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Leonard Mapfumo

Sophia Chese Arts Correspondent
Urban grooves musician Leonard Mapfumo is set to perform at the Zimbabwe-China diplomatic relations celebrations to be held this Sunday at Rufaro Stadium.

Mapfumo will be sharing the stage with “Zim Got Talent 2014” finalists and the Zimbabwe College of Music Chinese choir. The event has been organised by the Chinese Federation of Zimbabwe and supported by ZLG, Sino-Zim Cement among other corporate players. Speaking through his spokesperson, Rumbidzai Matinanga, the deputy chairman of the Chinese Federation of Zimbabwe Zivanai Zhau, said the initiative is set to unite the locals and the Chinese nationals resident in Zimbabwe.

“Zimbabwe-China diplomatic ties date back to the time during the liberation struggle therefore this year we want to celebrate 35 years of this relationship and at the same time uniting and strengthening the bond between the two nations,” he said.

He said they will also take the opportunity to support local artistes.

“We are going to use that platform to support local artistes and also local sport since there will be a match between Harare’s two big teams in the afternoon. We also want to encourage other Chinese nationals to support local talent in any form, be it entertainment or sport,” he said. He added that they will also use the same platform to wish the President Mugabe, who turns 91 on Saturday, a happy birthday.

The event will be graced by the Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr Lin Lin, and senior Government officials. Meanwhile, , Zhau said soon after the Independence celebrations, they will start the “Zim Got Talent” hunt for 2015. “We are still organising on the promise we made that the winners of ‘Zim Got Talent 2014’ will have an opportunity to tour China as part of their prizes and we still stand with our word, they will be going to China on dates to be advised and as for this year’s edition we want to start the scouting soon after the Independence celebrations in April,” he said.