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TWO mbira acts – Maungira eNharira and Sasha “Amadhuve” Lushomwa – will headline an African Day mbira festival to be held at Mashwede Village on May 24.
Dubbed Mashwede Mbira Festival, the mid-week event will parade fellow acts, which have been playing at the popular venue.
Tendai Mavengeni, Texas Tekenya and a number of dance groups promoting African culture, will also perform at the event.
Event organisers have also invited people selling African wares to exhibit with them at the venue.
Festival coordinator and Mashwede Village manager, Melissa Chifamba, confirmed the show.
“We have decided to celebrate the Africa Day in a unique way by putting together this mbira festival at our venue.
“Over the years, we have been holding the mid-week mbira slot, which has become popular with fans, and we have decided to put together a festival as a thank you to some of the people who have been loyal to us over the years.
“It’s unfortunate that one of the people who pioneered the slot, Vee Mhofu is booked elsewhere but we would have loved to see him performing here.”
Chifamba told H-Metro there were plans to make the Mashwede Mbira Festival an annual event.
“We are certainly going to make the Mashwede Mbira Festival an annual event to ensure that we give mbira lovers something worth celebrating.
“We are also happy with the feedback we are getting from people and the artists who want to be part of the line-up.
“It’s unfortunate that for now we are going to deal with those that we have at the moment.
“We are also going to weigh options on whether to make some editions to the line-up,” she said.
Mbira DzeNharira, under the stewardship of Tichaona “Nyamasvisva” MaAfrica, needs no introduction on the local showbiz scene.
Sasha Amadhuve, who passed through the Edna “Mbuya Madhuve” Chizema’s mentorship, is an established name.
Master of ceremonies, Sista Kessia, is set to spice up the event.
Africa Day is celebrated on May 25 every year across the continent.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter