CPP

Bwaca Arts Promotions

Community Project Proposal

POST OFFICE Box CT 159

Chinotimba Township

Victoria Falls

Zimbabwe

E-mail: bwaca@kabissa.org

" Promoting An Art of development! "

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Bwaca is a name derived from Zimbabwe's minority Tonga language, which when literally translated means Sunrise. Synonymous with sunrise in the Tonga tribe, are events such as a rise in hope for a new day, the beginning of a new life and a new development. With the aim of focusing on neglected African traditional arts and culture, social and economic issues,

Bwaca Arts Promotions was conceived upon the associations that the Tonga tribe ascribes to the term Bwaca.This group is run for and by young people.

What started as a mere music and dance performance at the Victoria Falls Catholic Church in 1993, led to the conception of Bwaca Arts Promotions. The founding aims were to address, through theatre and art, the linguistic problems that exist between the various tribes in the church. The success in implementing religious theatre to disseminate information marked the beginning of a semi-commercial way of fundraising money to attend national youth congresses.

The glitters of Victoria Falls' massive tourism industry attracted the young rural folk who perceived bright economic opportunities in the resort town. A lack of suitable educational facilities coupled with the low employment- creating capacity of the economy systematically isolated these unskilled young people. As a consequence of their inability to take part in social and economic activities, some became more vulnerable to prostitution, crime, alcoholism and drug trafficking in order to meet their costs of living. These anti-social activities have continued to manifest themselves in life threatening hazards such as Aids

In 1996 a group of young people came together to experiment in their artistic talents of drama, music, traditional dances and crafts making for the tourist market. This alternative success among a few young people, some of whom had been on the streets, stimulated the expansion of Bwaca's aims to try to redress the course of these changes through the arts. Fluctuations in the tourist market however continued to throw some people back into the streets.

Bwaca concentrated on the few committed members and as a way of promoting art education, incorporated old women to pass their skills to the young women whose participation on stage was barred.

Despite the current lack of local facilities such as an arts centre, Bwaca continues to prioritise, on its agenda, the pursuit to revolutionalize the cultural and socio-economic vitality of local life through the arts.

Aims and Objectives:

The key goals and objectives of Bwaca are as follows:

To educate the community and preserve the cultural heritage by holding on and passing on the cultural values of the community.

To highlight more contemporary works by young unknown artists, increase public awareness on sensitive issues such as health risks and the oppression of women.

To create employment, hence promote the sense of self- value among the economically inactive youths and women, who have few opportunities to exhibit their abilities to wider audiences.

To encourage cross-cultural communication among tribes, young people and bring about mutual understanding through the universal language of art.

To attract and engage young people in imaginative or creative activities and hence act as a catalyst for those with means to pass on to youth the opportunity to develop the skills and disciplines necessary for improving their overall intellectual and cultural growth and social responsibility.

To advocate that youth art receives the recognition and the appreciation it deserves from society by providing opportunities for the community's youth to think imaginatively and to create artwork based on important local and universal themes of art.

To use the arts to spearhead urban and economic regeneration in order to maintain cultural life by stimulating the positive effects that the arts have by increasing self- confidence and improved attitudes towards society.

Mission statement:

Maintaining our cultural heritage and social development through the promotion of a true image of African Arts and Culture.

Proposed Project and Realisation:

An ideal opportunity to bring the beauty of African culture, music and dance to an ever-increasing audience would seek to prioritise an effective mechanism for promoting culture and the arts in general. The proposed projects shall be carried out in short and long term phases in the realisation of our set goals.

Current Activities:

Identifying the status of the Tonga Art in order to improve the once knit socio-economic and cultural systems subject to the changing character of the environment.

A group of home trained women are engaged in Tonga arts and crafts such as bead making, basketry, and embroidery.

Young artists have continued to perform in local hotels and there are currently ten young artists that are on an employment contract to perform and entertain tourists in the resort town of Kariba in Zimbabwe.

Having gained a national scholarship to study for an International Baccalaureate Diploma in Wales, the director has been able to teach African drumming and dance to College students at Atlantic College and to school children who come to St Donats Arts Centre in Wales.

He has gained two- year practical experience as a Box office Assistant, Artist Liaison personnel for Beyond the Border International Storytelling Festival and various other skills such as theatre lighting, lantern making and theatre games at St Donats Arts Centre in Wales.

Liasing with non-Tonga Artists in securing group contracts for fair trade craft sales, organising for performances in the development of the Zimbabwean culture.

Short Term Project:

Making an International Cultural Tour to take us through Zambia, Namibia, North America and Wales in July 2000, to participate in various cultural activities and raise the financial capacity to be more self-sufficient.

Long Term Project:

The development of a Community Arts Centre to realise and promote the equality of opportunity among the young, old, poor and rich.

Facilitating exhibitions and festivals in Zimbabwe of works of all kinds by artists from Africa and other countries to promote access to multi-cultural arts projects for the local youths, schools and the community at large.

Proper documentation of works of African artists and training projects in unique African designs and symbols for textiles in batik, wax printing, traditional weaving, basketry, sculpture, visual and performing arts, story telling, dance and drumming.

Target Groups and Project Beneficiaries:

Young artists, craftsmen vulnerable members of society such as women and school children shall form the target groups, which the promotion shall prioritise.

The beneficiaries shall be performing artists entering into contract with the promotion for performances locally and internationally.

The community at large shall benefit from cultural awareness, entertainment and a vast pool of opportunity created by the centre.

Duration and Evolution of the Project:

The project’s viability is aimed at lasting long and the implementation of new ideas shall form the basis of enabling the livelihood of the project. Bwaca promotions shall respond to social and economic changes by integrating new forms of thought into developing vocational skills and new art forms.

Financial Generation and Viability.

Financial generation to support the running of the project shall

be attained through the sales of products such as crafts, basketry, costumes, sculpture and various other products, which shall be marketed both locally and internationally. The vast market offered by the tourist resort town of Victoria Falls should facilitate the distribution and fair trade of these products.

Maintenance costs incurred by the centre and its facilities shall be generated from the hiring out of facilities and the hosting of professional performances which shall form a source of financial income to sustain the project.

Grants from various private and public sources shall be sought to subsidise the cost of the courses and purchase of materials to realise the development of the arts. Bwaca Arts Promotions has geared itself for this future interaction by liasing with various craft shops, individuals and fair trade organisations for arts and crafts sales, which shall support the beneficiaries to the project.

Area of Involvement and Contact Addresses:

The proposed center shall be located in the tourist resort and border town of Victoria Falls. Activities such as Festivals shall extend to benefit the nearby communities of Zambia, Hwange, Bulawayo, Binga, the whole of Zimbabwe and the international community in the near future.

Contact can be made through the director at:

Bwaca Arts Promotions

P.O. Box CT 159

Chinotimba Township

Victoria Falls

Zimbabwe

E. -Mail address: bwaca@kabissa.org

Organisational Structure and Management:

Current Membership:

Promotions Director/ Founder/ Performer: Dominic Muntanga

Embroider/ Weaver / Co-founder: Regina Muzamba

Music Producer/ Co-founder: Felisizwe Moyo

Artist Liaison and Communications: Lufu N. Muntanga

Tonga Cultural Expect: George Mudimba Performer

Performer: Lizwe Jele

Performer: Forget Ndlovu

Performer: Lovemore Mandaliza

Performer: Lawrence Khanye

Performer: Llyod Mlalazi

Performer: Lovemore Makavi

Performer: Gugulabo Nkomo

Performer: Busani Nkomo

Performer: Mqoqi Nkomo