BY TENDAI SAUTA LOCAL musician Evans “Pfumela” Mapfumo and his Kiat Africa Band left the country on Wednesday afternoon for Tanzania where they are set to perform at the Sauti zaBusara Festival tomorrow.
The trip was funded by government through the Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Ministry which paid for the band’s air tickets and other travel expenses.
The festival, to be held under the theme Paza Sauti: Amplifying Women’s Voices, roars to life from Friday until Sunday.
A local engineering company, CivilNet Construction also donated stage attire to the band.
“We are so excited that we are finally leaving Zimbabwe for the Sauti zaBusara Festival. We will be performing at the festival this Friday at 6pm,” said Mapfumo at Gabriel Mugabe International Airport on Wednesday afternoon.
Mapfumo and his band left in the company of Milton Masaka, the principal arts and culture promotions officer as well as the acting deputy director arts and culture in the Ministry of Youth Sports Arts and Recreation.
“We are so happy as the ministry as we have managed to fulfil our mandate. Evans and Kiat Africa Band will be representing Zimbabwe as a nation and will be using the arts as a soft diplomacy tool,” Masaka said.
CivilNet Engineering director Bonny Kanyenze said; “We are happy to be associated with Evans and Kiat Afrika Band. As we also have musicians who work for the company, we are now aware of the need to help in building artists of good repute.”
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