The Sunday Mail
They bring artistes from all over the world — Germany, the USA, Sweden, Nigeria, Jamaica and Japan — yet their festival remains largely unknown to the majority of Zimbabweans.
For two years, Sam Monro and his Magamba Network confined the Shoko Festival to Alliance Francaise in Harare, but soon discovered that the event was much bigger than they thought.
Last year the festival moved to Harare’s Book Café, Gallery Delta and Water Whirld and showed artistes, audiences and the organisers themselves that the festival was fast becoming a national arts calendar event.
Now in its fourth year, the Shoko Festival has found a home at Alex Sports Club in the capital, which the founder, Monro — aka Cde Fatso — hopes will be its domain for some time to come.
Cde Fatso said: “Having started off at Alliance, we were not looking forward to fast growth. But in a few years we have had to change venues not only to accommodate the ever-changing audience numbers but in search of a more suitable home.
“While it is a challenge to be handling different crowds every year and dealing with different venues, it is a welcome headache because the festival is growing and soon we will reach everyone we want to reach.”
Cde Fatso went on to describe the new venue as a central space where everything can be done in one place. “Alliance was okay, but we outgrew it. The many venues we had last year were also all right but uncomfortable. This is a larger, more central venue where artistes and the audience can be all in one space,” he said.
Themed “Re-inspire, Re-imagine”, this year’s fête will see top South African comedian Loyiso Gola performing in Zimbabwe for the first time.
The hard-hitting comedian, known for his “Late Night News” on eNCA, will be accompanied by his equally controversial sidekick, Chester Missing.
German-Nigerian hip-hop/soul singer Nneka Lucia Egbuna, United Kingdom House band The Layabouts and Individual World Poetry Slam Champion Buddy Wakefield (US) are some of the international acts performing at the festival.
But it is the return of the Nigerian-born Nneka, who performed at Hifa in 2011, that is likely to brew the most excitement at the festival.
The 33-year-old sings in both Igbo and English and has released five albums that have won rave reviews in Germany, where she is based, and throughout Europe.
The Shoko Festival would be incomplete without top-notch local performers.
Zimbabwe will be represented by acts such as rising hip-hop artiste Tendai Nguni aka Tehn Diamond, R&B/Afro-pop songstress Ammara Brown, and Zim dancehall guru Darlington “Dadza D” Zhanje.
Other highlights are folk queen Netsayi Chigwendere, Hope Masike, Djembe Monks, Nigel Mugamu, DJ Ray Dizz, ZiFM Stereo’s DJ Jason Le Roux and Afro-fusion artiste BaShupi.
The Shoko Festival showcases urban culture, music, comedy, poetry, DJ parties, talks, new media discussions and workshops, as well as international acts.
However, there is a feeling that the fête remains elitist and does not actively attract a cross-section of Zimbabwean society.
Cde Fatso says their target audiences include people between the ages of 16 and 35, but the festival founder and his team have not done much to penetrate high-density suburbs.
Although there will be a “Peace in the Hood” show in Chitungwiza, the festival organisers need to do more to attract not only the right crowd for their show but the numbers that will make the corporate world want to partner them.
Tony Rebel and Khuli Chana’s shows last year could have been bigger and could have grabbed the attention of the nation and sponsors, but the crowd was more or less the usual Book Café audience.
Cde Fatso and his team are definitely doing something right, in terms of organisation and quality of productions — but to reach the levels of Hifa, the marketing and PR teams of the festival will have to do more than send a few Press releases.
