Sewing At PLF

In February the ladies at the Precious Life Farm started on a longer-term sewing project in partnership with Sibo, a lovely lady who lives on the neighbouring farm.  Sibo's a skilled seamstress and is happy to hold sewing sessions with the PL ladies twice a week round her dining table.  

Sibo leading the first lesson

She's put together a lesson plan with the aim that within a few months everyone will have built up a range of sewing skills and will have made two garments - one by hand and one by machine - using what they've learned.  

A demo on the embroidery machine

I was there for the first few weeks where we started with some basics and made pin-cushions and bags.  I'm excited to see where the group will be up to by the time I get back from Harare in a few weeks time - I imagine they will have long overtaken me! 

One Thursday some friends, Amy and Bella, were visiting Bulawayo and joined our session.  Amy had brought some lovely fabrics with her which everyone enjoyed using.    

Thanks also to Femina Garments in Bulawayo and to the fabric shops in Bulawayo who have donated offcuts and fabric to PLF for this project.  We appreciate it!

Theatre in the Park Harare: The Gospel of Othello

Last night The Gospel of Othello previewed at The Theatre in the Park, Harare Gardens, in front of an audience of theatre critics, Zimbabwean press and other invited guests.  Tonight the run opens to the general public.  The article below is reproduced from the Zimbabwe Independent's article about the show (follow link for the original article).  Similar articles also appeared in The Zimbabwean and The Herald newspapers.  Click these links to view those articles.

The Gospel of Gospel of Othello, a new version of Shakespeare's classic play Othello, premières at Theatre in the Park next Tuesday.


In Zimbabwe the play was first staged at Solusi University during the annual Intwasa Arts Festival koBulawayo last year, and also featured at the Harare International Festival of the Arts.  

The fast paced Afro-centric play is infused with African songs, dance and poetry in its quest to interrogate Shakespeare’s portrayal of Africa, its peoples and culture.  It also seeks to address the major themes of racism, stereotyping, deceit and hatred, juxtaposing Europe in the Elizabethan period and life in Africa today.  

The play was conceptualised by Patrice Naimbana, a theatre veteran from Sierra Leone who is currently based in the UK. The cast and production team features local and international actors.  Tafadzwa Bob Mutumbi plays Othello, while Londoner Isabel Tredinnick features as Desdemona. Veteran theatre practitioner Eunice Tava co-directed the play.  

The Gospel of Othello has been staged in the UK, South Africa, Canada and Zimbabwe by professional and emerging artists. It is a project established as community theatre for development with an African perspective.  It is a story about African women that bear the pain of the absence of sons and daugh­ters that leave for far­away lands in search of greener pastures. The love between the ‘Black Oth­ello’ and the beau­ti­ful Ital­ian Des­de­mona tran­scends all bar­ri­ers but this is not enough to avert a tragic train of events.  

The play high­lights the predica­ment of exile in Shakespeare’s story of love and betrayal.  Per­formed in a mix­ture of Shona, Nde­bele, and Shake­spear­ian verse, The Gospel of Oth­ello offers a fresh portrayal Othello.  Besides Mutumbi and Tredin­nick other actors in the play are Mhondiwa Mhepo who plays Iago, Zanele Maseko (Emilia), Shelton Mpofu (Cassio), Brenda Jeranje (Bianca), Pamela Gonye (Modiba), Rejoice Simango (Kiara) and Josphat Ndlovu who features in two roles as as Brabantio and Griot.  Meanwhile the Harare International Festival of the Arts (Hifa), to be held from May 1 - 6, is set to offer a diverse theatre programme.