Shepherd Mutamba

NORTON – It is nearly time again for the annual Pakare Paye Solo Festival held here every December 22nd and preparations are on course for what promises to be a much bigger, much better and entirely fabulous day.

Pakare Paye Arts Centre has hosted the solo festival, covering diverse performing arts, since 2006 and the event has evolved yearly growing in stature and splendour as many young artists and the more established ones came on board.

Fans have keenly followed the solo fest and all the reason why we are putting up a multiplicity of genres again to savour and have fun on a festive day preceding the Christmas holidays.

As the fest grows its thrust has not changed remaining fundamentally driven by Oliver Mtukudzi’s desire to help expose more widely, promote and help artists build individual confidence when they perform solo. Mtukudzi is the festival artistic director and executive producer.

Ultimately the solo fest enriches and nurtures self-confidence while growing the artist into a versatile, multitalented and multipurpose performer.

What the fest means is that an artist who would normally perform with a band, say Alick Macheso, would feature by himself, his bass guitar, voice and choreographed slow-mo routine. No backtracks, no band – just the beauty and diversity of music.

The same for say, Mathias Julius, the ex-Tumbuka dancer-cum-musician who would feature entirely by himself and showcase talent as an individual dancer.

Festival Director Watson Chidzomba has unveiled the solo fest line-up this year as: Oliver Mtukudzi (guitar - vocals), Alick Macheso (bass guitar- vocals), Victor Kunonga (guitar- vocals), Kapfupi - Freddy Majalima (comedy), Winky D (vocals), Charles Chipanga (marimba- vocals), Steve Makoni (guitar - vocals), Bob Nyabinde (guitar - vocals), Sebastian Magacha (vocals), Chirikure Chirikure (poetry), Sulumani Chimbetu (guitar - vocals), Mathias Julius (dance), Vimbai Zimuto (mbira - vocals), Phillip Tsikirayi (mbira & percussion), Kuda Ndoro (dance), Munya Mataruse (guitar - vocals), Poda Muriwa (guitar - vocals), Donald Kanyuchi (harmonica), Jackie Nyamutumbu (marimba), Martha Badza (percussion), Wakile (banjo), Simba Mutanga (marimba), Faith Muzondo (dance) and Watson Chidzomba Jnr (drums).

The 2010 Solo Fest is special in many ways and all the reason for all of us at Pakare Paye Arts to be so delighted.

This year we are blessed to have generous friends, in the corporate sector, who believe in our mission to work with the arts and culture as a vehicle to promote sustainable social transformation and development.

By extending kind support, to the Solo Fest, the business community thus entrusts us with the huge responsibility of continuing the proud legacy of our performing arts while safeguarding the African heritage.

For the first time the Solo Fest is receiving support enabling us to fulfill our mandate and host a fairly prestigious celebration of the arts.

SPAR is our major sponsor. News Day, an exciting new daily newspaper, is the official media partner. We have other kind supporters like Chipaz Promotions, Tuku Music and Harare Jazz Festival.

The festival is rebranded this year under the name SPAR Solo Fest Pakare Paye.

Says Mr Evan Christophides, the national chairman of the SPAR Guild of Grocers: “SPAR slogan in Zimbabwe is instantly and universally recognized ‘Good For You’, as everyone will agree, are SPAR’s great products, its clean, well-stocked nationwide supermarkets and its investment in the arts and communities across Zimbabwe. SPAR has come forward this year with Pakare Paye Arts Centre to bring the SPAR Solo Fest Pakare Paye to life in 2010. SPAR had already joined forces with Oliver Mtukudzi this year to create awareness of Childline’s Freephone number 116 and this featival continues SPAR and Tuku’s strong alliance. SPAR strongly believes in the development of Zimbabwean talent and the SPAR Solo Fest Pakare Paye is a perfect showcase of this talent.”

News Day , a part of the Alpha Media Group, is our official media partner for the Solo Fest and will publish up-to-date news and information in the run up to the festival including generous advertisement space. The daily will run a quiz and give away a whooping 100 tickets to lucky readers to attend the festival.

Alpha Media Holdings’ (AMH), publishers of News Day said, through their head of marketing, Linda Mhlanga: "NewsDay is proud to be associated with Tuku Music for the 2010 Solo Fest that will feature the best of Zimbabwe's talent all under one roof. We believe that there are shared values between NewsDay and this event which embraces and promotes diversity. The concert will offer diverse genres of music including gospel, urban groovers, afrojazz, reggae and will appeal to the young and old. NewsDay provides ordinary people with diverse views and opinions on a daily basis and we believe that this event has a touch of ‘everyday news for everyday people’ and we are especially excited to be part of an event that promotes Zimbabwean talent.”

Without all the kind support rendered it would most certainly have been extremely tricky for us to elevate the festival to the rocking levels expected this year.

Says Mtukudzi: “The idea for the solo fest came about when fans sought to listen to what really the individual artist played by themselves. When we tried it at Pakare Paye we discovered that some of our local artists were not comfortable performing on their own. It meant the artists were not even confident to be who they are. We are changing this and building a well rounded artist who is competitive individually.”

This year we have rationalised the festival programme and flow creating the necessary environment for artists to be as creative, powerful and wild on their own, just as they can be in a full band.

• Shepherd Mutamba is the director of publicity at Pakare Paye Arts Centre and Tuku Music and the festival 1st assistant director.