Dust. Music. More Dust. Love!
This sums up the atmosphere of the just ended music fiesta, Miombo Magic. It was a movie, a blockbuster that could shake the box office. We had fun. We were never tired. The fun never stopped. An atmosphere different from that of Dancehall concerts were people jostle to get in and also lose their valuables in the process. A serene camping vibe with real music lovers.
Set in the hilly area of Christon Bank, a small community nestled at the boundary of the Mazowe area just 20 minutes out of Harare, Miombo Magic is one hundred percent local music festival. A hippie festival of sorts I would dare to liken it to Oppie Koppie. A little town of tents sprouts up and the festive feeling hangs in the air. It’s a family setup. Some have travelled from as far as South Africa to enjoy the magic Miombio has to offer. Camping may not be big in Zimbabwe but we can assure you that it is growing steadily as we witnessed. Small fires a scattered around the campsite as the festival goers brave the chilly winter, making new friends and lasting memories.
From the first act the crowd broke into a dancing mood. It’s a mixture of ethnicities, cultures and creeds, all united under one banner. Good music! And good music they got from over 30 acts. Gemma Griffiths, Flying Bantu, Sulumani Chimbetu, Djembe Monks, Ammara Brown, The Circuit Party and many other interesting acts rocked the stage. At no point was the fun stopping.
Tehn Diamond was really pumped after his perfomance. He delivered a superb set alongside his partner-on-the-decks Take Fizzo. This perfomance was a redemption for him as he had failed to perform at Miombo last. This was due to a car problem when they were coming from a show in Midlands. He rose to the occasion and proved to the crowd why he was the only Hip Hop act performing at Miombo.
Day 2 had a chilled mood. This was the last day of the festival and were recharging their batteries for the long week ahead. However Drum Café was not having any of it. Their act had the fans joining in as part of the band with little djembe drums and percusiion instruments distributed around. The crowd had a chance to join in and beautiful music was created. The energy was oozing all around and Sunday instantly lost its chill. The crowd was up on their feet all the time until the last act which was the legendary Transit Crew. Their reggae vibes kept us in a trance and when they got to the end of the act, the crowd screamed for one more tune!
Whilst the acts were keeping the crowd on their feet, there was on man on the side of the stage, Always. Wearing an infectious smile and clearly having a time of his life, Miombo Magic founder Gus Le Briepon looked elated. Very happy with what his team had pulled off as they had manage to host the festival without the necessary funds to cover the costs. They still soldiered on, their drive fueled by the need to bring people together and it was a sight to behold. The fruits of love are always the best, Miombo’s Magic is love.
