Thirty A’ Level students from the United Students Achievers Programme (USAP Community School) will on November 22 unite on one stage to showcase Zimbabwe’s vast traditional musical heritage in a concert themed Mativi Mana: The Unique Sounds Across Zimbabwe.
They will collaborate with performers from the Dzivarasekwa-based Tsoro Arts and Social Centre and Tariro Girls, from Glen View in Harare.
The students have been selected from communities across all the country’s 10 provinces to participate in a unique multi-cultural concert that will bring together the traditional sounds and voices of Zimbabwe’s many ethnic nations, including unique poetry performances from Rwandese and Congolese communities who now call Zimbabwe their home.
The family-friendly event will be hosted at Theatre In The Park in Harare and supported by Music Is Culture, a New York-based non-profit organisation dedicated to helping people worldwide to conduct and publish their own music preservation work within their communities or traditions.
The performance is led by music teacher Anesu Ndoro, a traditional African music researcher, instrument maker and performer, with facilitation by multidisciplinary artist and events coordinator Chioniso Tatenda Rushwaya. Together, they will guide the students through a repertoire that traverses the cultural landscape of Zimbabwe.
“This event is not just a concert, but rather a journey through identity, memory and pride, offering audiences a rare chance to witness how the threads of different traditions weave into a single tapestry of Zimbabwean culture. We are also fundraising to acquire new musical instruments for the USAP Community School. Any donations in cash or kind, as well as new or second-hand musical instruments, are welcome,” Ndoro told NewsDay Life & Style.
Audiences will experience the different resonant mbiras of the Shona, the vocal harmonies of the Ndebele, Shangani and Sotho, the vibrant drum rhythms of the Tonga, Venda and Kalanga, the storytelling of the Ndau, the rich choral traditions of the Tswana, the bow music of the Xhosa, according to organisers.
They described the concert as a living showcase of Zimbabwe’s cultural diversity and a platform for young voices to celebrate multicultural unity through music. It is also an opportunity to engage the public to preserve and promote traditional heritage for future generations.
USAP is an initiative spearheaded by Education Matters, a Marondera-based organisation that provides transformational education and access to global opportunities. It is a groundbreaking two-year residential A’ Level programme for both Lower and Upper 6 students and is designed to bridge the literacy, research, critical thinking and computer skills gaps identified in high-achieving Zimbabwean students.
Their additional programmes are Zimbabwe Career Connect, which provides students abroad with internships back home, and Capstone, which helps USAP Community School graduates to implement their project solutions in the real world.
Admission to the concert is free or by donation, with proceeds going towards instrument purchases and concert costs.
The event is scheduled to begin at 2pm and end at 4pm.