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DBI YOUNG

Jonathan Mbiriyamveka Entertainment Reporter
CELEBRATED Jamaican dub poet D’BI Young (pictured right) is expected to grace this year’s “16 Days of Activism Against Violence Against Women” campaign scheduled for the Book Cafe early next month. D’Bi Young will also be one of the guest speakers at a gender forum discussion on December 5 chaired by Cynthia “Flowchyld” Marangwanda while Mandisa Mabuthoe from Botswana and Roxy “Xapa” Mathazia from Zimbabwe are guest speakers.

The internationally celebrated D’BI Young is a mono-dramatist and educator whose socially-conscious and highly dynamic performance and art works have made a significant mark upon the global psyche.

D’bi Young believes in “life, love and revolution”. Raised in Kingston, Jamaica, she moved to Canada in 1993, and exploded onto the Canadian theatre scene in 2001. She has since written eight plays, authored two poetry collections, produced two dub albums and received six Canadian awards for her work.

Her work has been extensively anthologised, featured on television from Cuba to Canada, and produced in theatres across North America, Africa, the Caribbean and Europe. D’BI is celebrated as a visionary storyteller, a passionate humanist and a leader in the development of arts education.

This is her second visit to Zimbabwe after passing through the capital in 2012 with the Poetry Africa Tour — and vowing to return.

As with previous years, the Book Café in Harare once again joins the world with a series of vivid and colourful events to raise awareness of the campaign in Zimbabwe, and to promote non-violence through the powerful voices of women and men in the arts.

Against the backdrop of the global theme: “From Peace in the Home to Peace in World” Harare arts organisation Pamberi Trust will roll out 16 events at the Book Café, featuring some of Zimbabwe’s top and up-and-coming performing artistes in music and poetry performances, workshops, discussions and film-screenings beginning today until December 7 .

“Performers to look forward to include Dudu Manhenga, Clare Nyakujara and Uza in ‘3Generations’; Victor Kunonga and Peace; Diana Samkange, Edith weUtonga and Fatima Katiji, Ammara Brown and Kessia Masona,” said Penny Yon of Pamberi Trust.

The horrific slaughter of women students at a Canadian college in 1989 sparked global protest and a powerful worldwide campaign. The slaughter came to be known as the “Montreal Massacre”.

The campaign is known as “16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence”, and advocates for awareness and action on the multi-faceted intersections of gender-based violence and militarism, while highlighting the connection between the struggle for economic and social rights and ending gender-based violence across the world.

Pamberi Trust’s gender project FLAME works to bring women artistes into the mainstream of the arts in Zimbabwe.

It is the continuing aim of the project to provide women artistes with opportunities for promotion, and — through these popular opinion leaders and new performance opportunities — to use the arts and civil society for the promotion of peace and nation-building.