By Desire Tshuma and Richmore Tera.
Harare, Zimbabwe. (News Of the South) – DZIMBANHETE Culture Cultural Centre based in Harare recently launched a fundraising facility for talented but ailing mbira musician, Benita Tarupiwa.
The initiative is part of the centre’s efforts to support and promote the welfare of mbira and other traditional musicians, artists and cultural practitioners in Zimbabwe.
The move to support Tarupiwa, the singer behind the hit song ‘Ndotamba Ndega’, is a collaborative effort between friends of the centre who hail from countries like the United States and Netherlands, among others, who are involved in cultural exchange programmes with their Zimbabwean counterparts.
Dzimbanhete Cultural Centre director, Chikonzero Chazunguza, applauded the support that the institution was currently receiving from the University of Michigan in the US, saying this would go a long way in the cross-pollination of cultures.
He added that the desire to promote culture and everything else that goes in tandem with it had motivated them to start what they dubbed the “Go Fund Me”, which is an online fundraising campaign for people who are in condition similar to Tarupiwa’s.
“Tarupiwa has been grappling with some serious ailments which only require her to undergo the traditional route of treatment. Since she relies much on her art as an mbira musician for sustenance through live performances, her poor health has had seen her scaling down on her shows. We then realized the need for us to come to her rescue by launching this fundraising campaign for her so that she will have something to fall back on as she recuperates.
“With the support of our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora, we then decided to start the ‘Go Fund Me’ programme which is basically a fundraising venture for our members who find themselves in a condition similar to the one that Tarupiwa is in,” said Chiko, as he is fondly called in arts and cultural circles.
Shooting of videos – both musical and documentary – on the life and works of Tarupiwa was done and soon the works will be unleashed onto the market.
“We are happy that Tarupiwa’s condition has improved and we wish her a speedy recover,” added Chiko.
Meanwhile, Dzimmanhete Cultural Village recently had the honour of hosting seven arts and cultural students from the University of Detroit led by a professor in the relevant department at the US institution.
During their one-week stay at the centre, a stay which coincided with the Culture Week celebrations, saw the visitors sharing experiences about their American culture with their Zimbabwean counterparts.
“It was quite an enriching and eye-opening exchange. During this period, we discovered that foreigners regard our Zimbabwean and African culture in high stead while on the other hand we Africans have the unfortunate tendency of looking down upon our culture which we regard as inferior to other cultures. This is the reason why most of us Zimbabweans have become too ‘Westernised’,” said Chiko.
As part of their cultural awareness programmes, Dzimbanhete Cultural Village works with seasoned mbira musicians, traditionalists and totems gurus of the Mare clan in a bid to reclaim and preserve African and Zimbabwean cultural traditions.
“The University of Detroit, through their visual arts department, works closely with the college of Creative Arts at the Chinhoyi University of Technology, and this is something that we initiated as part of our efforts to bring the diverse cultures of the world together since we are living in a global village. We are premised on the desire, goal and tenet of respecting one another despite our different cultural backgrounds,” Chiko said.
He explained that their efforts did not end at cultural exchange but also stretched into the area of cultural tourism, hence the introduction of the National Parks Lodge, situated within the vicinity of the cultural centre.
“During their visit, such foreigners will be staying at the Lodge, which is designed in such a way that will leave lasting impressions about the warm hospitality of Zimbabwe. During their stay, the guys from Detroit were engaged in workshops and mentoring programmes,” said the culture guru, who has also lectured at universities in New York, among other places.
Chiko applauded the Government of Zimbabwe for spearheading and promoting cultural exchange programmes in Zimbabwe.
“The Zimbabwean Government has been very active and supportive in the area of cultural exchange and this promotes bilateral and multi-lateral ties between Zimbabwe and other countries. This has created good synergies and collaborative working relations with various institutions.
“For instance, we have engaged the Netherlands citizens to twin with Zimbabwe in the spheres of culture for developmental issues and this is key if both countries are to prosper, especially Zimbabwe,” he said.
Next year, a contingent of Zimbabwean artists and culture practitioners are expected to tour Netherlands on a culture exchange programme.
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