POPULAR southern African music fiesta, Zimfest, this year saw thousands turning up to celebrate the annual summer event which was held at the Kempton Park Racecourse.
For the last 16 years, the all-day event has been a major summer highlight for southern Africans and many other nations alike, who have bought into the event that celebrates life outdoors through its diverse music, African cuisine, an array of modern and traditional clothing and jewellery.
A representative from Redcliff Management said: “We are truly grateful to every single person that came out to celebrate Zimbabwe last Saturday.
The truth is, you can spend all the time in the world planning an event, but in the end it cannot be all it’s meant to be without the level of energy, love and passion that we saw on the day from our guests, stall holders and performers.”
“In addition, the generosity and commitment of our sponsors was an absolutely winning combination. We’ll absolutely consider all the constructive feedback we’ve had so far to bring everyone a bigger and better ZimFest Live 2018,” they added.
This year’s festival was held at the historic Kempton Park racecourse and saw performances from multi-talented local and international bands and artists, which included Tytan, Zee Guveya and Heritage, and Zim dancehall king, Celscius.
Afro-rock fusion band, Evicted, were a key highlight, serenading the crowd with their rendition of timeless classics from artists such as Bob Marley and Andy Brown.
The band who blend traditional Zimbabwean musical genres such as Sungura and Chimurenga with rock, punk, reggae and funk, also gave the audience a taste of their new, cutting-edge music. Their album is due for release sometime this year.
Headline act, Jah Prayzah did not disappoint, rallying the crowd and taking them back in time with some of his popular numbers such as Jerusarema, Eriza and Hello. The multitude erupted when he sang tracks from his last album Mdhara Vachauya, which included, Goto and Watora Mari.
His latest single My Lilly, a song in which he collaborated with Nigerian artist Davido earlier in the year, was also a highlight, with the crowd giddy with excitement.
Jah Prayzah, who has been touring overseas recently, is currently putting the finishing touches to his new album Kutonga Kwaro, which will be released in October.Advertisement
Zimfest’s dance arenas were also buzzing with standout performances and featured veteran DJ’s Mixolis, DJ Field and DJ Field.
The event was sponsored by several internationally acclaimed companies, including Cassava Remit, Zympay, World Remit, Senditoo, and Diaspora Funeral Cash Plan.
Speaking about the event, headline sponsor and CEO of Cassava Remit, Haxton Rose said his firm was proud to have been the main sponsor of Zimfest 2017.
“As an Econet Group company operating in the UK, we have sponsored several Zimbabwean events throughout the year and it was pleasing to see the Zimbabwean community also turning up, supporting and making Zimfest a huge success,” Rose said.
“Cassava Remit offers Zimbabweans living in the UK the EcoCash Home Wallet which provides the ability to make direct payments for bills and services in Zimbabwe from the UK and, it is through such initiatives that we proudly work with the community and will continue to do more in the future,” he added.
Meanwhile, Dr Sibert Mandega from Diaspora Funeral Cash Plan said that the event was truly one of its kind – a big community and family day which gave them an opportunity not only to showcase their product but also to meet the community they serve.
“As corporate citizens we feel obliged to invest in community events as part of our social responsibility and we were happy to be one of the sponsors of this event,” said Mandega. Meanwhile, Dr Sibert Mandega from Diaspora Funeral Cash Plan said that the event was truly one of its kind – a big community and family day which gave them an opportunity not only to showcase their product but also to meet the community they serve.
“As corporate citizens we feel obliged to invest in community events as part of our social responsibility and we were happy to be one of the sponsors of this event,” said Mandega.
Starting in 2001, in a field behind Wandsworth Prison in south-west London, Zimfest has over the years grown to become a major fixture on the London calendar and a key summer celebration for Zimbabweans living in the UK
Zimfest Live 2017 In Pictures:
