HARARE – Acknowledging the critical function of arts and culture in raising HIV and Aids awareness young student teachers in Harare invited Tuku Music and Pakare Paye Arts Centre to showcase how Zimbabwe’s arts and culture sector related with other cultures in the fight against the pandemic.

Embassies of Namibia, Japan, China and India represented their nations and Tuku Music and Pakare Paye Arts Centre represented Zimbabwe’s arts and culture sector at the exhibition organized by students at Belvedere Technical Teachers’ College.

The exhibition targeted youths and students at the tertiary college and high schools in Harare. Culture as diversified, broad, elaborate and dynamic as it is meant the embassies had an array of products to exhibit – from literature on traditional nutritious foods and how these are prepared to support a healthy diet for HIV and Aids patients to quite some voluminous books on how regular exercise and herbs can enrich the benefits of healthy living.

^ Student teachers visiting the Tuku Music and Pakare Paye Arts Centre table during the exhibition at Belvedere Technical Teachers' College yesterday.

For us in the arts it meant showcasing our arts products particularly music from our stable most of it compositions by Oliver Mtukudzi that have, for nearly 40 years now, promoted family-hood, sustainable socio-economic development, women’s and the girl child’s rights and music against social violence and poverty and inequality, all of which are fundamental in fostering positive perception change towards health issues including HIV and Aids.

Yet that was not all. We showed our short films made by Pakare Paye Arts Centre and produced by Mtukudzi covering pretty profound day-to-day themes that have immense bearing on cultural influences that if unchecked have massive potential to derail every effort in the fight against HIV and Aids. One such short film is Ndichirimudiki (2007) which basically explores the evil of traditional ‘norms’ where young girls are abused in the name of ‘cultural imperatives’ and exposing them to the pandemic.

We also provided live musical performance by one of our own young musicians from Pakare Paye Arts Centre, Munya Mataruse and Kazevezeve, whose repertoire was specifically selected to carry awareness on healthy living and all.

^ Pakare Paye Arts Centre & Tuku Music Company operations director Watson Chidzomba puts final touches at our stand yesterday.

Also on exhibit was Mtukudzi’s own website www. tukumusik.com. We used the site in our discussions with the students particularly how the new media played a major role in information dissemination on health developmental and promotional issues.

The young students filed through our stands in their dozens eager to ask as many questions and to see our arts products. Mtukudzi was personally invited to attend but was not available as he was overseas performing. But on hand was the chairperson of Pakare Paye Arts Centre Nicodimus Manyame, director of operations Watson Chidzomba and technical director Wonder Mukonowenzou. - Shepherd Mutamba/tukumusik.com