Weekend Extravaganza

Last weekend was a full on creative extravaganza. Bulawayo put together and hosted an Art & Craft show, complete with exhibition stands of fine art pieces and lots of stalls selling handiwork, jewellery and all kinds of beautiful items. The diversity and quality was great. The event took place at the national gallery from Friday afternoon through to Saturday afternoon. Exhibitors and interested parties came from Harare and South Africa to see the showcase of talent and artistic creativity and take part. Weeks back The Lounge was approached to put together and run the entertainment for the whole event. Coincidentally last Friday was the second Friday of the month (the usual date for The Lounge) so we combined the two events. For us it marked something of a step up as we, as organisers, had to provide around 15hrs of entertainment in total (where a usual Lounge event lasts 3hrs) but we were confident of being up to the challenge, not least because of all the musical talent we know resides in Greater Bulawayo... To be fair, with Oria and I both away for the 5 weeks beforehand, most of the organising was done by Tswa in collaboration with the event organisers and the Alliance Francaise who were sponsors. All in all the weekend was brilliant, as was the entertainment element. I had to hit the ground running with only one full day between arriving back in Zimbabwe and the opening. I did that slightly more literally than I intended, namely by fainting for the first time ever in my life (a result of heat, running round not eating/drinking enough and getting a fairly graphic version of someone's amputation story all in one go!) Despite being exhausting - we finished at the gallery at midnight on the Friday and had to be back soon after 7am on Saturday - the whole weekend was great and gave The Lounge a whole new (and larger) audience. I liked the variety of people who came through and were obviously impressed by the quality of talent. I was responsible for liaising with our artists before and after they performed. An amusing moment came once the event was well underway and on their arrival I met a dance group due to perform. After showing them to the changing room I asked if there was anything they needed and they said 'a fire please, for our drums'. Apparently in order to produce the best quality sound, certain types of drums need heating up, normally either by being left in the sun for a few hours or in front of a fire. It wasn't a request I was expecting, but soon we had made a plan using some cardboard and a space out the back of the gallery, and the drums were heated to the required amount! It made for some cool pictures

So, here's an idea...

It really feels like a new season has just started. Not only does the temperature drop overnight meaning chilly mornings and evenings, but also in a non-literal way. I'm recovered from Tick Bite fever, which took me down for a few days, followed by a week of taking it easy while I ran the course of antibiotics. I've also turned a new year of being me (got really spoilt on my birthday which was lovely!) And all in all there's an air of getting back into the swing of things and wanting to make the time from now until the end of July, when I leave for a trip to the UK, really count. It's great to feel refreshed and up for it!

Oria and I were chatting about this on Monday as we met to plan and pray. It was great to do the latter, pressing in for ideas. All along this has felt like a voyage of discovery and adventure. Prayer has been central to that. I then headed to my meeting at the theatre (which I also think is the start of something) and then today Oz and I went to the theatre and one other place, to look around and brainstorm in situ together. It was a really great time of dreaming up possibilities and talking ideas.

I wrote on Monday about the Fringe theatre idea and while standing in the huge workshop/warehouse/rehearsal room at the back of the theatre we talked about that. I love this space because it has such character and when I'd had the idea for this fringe event, thought of using it as the performance space, creating a stage area within it. So we started thinking along these lines and I reckon the potential for something cool is huge. We want a cafe/bar vibe, and a playing area where there is less distance between performers & spectators as I know the main theatre auditorium can be intimidating. This will be less formal and therefore I hope conducive to a creative and dynamic vibe.

We began talking logistics and what it would take to pull it together. I now need to write up our ideas but I'm excited about the different elements we can fuse together under the banner, The Green Room which is what I want to call this event. There are ideas that I've had in mind for some time - minimal scenery and props, strong physical theatre elements, a cross-section of people and ideas, a forum for discussion and debate...as well as other funky ideas, such as Oria's idea of projecting films and pieces of inspiring theatre on one of the walls...

Another thing we decided was that we want this to be well thought out and good. Therefore we're looking at launching in October of this year, which gives time to lay good foundations and get people on board. If The Lounge is the second Friday of each month, then is makes sense for The Green Room to be on the 4th Friday so likely launch date is 23 October - watch this space!

The Promise

Following the Lounge and our conversations about our vision for it, I felt quite strongly on a couple of issues. Firstly, that I really want it to be a place of integration and collaboration, where people can forge new creative partnerships and where there is openess to experimentation. I want to see barriers being broken down and in that spirit people coming together. Secondly, I want people to see it as a place to try things out. Not neccessary to have things down to a fine art, but to step out creatively and to see it as a safe place to do that. Maybe for some people to take their first few steps towards creative expression and finding their talents there.

I wanted to spread the word that anyone can do something at the Lounge, (providing it's creative!) One other thing was that the majority of the performers had been fellas, so I want to see more girls on the stage too. With these things in mind I found that the voice in my head was telling me that the only way to pack the punch was to stick my own neck out a bit! Therefore, I figured I had precisely 3 weeks and 6 days to develop some kind of a talent and be ready to perform! I was a little nervous (the standard of the acts had been so high) and as a friend helpfully reminded me, the only way to make the point and be taken seriously was to do something and to do it well...! (not so sure how that fits into my ethos of trial and error, but think he did have a point...)

So I decided to give it a go (definitely a little bit scared to begin with!) As we drove around town dropping off the PA equipment the next day, I promised I'd perform in next months Lounge. With witnesses. I decided singing would probably be the easiest thing to do and I was with my friend Tswa so I asked him if he played or sang or anything. He said he played keys, but never in public, so I decided to make a deal. I sing & he plays keys... to practice what we preach!

Thus, rehearsals commenced. I picked a song I really like, The Promise.by Tracy Chapman. I was nervous at the first rehearsal but found it a good process and freeing. Tackling your phobia's - especially if they are things you do, deep down want to be rid of - is ultimately very rewarding. I claim that my motto is: To live and not to risk is to risk not living, so I guess I better follow that every so often.

It did help that Tswa got together some of the best musicians around to work with us on the track and they knew I was a bit nervous and so promised to be very patient with me.

Already, I saw that I was on to something good - the experience of getting everyone together to jamm was cool. We rehearsed in Makokoba, the first township on the edge of Bulawayo, and I got to know my way around it, to the amusement of locals kids, by trial and error along the narrow pot-holed roads. Sometimes it feels like just you're driving along a pedestrian pathway.

But I always feel the pulse of Makokoba is more vibrant and strong than the rest of town. I love it and am glad to have explored it with a car load of my friends. Many humorous car journeys have taken place as we drive a regular circuit of arts venues and homes to collect various musicians and equipment ready for a rehearsal.

Pictures taken from the window of the flat where we rehearsed

"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!