Pure magic at Miombo

Andrew Moyo

The concept behind the festival is unique and refreshing in many respects, having a stage set up in a rocky bush with an exquisite view of the beautiful mountainous valley.

LAST weekend, the usually quiet forests of Christon Bank were a hive of activity as Miombo Park hosted the Miombo Magic Music Festival.

The three-day jamboree was jam-packed with exciting performances from around 40 artistes who took to the stage.

The concept behind the festival is unique and refreshing in many respects, having a stage set up in a rocky bush with an exquisite view of the beautiful mountainous valley.

Although the concept of camping for a festival is a rarity to the Zimbabwean fun lovers, many people are now warming up to the idea if the number of campers for this year’s edition is anything to go by.

On the Friday at around 4pm when the festival was scheduled to start, several people had already set up their tents with the number of campers increasing at nightfall.

Although the first performance was a bit delayed due to a slight drizzle that threatened to spoil the night, when it did start after the rain stopped, the few individuals who had gathered around the stage area were treated to the jazzy blues of Raven Duchess.

This would mark the beginning of a memorable night that saw patrons who had braved the freezing temperatures being entertained by artistes who included Mackay, Sowe, Heavyweight Guitar, Mathias Julius, The Skuds, Ammara Brown and Jam Signal among others.

The line-up ensured that there was a bit of everything for everyone in the multiracial crowd that had come to jam the night away.

From the soulful sounds of Vee Mukarati’s saxophone to Ammara Brown’s supercharged dance moves, the mood was not doused for a second until it was time for people to hit the after party in the wee hours of Saturday morning.

The party continued at the bar, with DJs Rob Macson and Non-Stop keeping the night crawlers entertained with electro-dance and Afro-Latin house, which went on until 5am.

Saturday’s schedule was the busiest with performances starting as early as 8am. The stage did not get any rest until the early hours of Sunday morning.

With the first rays of sunshine blanketing the picturesque view, Eve Kawadza was the first artiste to go on stage but unfortunately, she had to entertain just a few early risers who had managed to shake off the previous night’s hangover.

Jazz legends Cool Crooners also fused perfectly with the amazing morning atmosphere, pulling off an exceptional performance, with choreography that seemed to defy their old age.

By noon, the stage front was packed with music lovers who were enjoying the slow soulful jams that characterised the morning line-up.

At midday, Barcelona-based ethnic fusion artiste Anita Zengeza seduced the crowd with her beauty and amazing vocal ability complemented her guitar skills.

Festival organisers should be commended for giving upcoming talent a chance to shine at the event with their Book Cafe Newcomers slot that had several new acts showing their musical abilities. Fiddelicious stole the afternoon limelight, with their traditional Irish sounds that sent many fans kicking dust on the dance floor.

As the day wore on, the crowd got the chance to also participate when Drum Café came and distributed miniature drums, pulling off an interesting set where fans were the backing drummers. The real party, however, kicked off when Transit Crew came in the evening and showed everyone why they are the best reggae outfit in the country. With a vocal contingent that included Mannex, Dino Mudondo and Buhle, the band proved to be the best act of the day, unleashing sing-along reggae hits throughout their set and when they finished, it proved difficult for the MC to silence the “One More” anthem that came from the crowd.

Other artistes who performed on the night included Victor K, Marcy and The Red, Gwenga and Djembe Monks. Djembe Monks went on stage way after midnight and sent the crowd into a frenzy with their unique tribal house set that fused live djembe drumming with a DJ mixing it on the decks.

The party continued way into the early hours of Sunday morning with beer guzzlers sticking around the bar where they were entertained by the DJ.

The last day of the event was supercharged with the organisers having saved the best for the last.

The crowd was also much bigger, which could be attributed to the irresistible line-up that included Hope Masike, Tariro Negitare, Gemma Griffins, Mokoomba and Jah Prayzah among others.

Despite the fact that most of the acts who performed had a good day in office, it was the last two acts that sent the bar to another level.

Mokoomba is well known the world over for their mesmerising performances and they managed to prove why they are regarded as one of the best groups in the country with an amazing set. Jah Prayzah, who was the closing act was announced as “the best artiste in the country”, and he showed the audience why he had been given such a tag.

The dance floor really got wild from the time he got on stage right up to the time he left the stage in a well-choreographed military exit.

DJ Dawee who was coming straight from his performance at the Lake of Stars in Malawi slowed it down to let the crowd enjoy their last drinks while packing up their tents.

Speaking to The Sunday Mail Leisure, festival director Gus Le Briepon said he was happy with the outcome of the event and promised to organise a bigger and better event next year.

“I was a bit worried on Friday when it looked like it would rain and there were a few people who had come through. I am glad that more people started coming on Saturday and we managed to have an amazing weekend.

We have had an array of artistes from all over Zimbabwe including some of our talent based overseas who came to showcase Zimbabwe’s artistic diversity.

“We didn’t invite any foreign acts to this event because we know that we have amazing local talent that can deliver exceptional performances. They also deserve the chance to headline such events,” said Briepon.

Miombo Magic: Zimbabwe’s musical cuisine

Takudzwa Chihambakwe – Leisure Correspondent

IF one is looking for a place to find a delicacy of Zimbabwean music, then Miombo Magic Festival is the place to start.

The fifth edition of the festival was magical from start to end.

At times it was hard to believe that it was all Zimbabwean talent as some of the genres exhibited are rarely witnessed locally on a regular basis.

Acts such as Mokoomba, Transit Crew, Vee Mukarati, Fiddelicious, Ammara Brown and Josh Meck came out guns blazing and proved that Zimbabwe has what it takes to conquer the global stage.

Attendees also got to witness some new phenomenal talent from the likes of Gemma Griffiths, Heavy Weights, Mackay Brothers and Jam Signal, proving that Zimbabwe’s musical future is in safe hands.

Unlike other festivals where people come to the site and drive back home, at Miombo, attendees camp for three days in the bush. This creates a crazy party mood which sees everyone having fun.

The music plays non-stop till the last day.

Once an act is done, another immediately begins and this goes on until 2am. Thereafter, a DJ takes over till the break of dawn and the cycle begins again.

People can go to chill out at various food stalls on site and chat with buddies. If one gets too cold during the night, there are fires at various spots were people gather, chat and make new fiends.

For those who come out with their families, it is a cool joint for a picnic and quality time with your loved ones.

Another unique factor about this festival is that all proceeds are channelled to Christon Bank Primary School and this year, the festival organisers received a grant from the Australian Embassy to build houses for teachers at the institution.

Festival organiser Gus Le Briepon said: “We are very grateful to the Australian Embassy that gave us a grant just before we started the festival to construct two houses for teachers at the school. It is very important to us as this is the main purpose of the festival – to raise funds to help run the school.”

Gus also highlighted plans for next year’s festival.

“Well it seems we got the formula working perfectly so we won’t change much but we are looking at ways to bring in more bands and have more diversity.

I would also want to see all those who attended bringing a tent to camp and not driving back home.”