Swedish artistes for Zimfeb

SWEDISH artists will headline this year’s edition of the Zimbabwe Music Festival Bira (Zimfeb) set for August 1 to 12 at different venues, organisers have said. Sweden-based Zimbabwean artiste Luckson Chikutu, better known as Manlukerz, who is the brains behind the event told the Financial Gazette that they were already consulting relevant authorities to bring in Swedish artistes who are keen to take part in the festival.

“We have started processing the required papers for the Swedish artistes who are going to take part at the festival. We have made a wide selection of artistes but we are centered towards mbira fusion,” Manlukerz said. Manlukerz said the festival’s objective is to bring together people from different parts of the world celebrating and promoting cultural heritage preservation and awareness through music.

“Our culture is important and there is need to preserve it through the arts.  The versatile mbira singer said this era we live in requires artistes to be well versed with the internet in order to spread their music far and wide.

“At this year’s edition of the Zimfeb, there will be more music workshops to train local artistes to package themselves in a modern way as they will be taught how to start their own websites and blogs so that they could market their products on the internet,” Manlukerz said.

“As a way of giving back to the locals, I am working on creating a websites and other platforms for artistes to launch their albums online, free of charge.”

“At the end of the festival some lucky upcoming artistes will be travelling to Sweden and greater Europe for some exchange programmes that will see them participating in different festivals,” he said.

“This will be a platform for our Zimbabwean artistes to showcase our unique traditional music in Sweden where some renowned artistes like Hope Masike and Tariro NeGitare have performed and been appreciated.”

Manlukerz and his outfit, The Zim-Traditional Unity, made up of Zimbabweans, Ugandan, Mozambiqueans and Swedes and other nationalities will also perform at the event. Last year the festival was a major success and was fairly attended with Maungira Enharira among other performers putting up sterling performances.

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