Why Involve Schools in Gender Mainstreaming?

For three years now, the Mbira Society Zimbabwe has partnered with Mabelreign Girls High School in the International Women’s Day Schools Concert. The Concert is a celebration of achievements by women, interaction and discussion of gender and equality concerns in today’s society by schools through the arts: a medium that school students not only enjoy, but are keen to be part of.

The inaugural concert was held in March 2010 and the second inception in March 2011 lasting three hours of networking, live music performances, theatre, Mbira and marimba ensembles, choirs, drama, debates, speeches and a stand up pledge. The Concert is held in the school hall and has to date been attended by Girls High School Harare, Prince Edward Boys High, Dominican Convent Girls Harare, Churchill Boys High School, Roosevelt Girls High School, Mabelreign Girls High School, Ellis Robins Boys High School, Borrowdale Primary School, Alfred Beit Primary School and St Giles Special School. The Concert has also worked with established female artists: Chiwoniso Maraire, Miss Tourism Zimbabwe, Hope Masike, Carmen Nelly Hwarari and Mai Chisamba who are invited as guest personalities. The Concert has worked with community organizations who work in the gender and equality field: Women and Law in Southern Africa Research and Education (WILSA) and PADARE who assist the girls and boys in discussions on gender issues and promote equality. The Concert works with other arts organizations that input in the creativity and artistic presentations done by schools: Music Crossroads Zimbabwe and National Commission for UNESCO.

But why all this?

Well, the world today is led and lived in by individuals who were at one point in the lives ‘school students’. Be it in any field, success and development has been a result of someone who has, at the minimum, been through primary school, secondary school or high school. It is therefore correct to claim that schools are central and pivotal in creating the kind of leadership and citizenship any country would want: institutions nonetheless. What a school student is made to experience and participate in influences the future. It is also therefore correct and prudent to involve schools in development issues and let schools rally along, input and participate in activities that make and create a better society. In this manner, it is important and right to involve schools in gender equality education, occasions, initiatives and celebrations. As such many activities do take place in Zimbabwe and the world over to acknowledge and promote equality between males and females as a tool for development chief among them: International Women’s Day and 16 Days of Activism against Violence against Women in October. It is with the above situation that Mabelreign Girls High School and Mbira Society set out in 2010 to create and hold the International Women’s’ Day School Concert. The Concert has received a great response from the communities and schools involved and the Concert will ‘grow out’ and be connected to other celebrations in 2013.

It is important to remember that gender inequality and gender based violence has been described as one hindrance that has cut and suppressed development in the world by 50%. Inequality in the society has created an unequal distribution of resources between men and women and undermined the social and economic development in Africa. Our society is described by violence towards women, non-schooling for young girls leading to early marriage, high women dependence on men, spread of disease and poverty. It is with great strength and will to abate this problem that today Zimbabwe is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, CEDAW (1979) and Optional Protocol to the Convention (1999) that creates, promotes and fights for equality between males and females in Zimbabwe. Education on equality must be inculcated into the young school going students so that they grow with the knowledge and right attitude towards each other and towards the world in a ‘catch them young’ manner. Schools are right to be part of any initiative to promote and support gender equality.

Research Looks at Female Musicians use of the Internet

Musicologist, Jeff Warara 2009 research has turned into a reality. His topic, "The Effectiveness of the Internet Media In Marketing Zimbabwean Female Musicians, A Case Study of the Harare International Festival of the Arts" yava chokwadi if one looks at Zimbabwe now. Read the abstract now and visit the online article later! ABSTRACT To ascertain the effectiveness of the internet media in marketing Zimbabwean female musicians, the Researcher engaged female musicians and HIFA officials in face to face interviews, questionnaires, as well as in document analysis of their websites, social networks and blogs. Results showed a new media form that offers ownership, control and a communicative platform for women to say and portray themselves in the manner they appreciate and empowers female musicians. The information gathered enlightened the Researcher on how technology in the modern age liberates women if Zimbabwe and other African countries provide real access and affordability of the medium. The Researcher found the espoused mobile internet being introduced by Econet Zimbabwe as one of the major steps to ensure this. This effectively liberates one half of humanity, “the women” including female musicians. The research was supervised by Mrs T Shoko from Midlands State University.

Special Schools Arts Festival - First Ever - June 8 @ St Giles Special School!!!!

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Tambayi Zhizha Festival on in Hatcliffe!!!!

This Saturday, the 14th of April, the Community Centre in Hatcliffe will come alive with draws of young people coming in to attend the inaugural Tambayi Zhizha Festival. This unusually quiet neighborhood along the Harare Domboshawa Highway, apart from the evictions of tenants by the City Council, will host a profile of top entertainers Harare has to offer in what will be feast of the eyes, ears and taste buds. The one day festival will start at 10am and end around 5pm and is an initiative by Rovambira Arts Network, a local NGO from the same neighborhood.

Topping the list of entertainers is the notorious Kapfupi fronting OchestraNdoozvo. Kapfupi is well known with his hit track Mai Nga and the young people will definitely pweteka to his humorous jokes and skits on stage. Controversial JahPrayzer will bring HIS Kung Fu dressing to the stage. Imagine actually gochigoching at the same time Jahprayzer will be singing Gochigochigoyeee, gochigochi babe! Fun stuff hey!. The dendera player TrysonChimbetu will be there as well as the dance groupSyndicate, 2BG, Crazy Boyz, Generations Dance, Macka B and many other music groups.

According to MalonMacebo, “Tambayi Zhizha is an arts celebration of the end of the natural farming season in Zimbabwe into the winter season and will in that manner include chibage, mangai, mahewu, manhanga, rupiza and many other farm produce the young people of Hatcliffe can get their hands on”.

But ofcourse, HOT DOGGS will be there as well as well as all the other refreshments the world has to offer to young people.

Please call Marlon Maceboon 0773 596 539 for more details.

'A Peace of Art' on at Zimbabwe Germam Society

On the 11th of April, young artists will converge at The Zimbabwe German Society in the firstpart of the ‘A Peace of Art’ creative competition in Harare. The event will see young artists from around Harare coming together and showing various works of art that expresses their opinions and experiences with peace issues in Zimbabwe.

‘A Peace of Art’ is a call to young artists up to the age of 30 to participate, share and learn about peace through any artistic media including drawing, sculpture, paint, photography,dance, poetry, drama, song and film. The idea is to instil peace education in young people at the same time promoting artistic development in line with the many socio-political concerns that are present in Zimbabwe. The prizes are a reward in solidarity with the feeling that the arts must create income for artists like any other profession. 3 acts will walk away with various monetary prizes. Female artists are especially encouraged to participate.

Together with Zimbabwe Youth Organizations Network and the CIVIL PEACE SERVICE,the Zimbabwean German Society will provide a host of judges to adjudicate the entries and
award prizes. The winners will be presented during an exhibition at the ZGS on the 13th of April.

‘The idea is to support young upcoming artists and to give them a platform where they can present their works and create new networks for career development’, said Antoina Karle who assisting with the program.

This project is part of the many other development project going on at the Zimbabwe
German Society that include language training, acoustic nights, workshops and group
discussions.

Reform Zimbabwe Union of Musicians: Involve Musicians in Community Development

Since time immemorial modes of communication have been vital in our society with music playing an integral communicative role in the Zimbabwean pre-colonial and colonial community. Fundamentally music acts as a vehicle for socialisation and community development. Culture vanguards and art performers were regarded in high esteem and were also consulted at the “dare” where issues affecting the community were discussed and decisions made. Even today, these forms of art play a very important role in shaping societal norms and beliefs. With the dynamism of culture, these art forms now play a different role in the modern Zimbabwean society, littered with socio-economic hardships, political intolerance, culture erosion and ignorance.

Our society today has shelved music as entertainment, only to be involved when the real issues have been dealt with. Even Tuku is only invited to after conference activities which basically involve him strumming chords on the guitar. When he says “Bvuma”, every Zimba laughs and it ends there. Unlike journalists, musicians do not hold water so it seems. They are a lot who must be gripped, victimised, sidelined, deprived and as such be controlled and not given any seriousness. They are pleasant to the ears but must leave through the other ear before any assimilation of them and their sayings happens.

I place the whole blame of such mindsets and sidelining on such representative bodies like the Zimbabwe Union of Musicians.

A lack of direction, priority and boldness of some people has made the arts a non-event in the political and economic spheres of Zimbabwe as individualism rules at the end of the day. Inongova njake njake in the arts yet ZUM is there, annual subscription fees are paid, an office with computer is made available and donations keep coming in from various sectors.

Few young artists of today, and even arts and culture students at tertiary institutions, for instance, know the role of Zimbabwe Union Musicians yet they form an integral part of the our community that must be represented by the same institution at decision making processes.

A visit to the ZUM offices at NRZ will clearly show why the Zimbabwe Union Musicians needs reform. From the first corridors, one is greeted with an odour of rotting timber and moulding on the brick walls. The office itself has no lights and the furniture inside is apparently discarded seats, broken tables and chairs. I heard they now want to sublet it! Only three people currently work for ZUM who are the Chairman, National Organising Secretary and Secretary General. This is if working for an organisation means you can come in twice a week around 2pm then leave at 3pm, your phone number stuck on the door ‘in case of emergency’. These are ‘elected’ officials who decide the policies of the organization and indirectly many other lives. There are no staff members to run the day to day needs of the Union. Ask for a job and you will be the most disappointed person ever! The three officials spend most of their time in their own personal affairs in the arts. One is lucky to find someone at the offices. The one computer available is locked as well as the new P.A System they have recently been donated of, in a separate room. All this as me, one graduate musician, is struggling uptown in Harare. Apparently publicity stunts are what thy are good at. Donating thousands of dollars at high profile funerals and hosting reggae outfits paid outrageous absurd fees.

Says one musician, “Musangano wauraya ZUM”. A political party has destroyed ZUM. Maybe in continuing after Tekere’s ZUM.

It is such a representative situation that has resulted in the arts and culture industries being “left behind” in processes and platforms that have shaped Zimbabwe to this day. The 2010 Constitutional process under the GPA principals is also likely to “leave behind” cultural rights and arts needs if the selection of only two arts professionals by the Parliamentary Select Committee to be part of the thematic sub-committees is anything to go by. No representative of the Union was selected. This neglect has resulted in having this national arts body only in name but with no active mandate, less capacity for growth and no meaningful contribution in the arts community. Uncalled for involvement by individuals with political influence Union has rendered it useless and unable to speak out against unfair working environments for artists. Coupled with undemocratic decision making by the leaders, they have left the artist uncatered for. If you want to get our older musicians angry, ask them about Zimbabwe Union of Musicians, yet the involvement and quality of decisions of Zimbabwe Union of Musicians will have a direct bearing on the economic activities of artists.

Institutional Reform must be carried out at Zimbabwe Union of Musicians. Institutional Reform must change and install systems of good governance that promote effective use of resources allocated to such bodies by funding agencies as Culture Fund. ZUM must recruit; create better working conditions for the staff members and its beneficiaries. Institutional Reform will provide platforms for safe and sustainable project management, tools for reporting, re-networking and positive imaging Zimbabwe Union of Musicians. Installing financial systems that are transparent and accountable and insisting on the organisation using or referencing their constitutions and denounce undemocratic decision making by the leaders is important. As our labour representative, tertiary arts and culture students who will eventually be the leaders of the same organisation and other arts bodies tomorrow must be part of this reform process. Elections are long overdue. The trio currently heading ZUM must be changed. We need young people with fresh ideas, new drives and room to sacrifice. I have not seen an artist with a medical aid card!

The Government of Zimbabwe must understand the arts as a profession like any other revenue generating profession that needs a say, recognition and inclusion in the processes that develop Zimbabwe. It is better to have more government involvement in the affairs of such arts bodies to provide resources and legal advice in policy creation and implementation. These efforts will only be solidified by the creation of the Arts and Culture Commission to represent the arts and culture industries at decision making bodies and provide for capacity building and reform for many other smaller organisations formed for the cause of arts and culture development. Viva la musica!

Girl clinches UNESCO Competition

Mabelreign Girls High “Major” is a school that thrives on success. Recently awarded the Best Blood Donating School in 2010, Sasha, a Form 3 student at the school has won the UNESCO HIV and AIDS Poster Competition for this year organized in collaboration with the UNESCO Associated Schools Project network (ASPnet). As regional winners the school will receive a digital camera.

“It’s a dream come true for me, I love art”, said the excited girl who joined five other young students from across the world as the winners of the competition. Her poster won the Sub-Saharan Africa category. Through this poster competition, UNESCO aimed to increase knowledge about HIV and AIDS among pupils in secondary school.

The results were announced in July and the young art student will receive an official certificate of merit from UNESCO and her posters as well as the other 4 winners are now part of the Organization’s databank of education materials. The posters where exhibited at the global village at the International AIDS Conference, in Vienna, 18-23 July 2010.

Young people aged between 15 and 24 account for 45% of all new HIV infections worldwide (UNAIDS 2008), yet only 19% of females and 30% of males aged between 15 and 24 have comprehensive knowledge about HIV and how to avoid transmission (UNAIDS 2008).

The global prize of a video camera went to Liceo Alcalde Jorge Indo of CHILE. The theme for the competition was Art in Action – Empowering Young People against HIV and AIDS.

The five regional winners are:
• Arab States: MOROCCO – Lycée Ibn Zaidoun
• Asia-Pacific: CHINA – Simply Art School
• Eastern Europe: ROMANIA – Colegiul National Onicescu
• Sub-Saharan Africa: ZIMBABWE – Malbelreign Girls High School
• Latin America and the Caribbean: CHILE – Liceo Alcalde Jorge Indo