The Sunday News
UNITED States based multi-talented artiste and student Tawanda Chabikwa has a rather eccentric but unique way of getting his plight noticed.
In order to pay for his education he dances to raise funds.
While at that he has also managed to get himself noticed in the showbiz industry, with his frenzied dance, which has somewhat wooed many Americans.
With a few articles and pictures of him surfacing on the internet the young dancer, seeks to conquer the world of art and complete his PhD.
“In the creative life, sometimes things don’t go as planned. I dance. I paint. I write. I’m also studying toward a PhD in the field of African and African-American studies at The Ohio State University. A series of extreme challenges cost me a semester, which I have since been able to recover by finding new campus work within my field. However, this leaves me in arrears for the semester that has just passed,” he said.
Tawanda, grateful for what his friends and community had raised for him said:
“I am already very grateful for the powerful community of friends that has been a continual source of support for the entirety of this path I am on. It has been a rough year but embracing it — live and learn — has helped me to move forward. I am even intrigued by the way in which it is increasingly looking like what seemed to be a “breakdown” may actually have been a “breakthrough”.
“As I transition into doctorate studies in African and African -American Studies I am grateful that my time in Dance Studies enables me to bring to the former a unique experience, research framework, and network of possibilities. Studying dance has given me the tools to contribute more deeply in the field of African and African-American Studies. I will also be able to transfer numerous academic credits, and as I was already engaged in classes in my new department the transition will be smooth.”
Tawanda noted that his dance antiques and research focused at discovering the significance of dance in influencing culture and other aspects of life.
“My research will still focus on the significance of the body in dance, politics, culture, and spirituality. I still aim to cultivate better understanding of what it is to be human in a global, collective life journey. And I aspire to bring the totality of my experience into shared dialogue, both in the academy, communities, and in popular media such as the Africa Channel,” he said.
Determined to complete his studies, Tawanda said he hopes to have raised the funds by 25 January.
“Any help will be rewarded with extreme gratitude, and those able to donate more than $150,00 will be mailed a small handmade souvenir of my work as thanks for their generosity. To find out more about my journey and work you can visit my site: http://ndiniwako.org/online/,” he said.
