The Sunday News
Bhekumuzi Ncube, Sunday Life Reporter
London has become one of the most visited locations by Zimbabwean artistes every year.
The way local artistes are increasingly touring the city of London is like UK is only a few kilometres away when in reality, Zimbabwe and England are separated by 5 143,63 miles!
Recently, the likes of Ammara Brown, ExQ, Trevor Dongo, Stunner and Tocky Vibes teamed up for a blockbuster concert in London dubbed the Zim Connect 18 concert.
Now within weeks after Zim Connect 18, another team from Zimbabwe is expected to set UK ablaze at the end of the month.
Zimbabwe’s top superstars namely Oliver Mutukudzi, Zim Dancehall sensation Winky D, Andy Muridzo and Sam Dondo will share the stage in the much hyped annual Impala Festival in London and Coventry this month.
The local artistes will be joined by the world acclaimed duo, Mafikizolo who have managed to stay together for the past decade despite challenges faced in arts.
The annual event is powered by the leading Zimbabwe entertainment promoters, Y2K Promotions in partnership with a car rental firm called Impala Car Rental and Mukuru. Impala festival will kick off this Easter, in London’s Oasis Venue, and finishing up in the plush Sky Dome Arena the following day.
The festival which was launched in 2009, is building up a track record of bringing Southern African music and culture to the UK. The event also aims at creating an opportunity for the world to witness the best talent from the southern part of Africa.
The director of Y2K Promotions Alex Marapara said Y2K is aiming to help upcoming artistes rise to stardom.
“Team Y2K has been working hard to ensure that this year we deliver beyond the expectations of our patrons who are the reason why we do this. We are thankful for the support we have received, not just from the corporate world but also from the fans and the artistes themselves who are excited about the event. The response has been very positive, gauged by the advance online ticket sales as well as actual enquiries.
“As you will realise from our line-up, we have decided to switch up our artiste bill and become more inclusive of musicians raising the African bar. We are excited to have Mafikizolo from South Africa joining the Zimbabwean stars and looking forward to watching them all create magical memories for everyone who will attend the events. Our sponsors Impala Car Rentals, Mukuru.com and Worldremit have also given us a big boost and we are excited about the prospects these relationships will be fostering to ensure convenience for our audiences and growth for our artistes,” said Marapara.
In the previous Impala festivals, the fast growing concert has seen premium acts from the likes of Jah Prayzah, Winky D, Dr Mtukudzi, Selmor Mutukudzi, Fungisai Zvakavapano-Mashavave, as well as Shingai Shoniwa and The Noisettes light up the stage for Zimbabweans in the UK as well as other nationalities with a keen interest in Zimbabwean and African music.
Due to its popularity, local artistes have performed in sold out concerts in the UK Sama festival particularly in 2015 and 2017 concerts. Therefore this year’s venues, Sky Dome and Coventry seems to be natural arenas to cope with such demands.
Marapara added that the vision is to have an annual outdoor day event to include families, students and older citizens and most importantly local British Artists combined with those from Southern Africa. -@NcubeBhekumuzi
