The Sunday News
Vincent Gono in Hwange
A HWANGE based traditional dance group Pezhuba Pachena whose aim is to revive and promote cultural heritage through their performance is set to embark on a maiden tour of Botswana and Namibia to showcase their dances as well as exchange notes with traditional groups in the two countries.Speaking in an interview with Sunday Leisure in the mining town of Hwange recently Pezhuba Pachena Cultural Ensemble director Lucky Munzabwa said they were planning on their maiden tour of Botswana and Namibia soon.
The group director said the choice of the two African countries was not merely for marketing reasons but that they also have a rich cultural heritage and more successful cultural ensembles that they could exchange notes with on how best they could improve the genre and preserve African cultural identity for the good of future generations.
He said the 15 member group that comprises six females and nine males had managed to embolden their footprint on the performing art genre and was gaining a lot of ground not only in Hwange but in the entire province as they have been invited to perform at almost every other event that matter.
Munzabwa said they were not looking back as their wish was not to make a mark in the province and end there but to conquer the country in its totality as well as have a regional and with time international appeal.
He said conquering the district and the province were now very far behind their scope and dreams.
Although the group has little known music compositions of its own, they have remained popular in the district and province as they perform renditions of known songs from well established musicians such as Oliver Mtukudzi, Alick Macheso and other crowd favourites. They can also sing and perform Afro-fusion, jazz, house, gospel, Afro-pop, classical as well as African traditional music.
“Pezhuba Pachena is a multi-disciplinary performing arts ensemble with 15 talented performers whose main objective is to provide entertainment to a wide audience. The name is Nambya which means the sun that brings brightness. It was established in 2005 as a self-help project for its members after the realisation that the country has a high level of unemployment.
“Through performing arts the youths that make up the group are given the opportunity to showcase their talents and develop their creativity while at the same time creating a viable career for themselves,” said Munzabwa.
He added that the group also specialises in community theatre, gumboot and modern dances while a ccapella is also offered for choral music lovers as well as country music. The menu does not end there as traditional vibes of African music are also part of a greater component of the group where the music is provided through marimba.
He noted that the greatest African instrument was the voice and the group members use their voices extensively.
“The greatest African instrument has always been the human voice and as such it is used extensively by the group. Our style of Imbube music is a unique sound that is both uplifting and meditative and it focuses on a wide range of themes. We sing songs of love, hope, worship, hardship and courtship in addition to our traditional and social interpretation of well known Nambya, Tonga and Nyanja songs,” added Munzabwa.
He said they were inspired by such successful groups as Umkhathi dance group that has managed to make inroads and have made a mark in the country’s arts sector.
He, however, added that as a group that was still growing they have not acquired much in terms of instrumentation as well as such necessary equipment as a vehicle to ferry them to different venues.
As a result they depend on the good will of those who would have invited them without which they would use public transport that had a lot of inconveniences.
They also have no public address system of their own although they got a marimba set from Hwange Colliery as a donation.
Munzabwa said they were facing challenges with people and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who usually want them to perform for free. He said in as much as they appreciate being invited to different functions and events the organisations should at least realise that they were not just entertainers but business people who also expect to get something out of their labour.
The group has shared the stage with recognised artistes in the country in addition to performing at various top events such as the signing of the co-hosting agreement for the 20th United Nations World Tourism Organisation in Victoria Falls, the launch of the Hwange Community Share Ownership Scheme which was attended by President Mugabe among other notable events.
They also came third in the Chibuku Road to Fame music competition out of eleven groups in 2012.
