Twenty-one shows, 20 days, 8 countries!

The tour, which took Zimba-bwean and other regional artistes to some southern African countries and mainly Europe, started off on May 22 and ended on June 11.
Some of the biggest names in African music took part in the tour and these included Zimbabwe’s own superstar, Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi, world acclaimed Mozambican singer, Mingas, and South African legend, Tu Nokwe; poet Chirikure Chirikure as well as the finest emerging creative talents in the region — Dudu Manhenga, Outspoken, BABU, Lira, BLK JKS, Mashasha, Mphumie Twala, Dhitini Mbali, Denton Chikura and Tonderai Munyebvu.
Pamberi Trust creative director, Paul Brickhill, said the trust “was stretched to its limits, but are proud to say that we did it! A small piece of history has been made, pushing the boundaries of African arts and development a little further and fuller”.
The programme also saw Pamberi launching the youth arts project, BAS Rootz, modelled on around one of Pamberi’s major projects, the Book Café Academy of Performing Arts (BOCAPA) programme, in Johannesburg on May 31. The event was graced by
South African superstar, Lira, and jazz guitarist, Bheki Khoza, who both performed to a packed audience in Bassline.
On Friday June 11, African Synergy ‘announced’ the world cup in South Africa with a performance of South African mega rock band BLK JKS (“the best new rock band in the world” Rolling Stone magazine 2010). 
Pamberi Trust operates the Book Café and The Mannenberg in Harare.
The schedule — cutting across theatre, poetry, film, music and graphic design included a pioneering intra-African female music collaboration in gender, a youth arts project launched in South Africa — was Pamberi Trust’s first European arts tour in Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, Book Café UK in London and shows that performed on the African circuit in Harare, Maputo, Swaziland and Joha-nnesburg.
The play, Great Escape, by Andrew Whaley, was taken to three European countries — the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany.
The Berlin festival included a performance of the legendary Chiwoniso Maraire and Max Wild, a discussion on the state of the arts in Zimbabwe entitled “My name is not Money but Mind”, followed by screenings of the films “Spell My Name”, “Kare Kare Zvako” and “Nyaminyami” with Tsitsi Dangarembga and Angelina Dimingo of the Women Filmmakers of Zimbabwe.
An explosive concert of the spoken word — Word and Fire — part of the festival featured some hip-hop and live music with Chirikure Chirikure, Cde Fatso and Outspoken, backed by Tendayi Manatsa and Josh Meck.
Pamberi’s premier gender project, Female Literary, Arts and Music Enterprise (FLAME), started in Maputo, bound for four countries in southern Africa.
The FLAME regional tour included four women artistes — Mozambican icon, Mingas, took to the regional platform with leading young singers, Zimbabwe’s Dudu Manhenga, and South Africa’s Mpumie Twala and Ndithini Mbali (on saxophone) — at four venues in four cities of  Southern Africa.
Pamberi’s arts administrator, Penny Yon, who started out with the FLAME project in 2006, accompanied the tour and was amazed by the power of the women within the artistic collaboration. “It was hard, it was fast, it was powerful: It brought out everything that is good among women, and resulted in a strong and highly visible profile for women artistes in Southern Africa. Before the dust of the tour has settled, there are already positive indications for further expansion in the continent,” said Yon.
Creativity and Crisis, an exhibition of graphics and artwork created by Rudo Chakanyuka, was held at the Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany, and ran into the month of June, attracting interest from the media, general public and African Studies students of the university in particular.
She also presented a film which included interviews with Zimbabwean artistes and how they have been doing in the industry to overcome the various challenges they face.
Under the Paw Paw Jam project, young Zimbabwean musician and arts producer Tomas Brickhill staged another successful ‘Paw Paw Jam: Original organic African produce’ at The New Empowering Church, featuring live music from “Benin City”, Zimbabwean bass and drum duo, Mashasha & Sam, and rising pioneers of the new wave African music scene in London, Trenton & Free Radical, with DJs Koichi Sakai, and Mr Brett.
The Paw Paw Jam is an extension of the Pamberi project in Harare which promotes and celebrates cultural diversity.
South African Indian jazz ensemble, BABU, closed a hectic period for Pamberi on June 8. Fusing the complexity and vibrancy of jazz with the long-standing improvisational practices of Indian classical music in a stunning performance at The Manne-nberg.
The group were pleasantly surprised by and very much enjoyed the discerning and appreciative Zimbabwean audience, the “feel” of Zimbabwe, and the unique sound qualities of The Mannenberg.
While artistic productions were unfolding from Maputo to Amsterdam, Pamberi continued to roll out the 21 scheduled music events, a spoken word event, three CD launches, one literary event, one poetry slam, one BOCAPA, Open Mic and one jazz workshop.