The third ever Miombo Magic music festival took place at Christon Bank on 17 and 18 May.
Set atop a huge hill in the dappled shade of old msasa trees, the two day festival brought a stunning 23 band line up to the happy crowds who danced the weekend away.
Highlights on Saturday included a groovy set by Macy and THe Red, with lead singer Macy Huber taking their easy listening reggae numbers to great heights.
Rob Burrell, celebrated front man for rock band Mann Friday played a solo set with soul – his steely acoustic guitar and raw, emotive voice mesmerising the roughly two hundred people watching.
Selmor Mtukudzi was on as the sun went down, and was also well received.
It was however Mokoomba who thrilled the crowd most on Saturday, putting on their usual highly polished and energised show that got the audience dancing madly. It was their second gig in as many days after returning from their just ended European tour, and they were welcomed warmly.
Jam Signal slam dunked their funky jazz show before DJ Toby2Shoes took to the stage for a set which lasted three hours and was relentlessly compelling, leaving late night revellers absolutely exhausted. He dished up electro swing, techno, and skilfully tossed in some completely unmixed jazz and rock numbers which somehow gelled perfectly with the huge variety of electronic music he is known for.
Sunday dawned fresh and clear, and the music started early, luring even the most hungover of the campers from their tents for food and coffee, and yes, some hair-of-the-dog breakfast beers too. Among the long list from Sunday, it was the hugely enjoyable Drum Café workshop that had the crowd fully participating. The group handed out djembe drums to nearly everyone in the audience and led the audience on a pumping rhythmic journey that was fun for all.
Miombo is branded as a family festival, and the interesting dynamic on the dance floor for rock band Evicted’s set proved this to be true, with young kids through to grandparents rocking out as the afternoon wore on. It was with despondency and reluctance that campers packed up and trickled their way back to Harare to nurse the Sunday blues.
Talk to anyone who was there and they will vouch for what a special event Miombo Magic has become. It’s not for the beautiful setting or great music alone. The festival was initiated to raise money for the Christon Bank Primary School, and has continued to run for the same purpose since then, a driving objective which seems to trickle into the sense of kinship and community shared by the mixed audience.
Co-founder and organiser Gus Le Breton said, “It’s remarkable that a school so close to Harare is so under-resourced. Members of our community have been trying to find creative ways to raise money to develop the school, and finally decided to start this festival two years ago.”
Le Breton, a musician himself, said that to keep costs down the event depends on some goodwill from the performers who come together as a community in their own right to participate in the festival on stage and off.
In terms of how this year’s festival went, Le Breton told Harare News that although selling around 500 tickets at $50 each, they didn’t quite cover costs, but did gain a lot of confidence in the process of running the event.
Talking to the future, Le Breton said, “We would like to grow a little bit, but will conserve the safety and ease that the people enjoy ahead of getting too big. We want to continue promoting the natural beauty of Christon Bank, whilst celebrating our local artists and exposing people to as diverse a musical array as possible.”
Get your tickets for Miombo early on next year. This year’s success will surely translate into a busier event, but the small, community feel of the festival means that space will be limited.
Photo: Graham van de Ruit
I am not sure if its correct to call this a community festival. At $50 per ticket, this sounds like it would only be affordable to a select few in any community…
A valid point, though for two days of non stop music, plus camping, it would be hard to do it for less. Thanks for reading.
I agree with a lot of the posters above, you’re an awesome writer and I love your style (both writing and decorating!). Can’t wait to read more of your adventures.
I love to people watch too! In fact I just said that to Tristan yesterday and he said that it is creepy I then explained the difference between stalking and casual people watching. I enjoyed your observations at the pool. Confidence is always something I wish I had more of….think I am gaining more as I get older good to know if I sit by you at the pool, in my bikini, with my saggy stretched marked belly hanging out, you won’t judge me!
Really like the breakdown of the subject above. I have not seen a lot of solid posts on the topic but you did a excellent job.VA:F [1.6.5_908]please wait…VA:F [1.6.5_908](from 0 votes)
Hi Sara, any beer that isn’t too dark (avoid Guiness) or too light should be fine, I particularly like to use either a Pilsner type beer or a white beer. I also mix it with water, about half water/half beer. I lived in Guayaquil for about a year, I had some amazing ceviches there!
I have reread disappointment with God again and am interested in getting the book on Job by the one you call Richard.It’s called “The Suffering God,” by Chuck Ohlrich, and has been out of print for some time. Chuck no longer requests anonymity.Philip
AAAAHHH! Nu pot sa cred! In sfarsit! Am asteptat cartea aceasta cu sufletul la gura 🙂 Si are si acele scene bonus :DScuzati-mi "tipetele" si exclamatiile, dar sunt prea fericita 🙂
Hi! I’m at work browsing your blog from my new iphone! Just wanted to say I love reading your blog and look forward to all your posts!
Keep up the great work!
Hey! Do you know if they make any plugins to assist with
Search Engine Optimization? I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not
seeing very good results. If you know of any please share.
Cheers!
Hello my loved one! I want to say that this article is amazing, great written and come with almost all
important infos. I’d like to peer more posts like this .
Hello my family member! I want to say that this article is awesome,
great written and come with approximately all vital infos.
I’d like to look more posts like this .
wonderful points altogether, you just received a new reader. What would you suggest in regards to your post that you simply made a few days ago? Any sure?
I am not very wonderful with English but I get hold this very easy to read .