ZIMBABWEAN award winning Mbira artist Brity Yonly who headlined the inaugural Jambo Festival hosted by Scot-Zim, SimChal and Diva Entertainment in Botswana, has described the fiesta as a career defining moment.
The festival, which was initially scheduled for June 24 at Londoners bar in Strathaven, was moved to Sunshine Conference in Gaborone and took place on July 1.
“The event was a career defining moment for me as an artist as I got to headline a huge festival as well as rubbing shoulders with the likes of DJ Sanchez Africa. We hope this moment will open more doors to collaborations and future festivals,” said Yonly.
DJ Sanchez, another artiste who graced the stage, said the festival provided the exposure she needed.
“The festival was a good experience as it introduced new beginnings for me. Sharing the stage with people rooted in our culture like Brity and Dell Predator made it all more exciting, it introduced me to that global stage that I have always wanted,” he said.
“I feel like I am on the verge of an international breakthrough, the exposure is vital for confirmation of my arrival on the big stage.”
“The impact is definitely positive as it allowed different genres of cultural diversity in one roof as I was used to only reggae festivals.”
Speaking on the rescheduling of the venue Scot-Zim Connect director Malvern Dyoco said they had logistics challenges with local arts authorities.
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“We only found out later after we had already made plans that the National Arts Council requires one to register foreign artistes before bringing them into the country," he said.
“The Council says you have to register with them as a promoter first or partner with a registered promoter first and this affected our timing and logistics, hence we moved dates and venue.”
“We will still host an edition of the Jambo Festival here in Zimbabwe, hopefully in October because by then we would have cleared all the international artistes who will be coming to perform.
“We are hoping to bring in Charma Gal and Slizer.”
