of Portugal, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
“It will unleash the economic potential of African traditional musical instruments and lead to integrate them into the economies.”
The festival revealed the uniqueness and strength of African traditional musical instruments.
Online Reporter