Guayaquil, August 15, 2025— Cultures in Harmony and Revival Arts Trust Zimbabwe have concluded their 2025 partnership in Zimbabwe, together implementing the Pfumvudza Arts Festival on August 8 and 9 in Marondera, that country’s 12th largest city. Cultures in Harmony brought to Zimbabwe its director, violinist William Harvey; soprano Alize Rozsnyai; and South African violinist Keamogetswe Magau.
You can relive the action-packed Pfumvudza experience yourself by watching (and dancing along) to the documentary about the project, “Flowers of Friendship.”
Pfumvudza provided two days of programming for hundreds of attendees. Participating musical groups included primary school dance troupes, mbira and marimba ensembles, a prison band, reggae, and more. The theme this year was “fighting drug and substance abuse though creative arts.” The local Member of Parliament, the Hon. Vimbayi Mutokonyi, stopped by. A bouncy castle kept children entertained and numerous food vendors kept attendees fed.
Harare-based saxophonist Brad Sibiya and trumpeter Tibone Matikiti joined the three Cultures in Harmony musicians for a unique and memorable performance of a Scarlatti cantata, and the three CiH musicians stole hearts with their rendition of Oliver Mtukudzi’s “Neria,” perhaps the most beloved Zimbabwean song.
We are very grateful to the Michael and Mary Ann Wells Charitable Trust, the primary sponsor of our work in Zimbabwe. We also thank Dr. Solomon Guramatunhu for hosting a benefit concert in Harare which helped us meet our budget goals for the festival.
Local musicians and attendees praised the festival, which would not have been possible without Cultures in Harmony and its donors. Tendayi Kusaya, the director of the Rusape-based marimba group Sweet Dreamers, said that the festival is “a dream come true. It’s so difficult to get an event like this, where people come and do some African music: you don’t see it in Zimbabwe. For our kids, it’s a very great exposure. We are so happy.”
Albert Takarambwa, from the group Rovambira, appreciated the platform to showcase traditional Zimbabwean music and urged attendees to honor it, saying, “It’s who we are as Africans. We cannot run from our shadows.”
Please join Michael and Mary Ann Wells, Dr. Solomon Guramatunhu, and our many other donors by making your tax-deductible contribution to Cultures in Harmony today!
