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Entertainment Reporter
Preparations for Musica 2014, one of the most exciting events on Zimbabwe’s cultural calendar, are underway. The annual music showcase is organised by the Italian Embassy in Harare as part of the diplomatic mission’s culture exchange program which is designed to facilitate stronger relations, understanding and cooperation through culture. Now in its seventh edition, the event previously ran under the title Italian Jazz Festival. It was re-branded to Musica this year in order to capture a broader range of world music and reflect its focus on cultural diversity.

The festival will run from October 18 to 25 with concerts pencilled in at various venues in the capital including the Italian Embassy Chancery, Misty’s, Zimbabwean-German Society, Mega 2, Sam Levy’s Village, the Italian Club and 7 Arts Theatre.

In an interview recently, the Ambassador of Italy to Zimbabwe, Enrico deAgostini, said, “Musica will this year bring together the very best of local, regional and international artists in order to effectively promote meaningful cultural exchange amongst artists and audiences. In addition, we have also partnered with the Zimbabwe German Society and the festival will this year feature performances by a band Germany.”

He said that the festival also seeks to promote the freedom of creative expression and cultural diversity while incubating innovation in order to create fresh artistic products.
In line with this goal, one of the festival’s key components are workshops that will be held at the Zimbabwe College of Music and Misty’s to facilitate artistic interaction, collaboration and cross fertilisation of creative ideas. The workshops will be facilitated by established local and international artistes. Participation in the workshops is open to all musicians, including students and emerging artistes.

The Musica 2014 program will also create new platforms for promoting new talent. Young artistes will showcase their skills at the Battle of the Bands, a competition that is open only to school local bands which will be held at the Italian Club on 18 October. Winners of this competition will have the opportunity to perform at various concerts during the festival alongside established artistes.

In line with its developmental focus, the festival will offer further opportunities for emerging artists.
The young upcoming artists who have finished school will perform at Mega 2 and the Italian Club in order to connect then with a wider audience.

The re-branded festival will this year present a variety of music genres and influences including folk, jazz, ethno music, R’n’B, rock, Afro-pop and fusion. The event motivates artistes to break barriers and produce new artistic works through collaborations among musicians from different backgrounds and cultures.

One the largest cultural events in Zimbabwe, the festival has received recognition as a major contributor to the development of arts and culture in the country. The festival facilitates culture exchange in Zimbabwe through its winning formula of bringing together international, regional and local artistes to perform and interact artistically at different venues around Harare.

Musica 2014 was made possible with the support of the Italian Embassy’s partners and sponsors. These include FBC Bank, Salini Consrutori, Freight World, Ethiopian Airlines, Meikles Hotel, Progressive Insurance Brokers, Sontine Travel, the Zimbabwe German Society, Econet Wireless, MedLog (Private Limited), Culture Fund of Zimbabwe Trust, National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, Just Doors, Peroni, Only Italian and Fiat.