Shoko festival came and went and it was a breath of fresh air and a blast. The show was dishing out intangible certificates for female everything’s yelling ‘Come Alive’ – from poets, singers to exhibitors. In case you missed the memo, women are taking over, EVERYTHING! Yeah, we are, trust me I witnessed it this past weekend in living colour. Creative minds ran wild, ideas discussed and performances were experienced.
Speaking of wild imaginations, a remarkable women by the name Laurie McPherson, the face of ‘Own Your Rubbish’ is making strides transforming what people call ‘trash’ into creative items. “The initiative is prompted by the need to educate people to take importance of environmental awareness seriously and take steps to reduce our impact on the planet by seeing our personal responsibility in how we live”, enthused Laurie. The program focuses on enhancing the livelihoods of the community group and artists working in the ’medium’ of rubbish. Isn’t this awesome or what!? Their work ranges from recycled chandeliers, water glasses to plastic curtains which it is off the hook if you know what I mean!
Two women from the Hub UnConference Awards grabbed my attention; one of the women was a contestant for the ‘Fix Up Award’. Firstly, Kim Rudo who by taking advantage of the fact that Trophy Hunting is on the rise in Zimbabwe made it her business to make animal conservation possible and accessible. Her inspiring documentary conscientises the value of wildlife and devises measures to curb trophy hunting to avoid extinction.
In the ‘Women Arise’ award nominations, Grace Chirumanzu raised the bar for women with her pitch for a women’s online sports magazine which is focused on giving more coverage for sportswomen. The project ‘Awesome Zimbabwe’ has successfully trained ten journalists to cultivate this idea and yield noteworthy results like feminine journalist Rumbidzai Takawira. “Women are media shy”, Grace told #ENTHUSE. “Have you realized that most mainstream media does not give much coverage for women?” Grace’s project has plans of changing that by telling stories about women’s sports, highlighting challenges and opportunities.
For those who love poetry and music, Barbra ‘Breeze’ Anderson and Shamie were the highlight of my entertainment. Barbara’s words were soft and tender, and made one lose drift into their own world of nostalgia. Each word she breathed sent chills through my veins and it was from that moment I began to appreciate the work of poets or perhaps it is better to say poetesses. It is worth to know that she was a contestant in the House of Hunger Slam and although she did not take the win she represented women honourably. Shamie’s performance came with a twist involving a familiar African instrument, the ‘mbira’; giving the show a groovy element.
The young ‘Zimbo’ women showed us their multiple talents; it is true when they say dynamite comes in small packages! Urban Women’s culture erupted onto the scene and enthralled festival goers with amazing festival experience, bringing together different women from different walks of life. True to the theme ‘Come alive’.
