The Lounge Launch 13.2.09

Huge amount of things happened since I last wrote, so I will attempt to write about a few of those. Slightly daunted at the prospect of trying to do justice to it all...

So, we launched the Lounge and that has been a major theme of the past 2 months - an exciting one too.

The Lounge is a monthly open mic night at the art gallery in Bulawayo to bring people, talents, opportunities to perform and a great place to hang out, together :)

Setting up beforehand had it's amusing moments. Hauling a particularly large sofa (white, plastic-covered and semi-circular, no less) from one side of town to the other was a highlight, not to mention the effort of trying to get it out the door of the house it was in! What amused me most was the lack of attention that driving through Bulawayo with a whopping great sofa precariously balanced on the back of a (now dwarfed) pickup, complete with two guys sitting one said sofa at one end to weigh it down actually caused!

So onto the next day and the launch itself. Very gratifying to see the response and the general buzz about the place. The vibe of the night was awesome, as was the calibre of the performers and the way it all came together. I love how the event belonged to those who were there, it was owned by the performers and audience. There was also a good mix of people and acts and was so well attended. The next day we met to take back PA equipment and debrief over coffees & donuts and reported back that overwhelmingly the response had been positive & there's a buzz around the event so that throughout the arts community people were talking about the Lounge. Above all, it shows that with relatively little, but with some determination and commitment, things can still be done in Bulawayo that are exciting, positive and count for something!

Shopping Trip

Grocery shop to last the next 3 months

~ our 3 trolleys! ~

The billboard that greets you once you cross over the Limpopo river and into South Africa

There's just something about southern African clouds and sky ...

Road from the Beitbridge boarder to Bulawayo ~ drive straight, straight, straight!

Unpacking

Immigration, The Lounge, Artisan

Another day where 24hrs seems too short a time to have fitted in everything that has taken place! Lots to update on, since last posting...

Firstly, The Lounge: Launched Friday 13th February at the National Gallery in Bulawayo. This was immense! Pretty much exceeded our most wildly optimistic expectations :-) For those who haven't read earlier posts, "The Lounge" is a monthly open mic night, primarily for members of the creative community in Bulawayo to come together and have a platform. The vibe was awesome and attendence was really good. At one point during the evening I was standing on the door and saw more than one person leave only to return a little later with 2 or 3 mates in tow. Great feeling of shared ownership with people claiming this event as their own, not to mention the buzz that comes from watching incrediably talented artists performing. It was a great range of styles and acts too. From rap to reggae to performance poetry and drumming... it was raw and real ans skillful. People are very complimentary on the professionalism of the evening and we are very grateful to those who gave us all our PA equiptment and venue free of charge. I'll write more details when I post pics of the night but for now I want you all to share in how awesome and successful last Friday night was. Already we can see just how it's opening doors left, right & centre to do new things in new areas.

Tonight a small group, including Oria and I, met together as Artisan Zimbabwe. Precious time of dreaming together and praying and I was left feeling overwhelmingly excited about all that this year will hold - already plenty has taken place that is exciting - and it's only February! There is so much potential here in the arts community and I, for one, am so excited about being around to see it and share in it!

Another breakthrough today was finding favour at the immigration office with regards to my visa. Some members of the power regime currently in control of this country are, shall we say, not prehaps the hugest fans of the United Kingdom (!) and one way this gets manifested is the fairly extortionate prices that UK citizens are required to pay at regular intervals for their visas... I had heard that a multiple entry visa existed, however that it is very hard to come by and will only be issued in Harare and at a cost of 14 days wait. Somehow, I have managed not only to have been issued with one, (itself amazing and unusual) but I collected it today from the Bulawayo office (!) having submitted the application only yesterday! Amazing! Proof that all the random conversation and befriending of the guys at the immigration office has actually paid off ;-)

Now I can come and go as I please for the next 6 months without having to pay through the nose whenever I cross a boarder. brilliant. On that subject, I'm actually due to get up in a couple of hours to set out to drive to the boarder with South Africa and got to Polokuane in order to do a grocery shop - epic in scale and designed to last us as a household 3 months or so. So stoked that I don't have to worry about my visa now! There is more, but I will have to wait til another time to write about that! xx

Millions, billions, trillions...

A little photo-essay on the recently issued banknotes - the largest in history - all the notes shown were issued within the past 6 months. Now it is official that you can use foreign currency in Z, it is almost impossible to use these notes as no-one wants to accept them as payment. Prices continue to spiral out of control - cost of living here is increasing daily. Only now it's in US dollar terms rather than Zim dollars. Frightening to watch prices for food and basic commodities: eg phone credit, electricity, drinks, escalating at such a fast pace. This is one of the most expensive places on earth.

Bambata Young People’s Community Actor’s Centre - 1st Visit

Bambata Young People’s Community Actor’s Centre members

After the main session, Styx is organising casting for the first script the group will be tackling, he's written it based on life in their village

After first class last Saturday (don't know who's most happy - me having taught my first acting class or the students practicing posing!) Scenes on the drive home: rickerty train on rickerty track

Geetha's Dream

Once upon a time a lady called Geetha had a dream one night, about 2 years ago from now. In the morning Geetha went to work as usual, which happened to be at a very beautiful Palace...

...Thus starts the fairytale.

Except that it was the same palace I worked at and therefore real life. When Geetha saw me that morning it gave her a start as it reminded her of the dream she'd had the night before because I'd been in it and it was vivid. I'm sure I was chuffed at that, but then she went on to say something that rather blew me away.

She said that in her dream she'd seen me involved in teaching and doing a theatre and performance thing and that it looked like it was somewhere in Africa (a pretty broad spectrum) and as if I was in an area such as an IDP camp or similar. Although she couldn't say much else she did say that it was obvious to her that I looked really happy doing what I was doing. Huzzah! What was most crazy, and fairly amazing to me, was that although Geetha knew I was into theatre stuff and occasionally in plays or going to see them, she didn't know that just that morning I'd begun thinking seriously about the idea of somehow combining theatre and development work with a potential for focussing on Africa. When she told me about her dream I had literally just come out of a meeting where, for the first time, I'd shared this idea and that conversation was really what got the ball rolling for the whole adventure I'm on now.

Today wasn't an IDP camp exactly, though it's an area suffering from cholera and minus electricity but I just wonder if Geetha's dream somehow came real and was fulfilled today! So Geetha, in particular these pictures are for you - do you recognise the scene at all?! Either way, thanks for sharing, however random it seemed at the time!

Love Izzy

Busy Day

One of those days where I can't believe how much has happened since I got out of bed, 1 day just seems too short a time!

I'm excited by some of the things that are potentials in the pipeline...will confirm once anything's definite, but in discussions about some guys from here (from Siyaya) taking part in a European festival in a few months time, which would be very cool if it were to work out, and is giving me plenty to think about & schemes and ideas to entertain...

Also today, I attended a meeting someone suggested might be relevant to me and my interests. With that in mind I'd practically invited myself to it and was very graciously welcomed despite that! It did turn out to be right up my street. It was the first boardmeeting of Bambata, an education project, focussed on theatreand set up by Styx Mhlanga and his company, Studio X, to run in his home community 15 mins from Bulawayo City Centre in a more rural area that amongst others things, is without electricity. Styx oversees it, together with Rachel, also from the community, and who recently graduated in Theatre Arts at the University of Zimbabwe. She hasn't yet received her degree certificate (she's been given reasons such as no ink, no paper, staff strikes....you name it) The project sounds great - 2 months of classes on each if the areas of mime, improvisation, movement and now they are just beginning 2 months on text and audition skills.

Fab to take part in detailed discussions of the role of theatre in Zimbabwe and how to take it forward in dynamic and vibrant ways to effect a change and build towards something tangible for the future and for these young people. The project makes a lot of use of visiting teachers - they invite specialists in various areas to take sessions and believe it or not I'm the person leading tomorrows classes! I'm chuffed as I know it's my first real step towards my goal of being involved in seeing theatre and performance (and the skills developed through them) making a tangible, practical difference here but I must admit right now I also feel totally unprepared and inexperienced in teaching drama and acting. I don't think I've ever done it before and so this will be my first time. In the back of my mind I have known that it would be a bridge to cross, but I didn't think I've have such short notice or my offer would be remembered!! Incidentally, a few actors and other people who work in the arts outside of Zimbabwe have expressed interest in my work and to let them know if there would ever be a way to get involved...I think this would be one very obvious way...to share your knowledge, experiences and ideas with this group! Let me know if you fancy doing that! I've no idea how it will go tomorrow, but I'll be sure to put it into words on here once I do know!

Tomorrow is going to be hectic in another way too. When I got home late this evening I had messages from friends in South Africa, Paul and Cathy Middleton. I've known them since I was 18 and living in Lesotho! Paul's a pilot, Cathy a nurse and they work for an outfit called Mercy Air and were calling to say they are likely to be doing a medical evacuation (Medivac) tomorrow from Bulawayo to Cape Town and any chance of a bed tomorrow night. Now of course I feel sorry for the dude in pain, but I'm also delighted at the thought of possibly seeing the Middletons again (we've kept in touch & I've been to stay at Mercy Air twice now) and helping out with lifts from the airport and anything else I can do. Plus I've got a shopping list in, so there's the prospect of supplies by airmail delivery :-)

Tesco direct, Sainsburys-to-you & Ocado 'ain't got NOTHING on that for service!

Oil Paint

Exciting day! Got oil paints, brushes and palate knife today from an artist friend who hitched to Francistown, Botswana for groceries and paint and brought some back for me too. All this hanging around artists and in studios has me craving painting (last done at A-level so I'll be rusty!) However, I reckon it's just the ticket as a recreational activity to compliment the bizarre & crazy life of Zim!!

Unfortunately the shop was out of most colours and sizes of paint, so in fact I'm the proud owner of a trio of huge 170ml tubes of Winsor & Newton paint, in blue, green and brown. I would write the exact shades, but the packaging's mostly Chinese - these particular tubes of paint are probably more well-travelled than I am. Initially a bit stumped by the lack of nice box set with all basic colours, I now know what it's like for artists here. They often have to paint according to what colours they have at any one time. I'll have to attempt to trade off with artists at the gallery: a squidge of mine for a squirt of yours...!

All ideas for subject matter in predominantly blue, green & brown gratefully received!

:-)

Some favourite Bulawayo photos

Conversations at Siyaya

Reconnecting with Siyaya and Desmond was an important step ~I'm sure of that. During our conversation I was again reminded of the importance of me having returned to Zimbabwe and humbled by it. I'd said I would come back and I saw that it mattered to people I'd met and journeyed alongside in 2008 that I'd kept my word. I've had a bit of stick about the delay (I came back 3 months later than I'd originally thought I might when I left Z in June) but a bit of banter and it's all fine. I'm here now anyway!

With Des at Amakhosi Theatre last year

Des was one of the founding members of Artisan Zim, started in May 08 by 2 of us who had been involved with Artisan in the UK. I will definitely be writing more on Artisan. But in a nutshell, it's to bring together people from across all disciplines in the arts around the idea of 3 things: Unity, Humility and Prayer. The general gist is that it's a safe place to come together and share, encourage and grow together in fellowship and community. We recognise and are very excited by the unique and engaging role the arts play in society and want to see individuals free to pursue their creative giftings, whether in media, sculpture, fashion, music, visual arts... etc.

Artists in all disciplines face big challenges too, whether it's the fact that they often work in isolation and add odd times (!) or from the financial uncertainty and instability of freelancing, creative blocks, questioning your vocation...whatever it is, it can be a tough road. In the current conditions in Z it can be extremely tough (as demonstrated by the large number of Z'ean artists who are currently working in South Africa or further afield.) Those still here have welcomed the idea of Artisan as a collective which supports, champions, celebrates and shares together. Expectantly!

With our Artisan hats on we chatted about how things had been for both of us and then I shared how I not only want to see all kind of artistic expressions kicking ass here in Z, but that I believe in the significance of the arts in a trauma-related capacity. My heart is to use the principals of sharing, empathising, stepping into others' situations and backgrounds, in order to promote understanding and reconciliation. I know it's a big call, but I'm passionate it works and will make a difference.

Co-incidentally a new friend who I'm already working with on another project "The Lounge" was also visiting Siyaya that afternoon, he's a performance poet, and Tswa was great for this conversation too.

Des & Tswa

We talked about how we might get something started that's more about sharing stories and building bridges, using theatre and drama as a facilitation mechanism and came up with a few ideas to think on... :D I left Siyaya feeling STOKED and EXCITED. Bring it on.

The next day I had to call in and see a friend at Zoe, which is a Tearfund partner organisation (way back I did 4 months of my gap year with Tearfund in Lesotho). Zoe helps orphans and communities to care for their orphans - many of which have lost family through HIV/Aids. My friend Jean asked what I'd been up to and out of that conversation I think I may be able to get hooked up to the Zoe trauma-councilling unit. I think some training in trauma councilling, likely cases that we may encounter that are Z-related, the methodology they find most helpful, as well as a point of contact to refer to and ask advice from would be invaluable! I realise that while I have worked on a reconciliation programme and watched Fr. Michael Lapsley of the Institute for the Healing of Memories last year in action, the most I've done personally is probably a student soup-run in Nottingham...

I think this contact may well be a crucial one to equipt me better for what I want to do.

"The Lounge"

With 10 days to go until the launch of "The Lounge" I'm very excited at the prospect of the first real project since I arrived back in Z taking shape and being ready to go!

13th February will see the first monthly open mic event at the National Art Gallery in Bulawayo. "The Lounge" will be a creative hub for the arts community to come together especially around spoken word, performance poetry and acoustic music to be a voice of light and hope in this city & nation.

The idea for this event was sown by my good friend Oria, we're pictured, left, at HIFA (Harare International Festival of the Arts) last year, who's worked together with Tswa, a key figure in the spoken word & poetry scene both in Harare and Bulawayo to get to this stage. I've been on board as an artistic facilitator for the project since I got back to Z, just in time to see our application for funding from the Culture Fund of Zimbabwe submitted a little over a week ago. We expect to hear the verdict of that sometime in the next few months.

Support has also been given to this venture from within the Artisan community in London :-)

If as you read this, you feel you may also want to support this venture financially, please contact me!

Pictures will follow after the 13th!