Zim: POVOAfrika Trust launches Musicable project

The project is funded by the Sound Connects Fund, an initiative by the Music In Africa Foundation (MIAF) and Goethe-Institut. The Sound Connects Fund is made possible with the financial contribution of the European Union and the support of the organisation of ACP States.

The project is part of POVOAfrika Trust’s increased support to communities that are often excluded from significant opportunities across Zimbabwe. It will facilitate access to home recording tools for artists with disabilities. Through mentorship programmes with established artists, the project will also empower artists by connecting them to mainstream markets.

The mentorship programme is already underway in Harare, Bulawayo and Mutare and will run until August. It will culminate in collaborative songs between the mentors and mentees. Mentors include local artists Raven Duchess (Harare), Vuyo Brown (Bulawayo) and Pauline Gundidza (Mutare), while mentees are disabled female musicians Jacqueline Mpofu (Harare), Sithandazile Gumbo (Bulawayo) and Chipo Muchegwa (Mutare).

“The Musicable project has been an eye-opening venture for me as I’ve also had time to understand the challenges that people with disabilities face,” Raven Duchess told Music In Africa. “I am honoured to have been chosen to mentor Jacqueline Mpofu . I have been mentoring her on such topics as branding, building stamina, vocal exercises, stage presence, how to make a set list for a performance, how to compose a song and how to write lyrics.”

POVOAfrika Trust said: “As part of the project, Musicable will produce a documentary of the journey shared by the mentor and mentee. The short film will highlight the challenges faced by artists with disabilities and how they work to overcome them. The documentary will be complemented by capacity-building workshops that will bring together artists with disabilities, industry professionals and leaders within the arts and cultural sectors.”

The workshops will go beyond documenting the challenges to providing practical solutions for the artists. They will be facilitated by disability advocate and award-winning communicator Soneni Gwizi.

Musicable is not POVOAfrika Trust’s first involvement in music-aligned projects. In 2014 and 2015, the trust released SpeakSing Volume 1 and 2 compilation CDs, which featured spoken word and songs from upcoming artists in partnership with HIVOS. In 2021, the organisation partnered with MIAF on #16WomenVoices as part of the foundation’s Music in Africa Live initiative. The project consisted of live performances by female musicians tackling themes ranging from ending violence against women to celebrating women’s rights.