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Tariro Negitare

Sophia Chese Arts Correspondent
All is set for the unique fete, Miombo Magic Festival, to be held from May 30 to May 31 in its usual home, Christon Bank in Mazoe. Twenty-five bands including Mokoomba, Tariro NeGitare, Alexio Kawara, Ammara Brown and Chikwata 263, among others are set to perform. In an interview with The Herald Entertainment, Miombo Magic artistic director Gus Le Briepon said everything is in place for the festival and he promised a memorable event.

“The preparations are complete. Everything is done and we are just waiting for the opening day of the festival,” he said.

Briepon also said all the artistes have confirmed their participation.

“We have new artistes who will be performing for the first time, the likes of Alexio Kawara, Ammara Brown, Victor Kunonga and a lot more.

All of them have confirmed their participation and this time around we are promising a feast with Zimbabwean artistes from different genres so that we cater for almost everyone.

“We are encouraging people to come in their numbers to join us have fun with a wide range of musicians doing what they know best,” he said.

Miombo Magic Music Festival began in 2012 and has grown from year to year attracting thousands of foreign and local revellers.

He added that the original motivation behind Miombo Magic was as a fundraising event for a local Christon Bank primary school which, like many rural schools around Zimbabwe, is underfunded and poorly resourced.

“The main motive of the festival when we launched it in 2012 was to raise funds to build an extra classroom at Christonbank Primary and I am happy that we were successful,” he said.

Meanwhile, according to Briepon, Miombo is the word that is used to describe the musasa woodlands that characterise much of the Zimbabwean Highveld in which the festival is set.

Miombo Magic is a two-day music festival with on-site camping, set in the stunning outdoor location.